New developments in L-band Matrix / routers, RF over Fibre and LNB Power Supplies to be showcased
ETL Systems, a global designer and manufacturer of RF distribution equipment for satellite communications, will showcase new and improved RF technologies at this year’s IBC in Amsterdam, September 10-15.
Amongst these technologies will be ETL Systems’ new 64×64 Hurricane L-band Matrix, Stingray RF over Fibre, Piranha LNB Power Supply units, and the LS Series Monitoring Switch upgrade.
Customised matrix to meet exact RX chain requirements
The unique design of the 64×64 L-band Hurricane matrix allows the customer to select input modules that exactly match what the teleport or broadcaster needs. Each input port can be tailored with its own modules including Fibre L-band input, LNB powering, variable gain / slope compensation and RF level detection. This flexibility also allows the matrix performance to be optimised. The user does not need to compromise the performance of the whole system by, for example, having unused gain available which inhibits performance.
Power consumption reductions and cost and space savings
ETL’s proprietary technology minimises the power consumption of the matrix, reducing it by 25% compared to traditional matrices.
The Hurricane’s compact design eliminates the need for additional chassis for fibre receiver modules and/or LNB powering as it can all be integrated within the matrix.
Rack space saving
Customers can upgrade their 32×32 Enigma matrix to a 64×64 Hurricane matrix and still have valuable spare rack space. It offers a compact modular design with 4U form factor even when powering 64 LNBs.
The Hurricane is designed to meet Ka-band and HTS applications with 850-2450MHz operating frequency range.
Visitors to the stand will also be able to see ETL’s StingRay RF over fibre technology, as well as the new Piranha power supply units.
Performance & resilience
StingRay’s high performance design offers excellent module to module isolation, making it ideal for high isolation applications. Downtime is minimised by dual redundant, hot-swap power supplies and hot-swap power supplies. The range now includes 1+1 and 4+1 redundancy configuration options, providing additional resilience for uplink and downlink transmissions. For longer distance transmissions over fibre, ETL have introduced CWDM modules which can transmit RF signals up to 30km distances with low loss.
As well as offering LNB powering through a matrix, ETL have also developed a new range of standalone units to power LNBs. The Piranha Power Supply Units provide DC powering options in a compact 1U high, 19″ chassis for a range of components and devices in satellite ground station RF and power distribution chains. The units are compact, expandable and customisable.
Flexibility
Piranha’s modular approach means that the customer can buy the size that they want and then expand later as their LNB power requirements increase. Energy consumption can be tailored to specific applications with power supply module options.
ETL’s new technologies also include improved performance for carrier monitoring with even faster switching time, improved return loss and isolation on its upgraded LS series monitoring switches.
Also on show at IBC will be ETL’s Alto line amplifiers, Dextra L-band Splitters and Combiners, and L-band matrix router family, including the compact 128×128 Vulcan Matrix, , the 32 x 32 Enigma Matrix, the 16 x 32 Valiant Matrix and the 16×16 Victor Matrix.
Ian Hilditch, CEO and Andrew Bond, Sales Director, will be among ETL representatives at the event to demonstrate the range of new products and highlight ETL’s quarter of a century of in-house experience in designing award-winning RF equipment. The company is also recognised internationally for its innovation and professional service, with 67% of ETL’s customers in 2015 being repeat customers and accounting for 93% of orders.
