Innovative Communication Solutions

whitepaper

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR

AUTO TUNE COMBINERS
Written by Cheryl Boyer, Technical Sales Engineer
Sinclair Technologies, a Division of Norsat International

Introduction
This paper will highlight the unique features of the
Auto Tune Combiner. It also discusses the design
considerations that should be considered before
deciding if the Auto Tune Combiner is the best choice
for your current and future applications.

Auto Tune Combiners have unique features for

specific applications. They consist of an integrated
control unit for fully autonomous frequency tuning,
which keeps return loss of each transmitter channel to
a minimum and optimize overall system performance.
Remote control and system monitoring are supported
via an Ethernet/IP connection and an integrated user-
friendly web-based GUI. This feature facilitates easy
on-site configuration and remote access.

Unlike traditional Tx combiners, Auto Tune Combiners will optimize themselves when the defined thresholds for
the maximum VSWR is reached. For example, a system that experiences extreme fluctuations in temperature
may optimize itself several times a day. In contrast, a system in a temperature-controlled shelter may only
optimize itself once a week.

Additional features include:

- User settable alarm thresholds for maximum VSWR

- User settable minimum and maximum input power alarm levels for each cavity

- System reset features via the web interface

- Monitor the general health and status of the combiner, which includes:

• Antenna VSWR

• Cavity VSWR

• Return Loss

• Input Power

• Frequency

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You should review and confirm the design considerations discussed in this paper before purchasing a Land
Mobile Radio (LMR) system that includes an Auto Tune combiner. Each of these considerations will be discussed
in detail. The design considerations include antenna space isolation, intermodulation, Transmit-Transmit (Tx-
Tx) frequency separation, and Transmit to Receive (Tx-Rx) frequency separation. These items, along with the
operation of other system components, may limit the system’s operation.

Isolation:
Tx to Rx antenna space isolation is a key consideration if you plan to move the combiner to another site or
change the current antenna configuration of the existing site.

This will impact the combiners’ tuning capability and its role in the overall isolation of a combiner/multicoupler system.

Transmit combiners (also known as Tx combiners) allow for multiple transmitters to be combined on a single
transmit antenna. Receiver multicouplers (also known as Rx multicouplers) allow for multiple receivers to be
connected to a single receive antenna. The Tx combiner needs to provide enough transmit signal filtering to
suppress or eliminate wide band transmitter noise. The Rx multicoupler must provide enough filtering to prevent
receiver desensitization, otherwise known as receiver desense. Together the transmit and receive system filtering
help to prevent or minimize system created interference.

The amount of filtering required is determined by the amount of antenna isolation plus the amount of filtering
on either the transmit combiner or the Rx multicoupler. More antenna space isolation means less filtering that
is required from the Tx combiner/Rx multicoupler system. Likewise, less antenna space isolation means more
filtering that is required from the Tx combiner/Rx multicoupler.

For example, if your system requires a total of 90dB of transmitter side band noise suppression and your antenna
configuration provides 50dB of isolation, then the transmit filtering will need to provide at least 40dB of isolation
(90dB – 50dB = 40dB).

If you change your antenna configuration, which results in less antenna space isolation, your Tx combiner may
not have sufficient isolation to suppress the wideband transmitter sideband noise below the interference level of
your receivers, and additional filtering may be required.

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Intermodulation:
Before considering a new frequency plan for your Auto Tune Combiner, frequencies should be selected so the
system will be free of interfering 3rd, 5th and 7th order intermodulation products. The intermodulation product
frequencies may land on or near your system receiver frequency, producing desense that may lead to a dropped
or missed call. This is extremely critical in Public Safety systems. Any in-band or on-site user frequencies should
be included in the intermodulation study and isolation analysis because these transmitters may be a contributor
to intermodulation products.

Many of the traditional intermodulation programs and calculators run 5th and 7th order intermodulation hits that
use up to three contributing carriers. Programs that run intermodulation products that use up to seven carriers,
will provide drastically different results. Running the report using up to seven carriers may show results that you
wouldn’t see with a simple calculator. Unidentified intermodulation hits have proven to be detrimental to your
system functioning properly.

It is important to send your frequencies to your Auto Tune Combiner manufacturer to verify and confirm that
the new frequency plan will work before re-tuning the combiner. By establishing that the frequencies will work
before you retune the combiner, you will avoid trying to correct for an interference issue that could be a result of
intermodulation produced by a new frequency.

Minimum Spacing:
When considering an Auto Tune Combiner for your application, the Tx-Tx separation and the Tx-Rx frequency
separations are critical parameters in designing a Tx combiner / Rx multicoupler communications system. This
is true for any combiner, not just an Auto Tune Combiner.

You must not get any closer than the minimum specified Tx-Tx spacing because it will not operate properly.
Be sure to look at the specifications of the combiner before trying to assign new frequencies. If there are any
questions or concerns, please contact your Auto Tune Combiner manufacturer

Tx-Rx frequency separation is equally as crucial as Tx-Tx separation. One of the main reasons why it is vital to
maintain a minimum Tx-Rx separation is to provide sufficient isolation to protect your receivers from transmitter
sideband noise and receiver desense. The wider the separation between the transmit and receive frequencies,
the more isolation you will achieve. Please refer to the ‘Isolation’ section above.

When the combiner is to be retuned, the new frequencies must fall within the allotted frequency band of your
combiner for it to be retuned without making any cable, harness or preselector changes.

