STAR 300

BROADCASTING TRANSMITTER

Set Up Guide
 STAR300

CONTENTS

1 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATION ........................................................................................................3

1.1 Frequency - Power..................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Modulation Capability............................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Mono Input Characteristics ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Composite Input Characteristics............................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Internal Stereo Characteristics................................................................................................................... 4
1.6 SCA Characteristics .................................................................................................................................. 4
1.7 Readout On LCD Graphics Display (240x64 dots)................................................................................... 4
1.8 Remote Control And Connection .............................................................................................................. 5
1.9 Power Supply And Temperature Range .................................................................................................... 5
1.10 Mechanical Specification .......................................................................................................................... 5
1.11 Remote Software Control .......................................................................................................................... 5
1.12 Options ...................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.13 Standards Compliance (R&TTE) .............................................................................................................. 6

2 GENERAL FEATURES ..........................................................................................................................7

3 PARAMETERS CONTROL...................................................................................................................7

4 AUDIO SWITCHING IN THE STAR SERIES ....................................................................................8

5 SWITCHING THE STAR SERIES ON...............................................................................................10

6 REMOTE CONTROL ...........................................................................................................................22

7 DIRECT CONNECTION TO A PC .....................................................................................................22

8 INTERNET CONNECTION VIA LAN ...............................................................................................23

9 WEB PAGES ..........................................................................................................................................25

10 DB9 MEASURE CONNECTION ........................................................................................................32

 STAR300

1 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATION

1.1 Frequency - Power

Frequency range ........................................................................................................... 87.6 to 107.9MHz
Frequency setting...............................................................................................................in 10KHz steps
Internal setting mode ................................................................................................................by encoder
External setting mode by remote control.................................................................... (LAN, Web, USB)
Frequency stability ............................................................................................................. ±1000Hz/year
Frequency generation ...................................................................................................... PLL synthesizer
Modulation type...................................................................................direct VCO frequency modulation
Nominal frequency deviation .......................................................................................................±75KHz
Setting Nominal frequency deviation ................................................±50KHz to ±100KHz (1KHz steps)
Deviation linearity in all frequency range ......................................................................................±0.2dB
Peak detector error..........................................................................................................................<0.1dB
RF output power ........................................................................................................................0 to 300W
Power resolution setting .......................................................................................................................5W
Power control limit setting .......................................................................................................5 to 300W
Power control stability...................................................................................................................< 0.1dB
Reverse output power control limit ...........................................................................................10 to 50W
Reverse output power steps control....................................................................................................10W
Harmonics emission .................................................................................................................... <-70dBc
Spurious emission........................................................................................................................ <-90dBc
Carrier reduction power (carrier enable off)..................................................................................>60dBc

1.2 Modulation Capability

MONO (left and right)...................................................................................................... 30Hz to 15KHz
STEREO (by internal stereo generator) (option)............................................................. 30Hz to 53KHz
SCA (two channels)........................................................................................................ 30Hz to 100KHz
COMPOSITE ................................................................................................... External STEREO + SCA
AES-EBU (option) ................................................................................................................ digital input
RDS (option) .............................................................................................................................. internal

1.3 Mono Input Characteristics

Signal input.................................................................................. Left + Right or digital input AES-EBU
Input impedance .............................................................................................. 600 (balanced) or 10K
Unbalance rejection .........................................................................................................................>40dB
Input level....................................................................................................–1 to +14dBm (step 0.1dBm)
Pre-emphasis ............................................................................................................................ 75 or 50 s
Audio frequency response (30Hz to 15KHz) ...............................................................................<0.15dB
Audio frequency response (19KHz to 100KHz) ........................................................................... <-40dB
Modulation distortion .................................................................................................................... <0.03%
Signal to noise ratio .........................................................................................................................>80dB
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1.4 Composite Input Characteristics

Input impedance ............................................................................................................................. 10K
Input level....................................................................................................–1 to +14dBm (step 0.1dBm)
Frequency response (30Hz to 100KHz) .......................................................................................<0.35dB
Modulation distortion .................................................................................................................... <0.03%
Signal to noise ratio .........................................................................................................................>80dB
Stereo Ch. Separation (30Hz to 15KHz) ...................................................................>50dB (typ. >60dB)

