Upgrade enables network operator and service provider to deliver more efficient and affordable services to enterprise customers in Africa

Herndon, Va., May 16 2012 – VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today announced that Q-KON, a leading African satellite network operator, and Business Connexion, a leading African ICT service provider, have partnered to deploy iDirect’s iDX 3.1 software upgrade and newly released Evolution X1 remotes. Through iDX 3.1, Q-KON and Business Connexion can enhance their services for enterprise customers and scale their iDirect networks to a much greater number of sites. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

Q-KON anticipates strong demand from its service provider partners for iDX 3.1 to support enterprise-class networks for corporations. In the case of Business Connexion, iDX 3.1 enables the company to enhance its enterprise cloud services solutions, offering corporations the benefits of virtualization at a lower cost. iDX 3.1 is a great fit for Business Connexion because it is specially designed for the large network deployments required to run an efficient and affordable cloud infrastructure. Read More

TDM Lost

What are they?
They are an aggregate count of the number of times the remotes demodulator has lost lock on the Hubs Downstream carrier since remote was reset.

Where are they measured?
For QPSK, the 8 bit I and Q soft decision data is sampled at the symbol rate after demodulation on the iNFINITI remote.

How are these calculated?
The sign bit of each signal (hard decision) is correlated separately with the known 32 symbol UW (Unique Word) sequence. When a UW sequence passes through the correlators and all bits of I and Q match, there is a perfect correlation of 64 matches. For BPSK, only the I channel is correlated so the perfect correlation is 32 matches.

Since the channel is noisy, thresholds lower than the perfect correlation are used. A high correlation is used during initial acquisition to prevent a false lock and then once frame lock is achieved, a lower threshold is used to ride out periods of low SNR.

A coincident detection and aperturing method is employed to make the circuit more robust. Since the number of symbols per frame N is known, when the first UW sequence is detected, the circuit waits exactly N symbols before checking for another correlation. This one symbol aperture prevents false detection. After four UWs are detected in a row, TDM Lock is declared. If four in a row are missed, TDM Unlocked is declared.

What are FLL DAC limits on a remote?
FLL DAC lower limit is 0 and upper limit is 4096. If FLL DAC ever gets close to its upper limit of 4096 or its lower limit of 0, this indicates that its local oscillator is not able to lock to the bit timing of the downstream carrier.  This may cause remote to loose downstream carrier lock.

iMonitor is configured by default to show FLL DAC warnings for readings lower/higher than %12.5 of min/max limits (min. warning limit= 512, and max warning limit= 3584)

Interpreting NCR

Does anyone know what the “ncrinterval” in the options file means and what is the unit of this value?

[DVBS2]

frame_length = 0.0

frame_size = short

inroute_frame_length = 125.000000

mode = acm

ncr_interval = 3375000

pilot = 1

rc_roll_off = 0.200000

Answer from TAC

The NCR interval is 125ms. The 3375000 figure above means ‘3375000 NCR ticks’.  One NCR tick equal 1/27000000 of a second.

Thank you for joining us during this week’s webinar, “iDX 3.1: Optimize your network.” In case you missed it, you can view it here. (Note: The WebEx ARF player is required to playback the recording. Download ARF player.)

Learn about iDirect’s latest iDX 3.1 release, which is optimized for large, narrowband networks to lower total cost of ownership (TCO), increase hub scalability, and generate additional revenue streams. You’ll learn how iDX 3.1 offers:

• The compact Evolution X1 remote with optional IP67      enclosure
• 16-channel narrowband license for the XLC-M line card
• Web-based iSite for remote commissioning
• Highly efficient BUC and LNB bundle
• Quality of Service enhancements to optimize large scale      networks

We also provide an overview of the Energy and Utility vertical and how the new features and hardware in iDX 3.1 support specific Utility applications, such as SCADA/substation automation, pipeline monitoring and AMI backhaul. iDX 3.1 also supports point-of-sale, ATM and distance learning.

To view a special UTC report on the “Strategic Assessment of Satellite Usage in the Utility Industry,” please send us an email at marketing@idirect.net.

Learn more at http://www.idirect.net/grow.

Information on Fast Fade Corr, CRC8/CRC32 errors and NCR lock lost counters

“Fast Fade Corr” stands for “fast fade correction” and is the number of times the remote was detected (by the hub) as going into a fast fade condition. A fast fade condition is where the remote’s reported Downstream SNR drops more than a certain amount in a certain period of time. When this is detected, the system drops the MODCOD of the remote (assuming DVB-S2 ACM mode here) way more than a normal adjustment, to try and compensate for the sudden drop in signal strength, hence keeping remote from dropping out of the network. You can read more in iBuilder User guide under section “5.12 DVB-S2 Network Parameters”, that is where you can learn how to adjust these.

What are CRC8/CRC32 errors?

In DVB-S2 carriers, the classic “SCPC errors” don’t exist. In DVB-S2, these have been replaced by CRC8 and CRC32 errors.

Below is a description of how they work.