Please contact your Auto Tune Combiner manufacturer for the frequency bands that your specific combiner can
be tuned to. The bands will differ depending on which frequency spectrum you are operating in and how many
channels you have in your combiner.

For example, a four-channel UHF Tx Auto Tune Combiner will have a 5 MHz tunable bandwidth. If the original
combiner were purchased for 450-455 MHz, any new frequencies would need to fall within this same 5 MHz
bandwidth. If the new frequencies fall outside the original 5 MHz bandwidth, the cables and/or cable harnesses
need to be replaced for them to work in the new band.

The Tx combiner can tune within a 5 MHz bandwidth (i.e. 450-455 MHz), but once receivers are added into the
equation, the usable bandwidth is reduced. If your transmitters are between 450 and 455 MHz, your receivers
will usually have a 5 MHz offset, putting them between 455 and 460 MHz. In this case, the transmit frequency
band is directly adjacent to the receive frequency band. Please refer to the examples below.

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Example 1: If you have one transmitter at 450.750 MHz and another at 454.500 MHz, your associated receivers
would be at 455.750 MHz and 459.500 MHz. This only provides 1.25 MHz spacing between the nearest transmitter
(454.500 MHz) to the closest receiver (455.750 MHz). This is a minimum Tx-Rx separation. In most cases, the
system filtering will not provide adequate isolation without adding additional filtering.

Example 2: An ideal situation would be to have your transmitters at one end of the usable frequency band so
your receiver frequencies would be spaced for maximum Tx to Rx frequency separation. For example, if your
transmitters are at 450.250 MHz and 450.750 MHz, this puts your receivers at 455.250 MHz and 455.750 MHz.
This will give you a minimum Tx-Rx separation of 4.5 MHz and better isolation than in Example 1.

Tx-Rx separations are harder to maintain, depending on what frequency band you are operating in. The
700/800/900 MHz LMR frequencies have standardized wide offsets between Tx and Rx frequencies, making
it easy to get sufficient isolation from the Tx combiner. UHF also has standardized frequency bands, but the
offsets are much closer in the lower frequency bands. As a result, it makes it a little more challenging to keep
a set minimum separation between the closest transmitter to the closest receiver frequency. VHF systems are
usually the most difficult to work with. This is because there is no band plan at VHF and allocating frequencies
to maintain a wide Tx-Rx separation can be challenging, and in most cases, require a custom Tx combiner / Rx
multicoupler system to be designed.

Figure 2.0 shows a schematic of a UHF Auto Tune combiner/multicoupler System. The section outlined in red
is the standard Auto Tune series combiner. In this example, the antenna configuration provides about 52 dB of
antenna space isolation between the Tx and Rx antennas. The standard Auto Tune Combiner comes with one
cavity per channel, and in this example,
the tuning range of the combiner is
450 to 455 MHz. The minimum Tx-Rx
separation is 3 MHz (the lowest receiver
is 456 MHz, and the highest transmitter
is 453 MHz). The bandwidth of the
receiver preselector is set to pass 456
to 458 MHz, a 2 MHz wide receiver
window). If this system is retuned, the
new frequencies must fall within the
bandwidth of the Rx preselector. As
a result, the usable bandwidth is now
limited to 2 MHz.

The system, in this example, will provide

total isolation of:

- 70 dB total minimum isolation on the

transmitters:

(52 dB of Antenna Isolation + 18 dB of

filter isolation) =70 dB

- 75 dB total minimum isolation on the

receivers:

(52 dB of Antenna Isolation + 23 dB of

filter isolation) =75 dB
Figure 2.0

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As you can see, from this example, there are many factors to consider to ensure the proper operation of your
system. If any of the specifications change (Tx-Rx separation, antenna space isolation, Tx-Tx separations, or
frequencies that fall outside of the current passband of the existing filters), the system may not work as expected.

If you need assistance choosing frequencies that will work for your specific application, please contact your Auto
Tune Combiner manufacturer.

Upstream Components:
If your system has an existing Rx preselector or a Tx post filter, you need to verify that the new frequencies will
fall within the existing filters’ passbands.

The passband of your Rx preselector or Tx post-filter may limit the tuning range that your combiner can operate
at. These preselector filters are not Auto Tune filters, so manual retuning of these filters would be required. The
customer can potentially do this themselves, or the filters can be sent back to the factory for retuning. Another
option would be to purchase new filters that cover the new desired bandwidth and swap them out when they arrive.

It is essential to know the limitations of your Tx combiner to ensure the proper operation of your system.

Conclusion:
As you can see, the Auto Tune Combiner has unique features, which include:

• Monitoring the status of the system remotely

• Alarms when the input return loss exceeds a specified limit

• Alarms when the antenna VSWR exceeds a specified limit

• Continually optimizes overall system performance

These features may be especially desirable at remote sites or public safety sites where interruptions in
communications are not acceptable.

There are several design considerations to address before purchasing an Auto Tune Combiner to ensure that it
is the best combiner option to meet your needs. The considerations are:

• Sufficient Antenna Space Isolation

• Intermodulation Interference

• Minimum Transmit to Transmit Separation

• Adequate Transmit to Receive Separation

• Operation of other System Components

These should be taken into account, not only for your current needs, but also determine if the combiner will meet
your future needs.

Take all these design considerations into account and make your decisions accordingly.

For assistance, please contact your Auto Tune Combiner manufacturer.

© Copyright 2020
Sinclair Technologies
sales@sinctech.com