1.5 Internal Stereo Characteristics (option)

Signal inputs ............................................................................... Left or Right or digital input AES-EBU
Input impedance ............................................................................................... 600 (balanced) or 10k
Unbalance rejection .........................................................................................................................>40dB
Input level.................................................................................................. –1 to +14dBm (step 0.1dBm)
Pre-emphasis ............................................................................................................................ 75 or 50 s
Audio frequency response (30Hz to 15KHz) ...............................................................................<0.15dB
Audio frequency response (19KHz to 100KHz) .............................................................................<40dB
Cross-talk between left and right channel .......................................................................................>50dB
Stereo separation between left and right channel ......................................................>50dB (typ. >60dB)
Subcarrier amplitude adj..........................3KHz to 10KHz step 100Hz (75KHz nominal freq. deviation)
Distortion at frequency deviation of 75KHz .................................................................................<0.03%
Distortion at frequency deviation of 100KHz ...............................................................................<0.03%
Signal to noise referred at deviation of 75KHz ...............................................................................>80dB
Suppression of 38KHz.....................................................................................................................>70dB
Spurious suppression outside band............................................................. .in according to ETS 300-384
Pilot reference for external RDS encoder (19KHz out).....................................................................1Vpp

1.6 SCA Characteristics

Input (SCA1, SCA2) ...................................................................................................... BNC unbalanced
Input impedance .............................................................................................................................. 10K
Frequency response (50KHz to 100KHz) ......................................................................................<0.1dB
Distortion.........................................................................................................................................<0.1%
Modulation capability.....................................................0 to 10% of nominal freq. deviation (255 steps)

1.7 Readout On LCD Graphics Display (240x64 dots)

Forward power resolution.....................................................................................................................5W
Reverse power resolution .....................................................................................................................1W
Modulation resolution ...................................................................................................................... 1KHz
Power amplifier voltage resolution.....................................................................................................0.1V
Power amplifier current resolution .....................................................................................................0.1A
Heatsink temperature resolution.......................................................................................................... 1°C
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1.8 Remote Control And Connection (option)

USB port (front panel)...................................................................................... directly to USB pen drive
RF MONITOR ................................................................................................................front panel BNC
LOW FREQUENCY MONITOR ..................................................................................front panel BNC
RF OUT ................................................................................................................ rear panel N connector
12 Vdc ext. for line fault remote alert ............................................................................... rear panel jack
LAN for internet connection, with internal Switch ......................... two connectors with Ethernet switch
LAN for N+1 system, with internal Switch..................................... two connectors with Ethernet switch
AES-EBU input ................................................................................................3 pole CANON connector
ANALOG MEASURE and ALARMS outputs ................................................................................. DB9
LEFT – RIGHT input ................................................................................3 pole - 2 CANON connectors
RS485 for N+1 system ..............................................................................................two DB9 connectors
RS232 for data amplifier .................................................................................................. DB9 connector
RS232 for 1+1 system ...................................................................................................... DB9 connector
AUX input/output for 1+1 system .................................................................................... DB9 connector
MPX input ........................................................................................................................BNC connector
SCA input ...................................................................................................................two BNC connector
19KHz sync output ...........................................................................................................BNC connector
GROUND , LINE SWITCH , LINE FUSE , LINE SOCKET ................................ rear panel connection

1.9 Power Supply And Temperature Range

Operating voltage ......................................................................................................................100-250AC
Power Factor (Reactive and Harmonic Line Components) ................................................................ >0.9
Line harmonic and flicker in according to................................................................................. EN 61000
Line power max........................................................................................................................... <500VA
Active typ. AC line power for 300W RF out ......................................................................450W typical
Typical total efficiency at max power (RF out power / AC line power) ........................................>70%
Typical total efficiency at 150W (RF out power / AC line power ) .................................................>68%
Line power in stand-by ( ext. CE off )........................................................................................ <50Watt
Nominal temperature range ...................................................................................................... 0° to 40°C
Operating temperature range ................................................................................................ -10° to 45°C
Storage temperature range .................................................................................................... -40° to 50°C

1.10 Mechanical Specification

19” 2U rackmount ........................................................................................................... 485x83x600mm
Weight .................................................................................................................................................8Kg

1.11 Remote Software Control

Directly to LAN ........................................................................................ Web browser, SNMP browser
Internet ...................................................................................................... Web browser, SNMP browser
Software upgrading ............................................................................................... by USB 2.0 pen drive
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1.12 Options
Option A .......................................................................................................................... Stereo generator
Option B ....................................................................................................................................AES-EBU
Option C ...........................................................................................................................Remote Control
Option D ...........................................................................................................................N+1 connection
Option E ...................................................................................................................................RDS coder