The basic building block of the DVB carrier is called the BaseBand Frame (BBFrame). CRC8 and CRC32 errors will provide two separate levels of error checking, each is responsible for different segments of the BBFrame. Read More

How to find out model, serial number and software loaded onto a remote or a line card

Assume you are a HNO and recently obtained new remotes or line cards to enhance your existing hub.  As you learned during iDirect’s IOM course, the software and the options file of the new devices must be examined, and most likely updated.

But how can you quickly find out what is loaded on the device, along with the model and serial number?

There is a command that does just that, all at once. That command is ‘versions_report,’ available from the falcon application prompt.

Here is how to use it. This assumes you have IP or console connectivity.

1)      telnet to device

2)      issue command ‘versions_report’

This command will show at once the model, serial number and software loaded on device.  Sample output below, from XLC-M line card SN 28765. Read More

Over 80% of mobile operators interested in small cells and satellite-based backhaul solutions

Herndon, Va., May 2, 2012 – VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), and Informa Telecoms & Media, a leading analyst firm, today announced the release of a new survey and whitepaper that demonstrate the market value and potential of satellite backhaul when used in conjunction with small cells. The research revealed that a solution combining the two technologies offers an affordable way for mobile operators to improve their services and expand into underserved markets. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

As portable devices create a surge in mobile data traffic, operators are looking for ways to cost effectively expand their customer base. Small cells that are easy to deploy and cost less are increasingly replacing macrocells as a preferred technology among mobile operators. Informa’s research shows that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a combined solution using satellite and small cells proves to be competitive when compared to similar network deployments using other technologies and can deliver a Return on Investment (ROI) in as little as two years.

Key Findings

• Nearly 90% of survey respondents said that small cells would be important for reaching the next 1 billion subscribers, and almost half (47%) of respondents believe small cells are a preferable solution to traditional 2G or 3G macrocells for rural expansion.
• Nearly 83% of mobile operators would be interested in evaluating a cellular backhaul solution that combines satellite and small cells.
• Mobile operators in the survey listed on-going operational expenses and the cost of capacity as the primary factors when evaluating backhaul solutions for rural connectivity.

Read More

What is ‘Unique Word’ in TDMA?

This image represents a burst, whose time length may be 180 mS.  At the start of the burst the bit sequence follows a predetermined burst preamble or header designed to help the hub receiver demodulator lock onto the carrier. This is described as the “carrier and bit timing recovery sequence and unique word.” A brief period of un-modulated CW carrier is a good start. This helps the demodulator automatic frequency control (AFC) adjust its center frequency and also get the automatic gain control (AGC) so that the level of the carrier is made nominal. Next a period of alternate ones and zeros helps the demodulator to set the exact bit rate e.g. 249,999 bit/sec. Following this is the unique word. This is a pre-selected complex sequence of ones and zeros which the receiver attempts to match against two opposite matching patterns. When a hit is obtained the demodulator knows two things – it can now distinguish a one from a zero and it knows its exact position in the burst. At the end of the unique word the User data message starts. Right at the end may be a cyclic redundancy (CRC) checksum to check if there have been any errors during the burst.  Read more by accessing the full article at the link below.

Source: http://www.satsig.net/vsat-equipment/tdma-explanation.htm

World leader in satellite communications brings global partners together to discuss industry trends and identify key opportunities and growth strategies

Herndon, Va.,April 30, 2012 – VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), will hold its second annual Global Partner Summit in Prague, Czech Republic from May 15-17. The event brings together iDirect’s partners from around the world to network, examine industry trends, share insights about the future of satellite, and learn about key market developments. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

This year’s Global Partner Summit will build on the success of last year’s event by bringing together more partners from around the world. In total, 100 high-level representatives from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific are expected to attend the event. The Summit will feature several insightful panels, including a discussion on the implications of emerging high-throughput satellites for satellite operators and service providers by Chris Baugh, President and Founder of Northern Sky Research, a global leader in satellite industry market research. Several iDirect executives will also present growth strategies and company updates at the Summit, including Mary Cotton, CEO; David Bettinger, CTO and SVP of Engineering; and Toni Lee Rudnicki, CMO. Read More

iDirect’s new Evolution X1 Series Satellite Routers are optimized for use in large networks with small inbound channels such as SCADA, pipeline monitoring, point-of-sale and ATM applications. The X1 remote features DVB-S2/ACM and TDMA, basic routing, and VLAN functionality at a cost-effective price point, which helps lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for service providers. The X1 remote also supports robust QoS for efficient bandwidth management and traffic prioritization. The outdoor version is low-powered and has an IP67 enclosure with an extended temperature range (-40○C to 60○C), which can also be pole mounted. The outdoor X1 can be solar or battery powered for increased flexibility and convenience.

The X1 remote comes in a 2W or 3W BUC and LNB bundle. These outdoor units (ODU) are compact, lightweight and fall within the Class I antenna limit.

Combined with the XLC-M 16-channel narrowband license, these features make the new Evolution X1 ideal for large-scale narrowband networks providing a more cost-effective solution for service providers to pursue these markets.

For more information, please visit www.idirect.net/grow.