Even though signal interference in satellite broadcasting is a rare occurrence, it can be very costly to a satellite operator. Early identification of interference and its source should allow for a timely action to resolve the problem.
In-band interference monitoring has been a part of the AVQ1020 platform and now is integrated into a new AVQ1022DVBS RF Layer Monitoring and Signal Analyzer for DVB-S/S2 broadcasting standards. Recently, Avateq has announced an extension of supported standards for satellite monitoring in a form of DVB-CID decoding capabilities.
DVB-CID standard specifies the format of a unique identification code embedded on a transmitter carrier (Carrier ID, CID). The transmitted information consists of a number of fields. Two fields are mandatory - 64-bit Global Unique Identifier and CID format. The optional information includes the latitude and longitude, telephone numbers, and user-defined fields.
Today, Carrier ID is supported by most satellite modulator and encoder manufacturers. A centralized database of assigned CIDs has been established and is operated by the Space Data Association. September 3, 2017, is the last day for satellite operator to comply with FCC requirements "to include a signal identifying the source of transmission" for all satellite uplnk transmissions carrying "broadband" video information.
AVQ1022DVBS analyzes DVB-CID signal and processes repetitive frames with information to display. FEC protected and scrambled CID bits are repeated 4 times compromising a 976-bit message sent in 4096 chips. To decode the whole CID content, AVQ1022DVBS has to read 7 frames (Carrier ID translated twice). The process of DVB-CID decoding can be viewed in the following GIF animation:
AVQ1022DVBS with CID decoding assists satellite operators in signal monitoring, in-band interference detection and CID detection. Customizable alarm system, reporting and data logging engines make this equipment a convenient and practical tool in 24/7 satellite broadcast signal monitoring.