1.13 Standards Compliance (R&TTE)

Electrical characteristics ......................................................................................................EN 302 018-2
EMC characteristics.................................................................................. EN 301 489-1; EN 301 489-11
Safety characteristics ...............................................................................................EN 60215; EN 50385
 STAR300

2 GENERAL FEATURES
The new STAR transmitter series has been designed according to the latest technologies in
the RF area, as well as in the digital electronics and the communications one.
Five internal processors ensure a total independence of the high number of available
functions; all the components are surface-mounting type and the radio frequency circuits adopt the
latest-generation MOSFETs featuring an efficiency about 82%. The large and graphic display
allows an easy control of the transmitter by means of a rotary encoder. Weight and size are
minimized and allow the carriage by a single person. The fan cooling is temperature-controlled and
the noise, in the normal operating conditions, has been remarkably reduced in comparison to the
previous generation amplifiers. Every effort has been made in order to keep the cooling air flow
away from the PCBs in order to avoid the corrosion which can particularly happen in sea areas. All
the main parameters are feed-back controlled, even the transmitter’s efficiency has been optimized
with respect to the output power: by varying the voltage of the power supply which feeds the final
MOSFETs, the output power can be regulated from 5 to 300W with minimum power drain.

3 PARAMETERS CONTROL
All the transmitter parameters can be controlled both locally and remotely in the same way: in
local mode through a rotary-encoder, in remote mode through a Web browser or an SNMP browser.
Ethernet ports come equipped with an internal SWITCH which makes very easy connecting
several transmitters at the same site in a single network without the need of adding other devices
that could be affected by radiofrequency.
All low-frequency inputs can be digitally set with a resolution of 0.1dB with wide dynamic
range, as well as the level of all subcarriers and the nominal frequency deviation (normally 75KHz)
which can be set between 50 and 100KHz to allow undermodulation and overmodulation without
changing the level of input signals, thus keeping the ratio between them unchanged.
The connection via RS232 standard allows to connect a final amplifier in order to provide the
system with a unique IP address. This allows the user to simultaneously control both the exciter and
the power amplifier with all its additional parameters.
A 1+1 connection (main transmitter + reserve) with an output line to drive a coaxial relay (if
present) with its limit-switches can be created as well. The N+1 connection can also be
implemented via LAN (N master + 1 reserve).
The transmitter is equipped with additional RS485 input/output connectors to be used in
further applications which can be managed by the optional internal board provided with the suitable
software for the remote communication.
The software upgrades are performed through a pen drive connected to the transmitter’s USB
port.
If the broadcasting site is provided by double audio, for example from satellite and a
terrestrial link, the transmitter can switch between the different audio channels manually,
automatically or via remote control. The stereo subcarrier is measured by a specially provided filter
and demodulator. When its level reaches a preset threshold, and after a certain period of time has
elapsed, the audio is switched to the auxiliary channel. In the same way, with the RDS option, the
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station PI code is read and, if an error occurs, the switching takes place; the same happens even
when the modulation is absent. When in local mode, the user can select which of the connected
audio and SCA inputs can modulate the transmitter.

4 AUDIO SWITCHING IN THE STAR SERIES

The new transmitters allow audio switching among the various low frequency signals that can
be simultaneously available on the analog or digital audio inputs of the transmitter which will select
the desired input.
The following block scheme shows the configuration which makes the switching possible,
comprising four high-isolation coaxial switches driven by the CPU.
Switch Function
SW1 Controls the internal MONO-STEREO switching
SW2 Switches between the external MPX signal and the internal MONO-STEREO
function. The Left and Right signal can be a local signal or can be available
from a satellite receiver in AES/EBU format.
SW3 Switches between an external RDS and an internal or local RDS
SW4 Switches between the digital AES/EBU input and the analog LEFT/RIGHT
input
 STAR300

SW4a LEFT MEAS.

IN LEFT
IN LEFT

STEREO OUT INT. STEREO

CODER
SW4b
IN RIGHT
IN RIGHT
RIGHT MEAS.

on
OUT L/R RDS RDS DATA
SW1 DECODER
and
AES-EBU
MODULATION LOW FREQ.
DIGITAL IN DECODER CONTROL GAIN
CONTROL

COMP. MEAS.
on
IN MPX
SW2 VCO MODUL.

