Recommendation: good quality inline 22Khz tone generator?

liamf

Hi

for reasons too tedious to go into I find myself in need of some of these.
Inline, powered by universal LNB DC 13/18V, 22kHz tone generators. For indoor use only.

Know of some from Global Communications UK (Gen22 branded) but I was told these are not reliable longterm.

Can anyone recommend good, professional grade, reliable alternatives?

And if you sell them by all means PM me and we'll take a few off your hands once we double check reliability etc

Ta
Liam

watty

you can make it out of a 555 Timer powered from the +13V/+18V

The one I have was just a kit.

You REALLY sure you need it? They were only used on very very old Analogue STB that had no Universal LNB setting.


Not sure why the Global ones would be "unreliable" indoors. There is nearly nothing in them.

liamf

I'm sure.

In a building which already has internal satellite distribution to various locations, at one of these locations we want to put a few racks, each of which has it's own multiswitch (http://www.triax.com/AntennaSystems/Multiswitches/TMP%205x.aspx) for internal distribution to set-top boxes.

These require Hi/Lo V/H feeds to the multiswitch. These feeds aren't available directly, so we need to manufacture them at the location from "regular" satellite feeds, which are available.

The multiswitch above provides 14/18 V on it's inputs, but no tone.

Using a different multiswitch is not currently an option (although it might be longer term: we couldn't find a 5x32 multiswitch which generated 22kHz either)

liamf

Sorry didn't read entirety of msg.

Feedback from installation location is that they have experience of using the Global devices, and they have been observed to fail after extended use. Not all the time, just out of a random sampling you start to get failures after 12 months or something. This is just something they don't want to bother about.

They'd rather either something known to be more reliable, or something with a rated MTBF which would just be replaced on a maintenance schedule even if it was still working.

watty

You are cascading Multiswitches, rather than a system that has amps & Splitters only and only one layer of Multiswitch between the set boxes and system.

EMP Centauri do a range of multiswitches with a dip switch to set 13V/18V and tone on/off on each of the inputs (intended for Quads rather than Quattro), but this feature also allows Cascaded Multiswitches.

The EMP Centauri are competitively priced.

we couldn't find a 5x32 multiswitch which generated 22kHz either

EMP Centauri do quad Sat splitters too. You can pair 2 off 5 x 16 Multiswitches (only one needs the 22kHz and voltage switching via the single Quad sat IF splitter).

I would not go for the separate 22kHz generator in this application as many reduce the SNR and DC volts a little (no problem on an single LNB, but problematic in a Distribution system).

My preferred architecture is quad Sat IF amps, 9 cascaded quad Trunk taps + one ordinary splitter. That give 11 sets of outputs.
Then trunk cables to 11 locations each with a quad Sat IF amp per satellite and 9 cascaded quad Trunk taps + one ordinary splitter. Each output (11) then drives 5, 9 or 17 x16 Multiswitch (1, 2 or 4 satellites).

That gives 11 x 11 x 16 = 1936 outlets.

Splitters and IF trunk amps are MUCH cheaper than multiswitches. If the dish is big enough, then you can add an extra layer of IF amps and Trunk IF splitters to maximum of whatever the SNR budget allows.
The Multiswitches are only ever on last layer connected to Setboxes/TVs.

I split the Multiswitches in two groups and fed aerials to one group and Cable to the other group. Then two coax from each groups to TWO diplexers in wall box, PVR/SAT1, PVR/SAT2, TV/Radio and Cable. If passive TV multiswitch is used the reverse 5MHz to 65MHz of Cable Broadband works just fine. I used Cable TV broadband compatible 110channel rated Trunk amps/Splitters to drive the 19th "aerial input" on half the multiswitches. I used same model amps to split FM/DAB/VHF/UHF analogue/DTT TV/Radio aerials to feed the other half multiswitches.
so the Sat IF trunk paths had two extra coax (Cable BB/TV and Aerials). We used four sat feeds: 28, 26, 19 & 13
As long as 28E is on 1st LNB port of system all the Sky/Freesat boxes work.

Apogee

I've found Spaun products to be high quality.

Spaun SG 22 F
http://www.spaun.de/pdf/flash/14/en/#/116

liamf

Yes we found those, but they don't have a 5x32 product as far as we can tell from their website.

And there isn't space for 2x 5x16 switches.

Oh well never mind. Tone generation it is.

liamf

@watty

Thanks for the detailed response and the distribution details.
We're not really in a position to change their distribution though ... we're just as you say at the last step just before the STBs ...

Information much appreciated though

Liam

liamf

@apogee

Thanks for the reference .... looks just the ticket ... we'll buy some of them to try them out ...

watty

Yes Spaun look good value also, though I've not used them. Bought plenty of the EMP Centauri stuff.

watty

liamf wrote: »

Yes we found those, but they don't have a 5x32 product as far as we can tell from their website.

And there isn't space for 2x 5x16 switches.

Oh well never mind. Tone generation it is.

We got plates cut and folded so as to mount six deep multiswitch in 19" rack with inputs on bottom and outputs on top. Add sliding rails and you could pack dense.