SW3 19 KHZ
IN RDS 19 KHZ MEAS.
EXT. BPF
on

IN SCA IN RDS INT

The low-frequency board measures the 19KHz subcarrier through a very narrow band-pass
filter. Moreover, an optional RDS decoder can be provided, whose output data are shown on the
graphic display.
All switching operations are controlled by the CPU. The control may be performed:
1) Locally through the encoder or remotely via Web, SNMP, PC.
2) By controlling the 19KHz stereo subcarrier amplitude, which is shown on the display
even when audio signals are available (OPTIONAL).
3) By means of the clock, which ensures the switching at a preset time (OPTIONAL).
4) Errors in the signal can be revealed by checking the PI code of the RDS frame and
therefore the switching can be performed (OPTIONAL).
5) By checking the absence of modulation (OPTIONAL).

The user can modify both the thresholds and the timing of the switchings.
 STAR300

5 SWITCHING THE STAR SERIES ON

After checking the antenna connection and making sure that the power supply voltage is
correctly set, the transmitter can be switched on. It will normally set itself in the band center
(98MHz) in standby mode. It takes about 30 seconds for all the parameters to be loaded into
memory; the first significant screen appearing on the display will show a summary of the operating
conditions of the equipment.

Page 1

The rotary encoder allows to move the cursor to the needed parameter and to access a further
submenu from which the selected item can be checked or modified.
The last two lines at the bottom are enclosed in a box and indicate the main parameters
(forward power, reflected power, modulation, clock, alarms, N+1); this information will be repeated
on the next pages of the menu so that when, for example, the level of an audio input is being
adjusted, the user can constantly monitor power, modulation, etc.
Moving the cursor to the upper left corner on “STATUS”, and pressing the encoder to
confirm, opens the next menu page, which shows other parameters:

Page 2

For example it can be noticed that the transmitter is in mono mode, its nominal frequency
deviation is 75KHz, if there are alarms stored in memory, etc. The nominal deviation can be set
within the 50 – 100KHz range in 1KHz steps; in some African and North American countries a
maximum limit of 50KHz is used, whereas in many other countries a limit of 75KHz is imposed,
but this threshold is often unduly exceeded. In this regard the transmitter allows the user to easily
raise or lower the maximum deviation limit without changing or interfering with any of the audio
levels of the input signals. This feature is not generally available in competing transmitters.
The measurement of the external temperature is also provided, which is detected by a small
sensor located on the front panel.
 STAR300

The voltage feeding the power stage (in this case 32.4V) can vary between 28 and 50V in
order to make the final amplifier operating at the point of maximum efficiency; this way allows the
equipment to achieve overall efficiency levels greater than 70%, even when the output power is
about half of the maximum value. Obviously, in this transmitter with 300W power only (new
models with higher power are already available and other ones will be released soon), this feature
can’t be highly appreciated, since the power consumption of the auxiliary circuits is a significant
fraction of the total power consumption; however, over 1KW, the advantage over equipment from
just a few years ago in remarkable, and energy efficiency is perhaps the most distinctive feature of
the STAR series. As a result, the transmitter is smaller and colder, which in turn greatly extends the
failure-free operation time.
The second entry on Page 1, “FORW PWR”, allows to access the output power settings:

Page 3

From top to bottom, the user can set the output power between 1 and 150W, put the
transmitter in standby mode, set the maximum output value for forward and reflected power and
check the external “carrier enable” status.
Moving the cursor one step down in Page 1, the user can access the reflected power menu,
which is basically the same as the previous one. The next menu entry is the page concerning
frequency:

Page 4

The resolution is 10KHz, but the crystal drift can be corrected with the “FINE” regulation: by
entering a numerical value between 1 and 255, the output frequency in corrected by ± 2KHz with
respect to the set value.
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Still further down in Page 1, the modulation menu will be shown, in which most of the
transmitter control settings are located:

Page 5

The first item “Modulation” allows turning off any modulation in order to analyze the spectral
purity. The OFF setting turns the modulation off for twenty seconds. A reverse counter will
generate a time-out signal to change the setting back to ON and re-enable the modulation in case the
user forgets to do so.
“Audio Input Mode” allows selecting the audio source used to modulate the transmitter: the
options composite audio (MPX), analog Left/Right, digital audio (AES/EBU), external RDS and
internal Stereo encoder can be switched, since all of them can be connected to the modulator.
The next entry “Stereo Int & RDS” allows completing the previous selection. This feature,
that will be further explained later in this manual, can be hardly found in most competing
transmitters and allows to save one external audio switch.
The pre-emphasis is internally set to 75 or 50 s and can be enabled via the next menu entry; it
only controls the Left/Right or analog channels.
By moving the cursor downwards on Page 5, the user can enable the “Overmod. control”
overmodulation setting, that acts as a non-distorting CLIPPER. If, for example, a maximum
nominal modulation level of 75KHz has been chosen and this function is enabled, the transmitter
will check the modulation peaks and will allow them passing unaffected if their level doesn’t
exceed the 75KHz nominal level by 1dB (about 84KHz); beyond this value the gain will be reduced
in order to avoid exceeding this last threshold. The input signal can be twice the nominal level
without overmodulation and distortion occurring.
The “Audio switch” function will be detailed in the chapter explaining the audio switching.
Moving the cursor further down on Page 5, a new page is open:

Page 6

In this menu the nominal modulation level can be selected, which in Europe is 75KHz; only if
an overmodulatation is needed, this value can be raised up to 100KHz without changing any audio
level. For example, in Algeria the local regulations oblige a normal maximum deviation of 50KHz.
 STAR300

This page can’t be used if the audio level isn’t sufficient or is too high. The fine regulation can be
done in other pages.
The audio level shouldn’t be confused with the modulation one. Although related, they are not
the same.
Moving the cursor down on page 6, the regulation of the MPX channel can be accessed:

Page 7

In order to adjust the audio level of the MPX channel, the said channel must be selected in
“Audio Input Mode” on Page 5. The Page 7 shows that with a nominal level of 6.5dBm, the input
signal is 1.7dBm lower (the error appears at the right of the bar): therefore, to ensure a correct
modulation, either increasing the input signal by 1.7dBm or reducing the “Nominal Level” setting
to 4,8dBm is necessary. If so, the bar will move to the ‘0’ value, showing that the modulation is
correctly set.

Page 8

The same procedure will be used on the next pages to configure the settings for the
Left/Right, SCA1 and SCA2 channels. These also must be selected on Page 5 remembering that,
since L and R could be analog or digital signals, therefore each of them will have separate settings:

Page 9
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Page 10

Page 11

Page 12

Moving the cursor further down allows to access the page where the level of the 19KHz
subcarrier is measured: the transmitter includes a band-pass filter which is able to separate the
Stereo subcarrier so that its level can be measured. The subcarrier could come from an external
MPX signal or from the internal Stereo Generator: its value cannot exceed 1/10 of the maximum
nominal deviation (maximum 7.5KHz for a 75KHz nominal value).

Page 13

Moving the cursor further, the next page is accessed, allowing to adjust the level of the
19KHz subcarrier coming from the internal Stereo Encoder:
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Page 14

The value can be adjusted between 0 and 10%, thus allowing to check the channel separation
using a simple oscilloscope by removing the 19KHz frequency.
Pressing and holding down the encoder closes the modulation menu and takes back to Page 1.
By selecting “AC Mem. Alr.”:

Page 15

The alarm menu is shown. There are two kinds of alarms: the first one indicates the mains
power failures, whereas the second one states the transmitter’s internal alarms or the events related
to its proper operation.
The mains power failure alarms are often the most common and frequent ones and this is why
they are separately stated; even without an auxiliary battery, the transmitter can store the date of
each power failure and, if the transmitter is connected to the Web and powered by a small external
battery (12V–200mA), the user is notified of the power loss and can connect with the site to get
confirmation and information about the latest operating status.
Page 16 shows 32 stored mains power failure alarms. Both the start and the end of the alarm
conditions are stored: there are as 16 “Fail” (power failure – alarm start) and 16 “Ok” (power
restored – alarm end).
There are 39 internal stored alarms; in their related tables the sent emails are stored as well.
The screening of alarms and sent emails involves a rather elaborate and complex process, in order
to avoid annoying users with repetitive and unnecessary notifications.
 STAR300

By selecting “AC Memory Alarms”, a table where all power loss events are recorded is
shown. Up to 99 alarms can be stored; when that limit is exceeded, the oldest events are deleted in
chronological order to make room for the new ones:

Page 16

Similarly, from Page 15 the transmitter alarms can be seen or the “Alarm Setup” page can be
accessed:

Page 17

The first alarm shown is the mains power supply one. It can be enabled/disabled by pressing
the encoder, and values are stored immediately with no delay so as to catch voltage spikes which
can seriously affect the proper operation of the logic circuits. The other alarm settings are displayed
by moving the cursor back to “AC Line” and rotating the encoder:

Page 18
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Page 19

Page 20

Page 21

Page 22
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Page 23

Page 24

Page 25

Page 26

It can be noticed that every alarm can be set with its own parameters, which are independent
from the other ones. It can be enabled or disabled, can be assigned a storage delay time between 2
seconds and 1 hour and can excite three separate relays in all their combinations. When setting the
modulation absence alarm, the user can also specify a threshold below which it’s assumed there is
no modulation, so as to discriminate even complex signal with several subcarriers.
 STAR300

The first relay, named “GENERAL”, is normally excited, so it will also notify when it’s off;
in addition, the relay signaling contact can be configured as either normally open or normally closed
by means of the setting jumpers on the printed circuit board.
The other two relays are excited in case of alarm (ALARM1 and ALARM2) and can be used
for secondary signaling; if, for example, the external temperature > 45°C alarm is associated to
ALARM2, an air conditioner could be turned on to reduce the temperature. The modulation absence
alarm often requires a separate signaling, (e.g. ALARM1), that can be used to trigger an audio
switching.
From Page15, the AC alarms and the transmitter’s internal alarms can be separately cleared:

Page 27

The clock settings can be accessed From the Page 1 screen:

Page 28

Similarly, entering the LAN setting menu can be done:

Page 29

The transmitter has 4 Ethernet ports on the rear panel: two of them are used for the N+1
connection and the other two ones for the connection to a PC or the Internet. Two connectors are
provided by means of an embedded SWITCH allowing the easy connection to a “ring” of
transmitters without the need of an external router.
 STAR300

The “WEB Setup” menu will be explained later; Page 29 shows the transmitter’s IP address
which can be assigned in static (DHCP = NO) or dynamic (DHCP = YES) way by the router. If
dynamic IP address assignment is selected, one has to make sure that the address will be kept when
the router is powered on and off. If not, static programming from the “WEB Setup” page is to be
preferred.

Page 30

By selecting “N+1 Setup”, Page 30 is accessed; it allows to select whether the transmitter
should operate normally (stand alone) or in N+1 configuration, the number of main transmitters and
whether this transmitter will operate as a main (MASTER) or reserve (JOLLY) unit. The maximum
number of allowed main transmitters is 6, therefore each of them can be addressed with a number
from 1 to 6, whereas the numbers 0, 7, 8, 9 will be assigned to the reserve unit.
The box at the bottom of each page indicates, on the right-hand side, whether N+1 mode is
ON while, on the right, the MASTER or JOLLY address is shown.
Through the (N+1) LAN connection, the reserve unit receives all the relevant information
from every transmitter connected to the network (power, frequency, stereo-mono mode, pre-
emphasis, audio levels, etc.) so that, whenever a main transmitter enters an alarm condition, it can
replace it with the same configuration.
To ensure that the internal Ethernet SWITCH keeps on working even if a failure turns off the
relevant device, each transmitter must be equipped with an external 12V power source. During
normal operation, the SWITCH doesn’t drain any current from the external source, whereas the
consumption is 200mA when the transmitter is off.
As already stated, the internal SWITCH, allows creating a ring of transmitters over the LAN
using very simple connections, without the need for any external devices that often comes built in
plastic cases and experience EMC issues due to the presence of very strong RF fields.
When a failure occurs, the switching is performed in less than 10 seconds.
Each time the LAN N+1 configuration is changed, the reserve transmitter automatically resets
by clearing any data previously stored related to the connected devices.
The Page 1 screen also allows the user to access the “OPTIONS” menu:
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Page 31

Here, the installed options, the serial number and the software version installed can be
checked.
Each piece of equipment comes with USER ID and PASSWORD based on its serial number;
these data are required for the Web connection so, noting them down and keeping them in a safe
place is highly recommended as well as changing the default password in order not to forget it.
When the N+1 connection is enabled, the reserve transmitter (JOLLY) will automatically
show the system polling page which lists the information about the main transmitters (MASTER)
and their current status:

Page 32
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6 REMOTE CONTROL
All STAR series transmitters can be remotely controlled via a network connection.
The rear panel is provided with 4 Ethernet connectors, of which two are used to manage an
N+1 configuration whilst the remaining two ones allow remote control of the transmitter via an
internal switch. One LAN connection per transmitter is all what is needed to set up a ring of several
equipment: for each device, going in through LAN1 and out through LAN2. This avoids the need of
installing any unshielded external switches and running many LAN cables which may cause
problems of electromagnetic compatibility in sites where high RF power is used.
A PC can be directly connected to LAN1 or LAN2 ports or, alternatively, the transmitter can
be remotely controlled by means of a Web or SNMP browser.

7 DIRECT CONNECTION TO A PC
In order to ensure a trouble-free TX-PC connection, both the transmitter and the computer
must be properly configured.
The LAN parameters can be accessed from the REMOTE menu. Configuration with static IP
address is required. As an example, a typical network configuration is given below:
Parameter Setting
DHCP NO
GATEWAY 192.168.001.001
DNS 192.168.001.001
IP ADDRESS 192.168.001.179
SUB N. MASK 255.255.255.000

The configuration of the PC’s network interface must follow the same pattern. Only the last
digit of the ’IP-ADDRESS‘ setting (179) must be changed in order to avoid any address conflicts.
This way allows to access the transmitter’s control Web page by typing the string
l92.168.001.179 directly into the address bar of a Web browser.
 STAR300

8 INTERNET CONNECTION VIA LAN

The following example shows how to configure an ADSL Router in order to access to all the
equipment connected to an internal LAN by means of a remote Internet connection.
The operation, called NAT (Network Address Translation), allows to make public an address
and an IP port part of the said network and therefore all available to a remote operator.
Beside the router to be configured, a PC provided with an Ethernet interface, a standard
network cable and the single piece of equipment, or more equipment composing the network, are
needed.
The steps to be followed are below listed, noticing that not all the menus of the router are the
same. Therefore you should own a minimum practice with the network connections:
1) Connect to the router by typing the router’s configuration page address into a generic
Web browser (Explorer, Firefox, etc.).
The address is normally 192.168.1.1. If required, type in the Login and password.
2) The next step is the configuration of the router (virtual server and port number settings).
3) Assuming that making the port 80 of the first device externally accessible is needed (this
is the default access port for the Web server), the following settings must be provided:
Field Setting
Public (external port) It must be set to an arbitrary value greater than 1024, for
example 8000, because port numbers up to 1023 can be
used for other standard services
Local IP Address The local IP address previously set on the transmitter
(192.168.001.179) must be entered
Protocol It must be set to ‘All’
Local (internal port) It must be set to 80; this is the port of the externally
accessible device
4) When done, confirmation is required to store the new settings in the router configuration.
5) If the IP address of the site is known, the transmitter connected to the router can be
reached by typing the following URL into the Web browser running on the remote PC:

http://IP_address_site:8000

The site’s IP address must be static (fixed IP)

The device will respond directly by making the connection from itself to the external network.
If two or more devices are to be connected in a ring as previously described, all the steps
listed above must be repeated, selecting a different public port number (8000, 8001, 8002, …, etc.)
and local IP address (192.168.1.179, 192.168.1.180, 192.168.1.181, 192.168.1.182, …, etc.) for
each transmitter.
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For example, for a three-device network, the router configuration must be as follows:
TX# Public Port Local IP Local Port
TX1 8000 192.168.1.179 80
TX2 8001 192.168.1.180 80
TX3 8002 192.168.1.181 80
So, TX1, TX2 or TX3 can be remotely controlled by typing the site’s static IP address
followed by :8000 or :8001 or :8002 into the remote PC’s Web browser.
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9 WEB PAGES
As soon as a connection is established, the first page appearing contains a comprehensive
list of all the transmitter parameters; the left column shows the transmitter status, whereas the right
column shows all the relevant settings. At the bottom of the page a bar indicates the modulation
while, on its right, the status of the alarms is displayed.
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The LAN circuits embedded in the transmitter can be externally powered by an external
source (12Vdc). This way allows to keep the remote connection even in case of a mains power
failure or if the transmitter breaks down (and even with power fuses blown), providing the router is
still working powered by external batteries that feed the said 12 Vdc line. In this case the
information shown on the initial page are “frozen” so as to reflect the last operating state of the
system before the power failure occurred, and the abnormal condition is indicated by displaying in
red the following alarm message:

The software for controlling the system via Web interface is provided with two alarm logs;
the first one (TX ALARMS) contains the history of all internal alarms with their date; the log
stores both the start (in red) and the end (in black) of any alarm condition.
Moreover, as explained later, any sent emails are displayed in green.
The second log (PW LINE FAULTS) contains the sequence of all the times the transmitter
was powered on or experienced a power loss; these events are the major part of the alarms and, if
the system is working properly, they will be the only entries in the log. This is why they are
managed separately from transmitter’s internal alarms. The transmitter, even without an internal
battery, can record the date in which it was turned off and therefore also the one of a power loss.
This page can be freely accessed from anyone who is connected to the IP address of the site.
It’s a read-only data page.
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In order to access and change the parameter settings, the appropriate passwords must be
entered.
Each transmitter is provided by a serial number shown as the first parameter on the top-left of
the page; every serial number is individually associated with a default password that is provided
upon purchasing the equipment.
By clicking on Change Parameters, the login window will appear:

Users are prompted to enter their username and password, i.e.:

user id: admin
password: ****

The default password associated with the device serial number is a 4-digit string.
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As soon as the username and password are entered, the page allowing to change the value of
all the transmitter parameters will appear:

The parameters which can be adjusted are frequency, power as well as all the audio levels.
Moreover, the various audio inputs connected at the same time (L&R analog, ext. MPX, AES/EBU,
etc.) can be switched.
It’s not easy to remember the password associated with the serial number and a user could
manage hundreds of them, so a personal password (last entry in the right column) for accessing all
transmitters can be set.
By clicking on Setup 2, the next page opens, from which the following items can be
set/accessed:
a) the maximum number of emails to be sent per day (too many are annoying).
b) 5 e-mail addresses to which alarm notifications will be sent.
c) the site name.
d) the name of the radio station broadcasted by the transmitter.
e) clock settings adjustment.
f) e-mail deliverability test.
g) email counter reset
h) clearing the Logs of the internal alarms and mains power faults.
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Clicking on Setup3 the following page will open:

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In order to send emails, creating an email account is mandatory. The first fields in the page
are used to define the mail server parameters.
In order to make testing easier, an example email server configuration is shown below:
Parameter Setting
e-mail server smtp.gmail.com
user e-mail fmtxpwr@gmail.com
user login fmtxpwr@gmail.com
server port 465
SSL protocol enable (data encryption)
e-mail password fmtxpwr1
e-mail fmtxpwr@gmail.com

The e-mail password allows the transmitter to send emails by accessing the mail server; make
sure not to forget it or confuse it with the password created for setting the transmitter parameters via
the Web interface.
From here it’s also possible to selectively configure the emails sending by enabling or
disabling this property for each type of alarm. If, for example, is well known that a fan isn’t
working, causing the system to issue a temperature alarm several times a day, the temperature alarm
notification can be disabled in order to avoid sending useless emails.
A screening of outgoing alarm messages was implemented in order to avoid filling up the
recipient’s mailbox.
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The transmitter software allows setting a custom time (delay) that must elapse before each
alarm type is stored; in order to notify the user only when action is actually needed, the following
restrictions apply when sending emails:
a) Although every kind of alarm can be recorded even if it only lasts for a few seconds, an
email will be sent only if the alarm condition is stable for more than one minute; therefore, a
delay of at least one minute applies to all outgoing emails (fixed firmware delay)
b) A 10 minute interval is set between an e-mail and the next one (fixed firmware delay)
c) The number of emails sent per day cannot exceed the value of the counter in the Setup2 Web
page.
d) The total number of emails sent per day is the sum of those sent at the start of each alarm
condition plus the ones sent at the end of the alarm.
e) Though mains power loss alarms are recorded with no fixed delay (so as to catch very short
power outages that can affect the proper operation of the logic circuits), an email will be sent
only if the power failure lasts longer than one minute.
f) During the day, two identical emails can’t be sent in sequence, excluding those concerning
mains power outages.
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DB9 MEASURE CONNECTION

PIN 1 --------

PIN 2 MODULATION LEVEL

PIN 3 REFL. POWER

PIN 4 FORW. POWER

PIN 5 GROUND

PIN 6 GENERAL ALARM OUT (Factory set: open in alarm)

PIN 7 ALARM 1 (Factory set: open in alarm)

PIN 8 ALARM 2 (Factory set: open in alarm)

PIN 9 CARRIER ENABLE: if GROUNDED, no Power Output

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