AMA Tips, Tricks and what not to do in your RF network

Join us for our next livestream event, Tips, Tricks and what not to do in your RF network. Ask Ron Anything! (RF related) In this episode, AMA Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac in this episode Ron and Brady will answer your burning RF questions.
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Ron's Bio:
Ron Hranac, a 50 year veteran of the cable industry, who has worked for cable operators and vendors during his career. He is a Fellow Member of the SCTE and co-founder and Assistant Board Member of the organization’s Rocky Mountain Chapter, Ron was inducted into the Society’s Hall of Fame in 2010, is a co-recipient of the Chairman’s Award, an SCTE Member of the Year, and is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers Class of 1997. He received the Society’s Excellence in Standards award at Cable-Tec Expo 2016. He was recipient of the European Society for Broadband Professionals’ 2016 Tom Hall Award for Outstanding Services to Broadband Engineering, and was named winner of the 2017 David Hall Award for Best Presentation. He has published hundreds of articles and papers, and has been a speaker at numerous international, national, regional, and local conferences and seminars.

What we covered:
0:00 - Welcome & Introduction
3:39 - What’s the most common mistake technicians make when troubleshooting RF issues?
5:51 - How do you troubleshoot intermittent impulse noise from multiple locations?
8:54 - What is aeronautical band leakage and how does it change in high-split plants?
12:43 - If there are no carriers in the aeronautical band, is UDP leakage detection still required?
15:54 - What’s the difference between Reed-Solomon (SC-QAM) and LDPC (OFDMA) forward error correction?
19:30 - How do CPD, CSO, CIN, and group delay affect OFDM carriers?
21:01 - Can distortions affect the PLC carrier?
22:46 - Why do small response issues in headends get worse in amplifier cascades?
25:03 - Is UDP leakage detection worthwhile given the bursty nature of cable modems?
27:58 - Should MSOs guardband the FM band in high-split applications?
30:04 - How do I fix low upstream power (e.g., 34 dBmV) on a cable modem?
33:36 - Why do DAA systems recommend higher upstream receive power than legacy systems?
37:02 - Can RMDs generate leakage detection test signals?
39:03 - Can I use my old Calin 3010 to find leaks using a dipole antenna?
41:48 - Should I mix leakage detection antennas from different manufacturers?
44:03 - Why do coaxial cables crack or pull out of connectors in cold weather?
47:03 - What is SCTE 280 and how can it help identify RF impairments?
49:30 - How do power packs affect hum and distortions in amplifiers?
54:02 - Why are cable modems maxing out since switching to RMD?
57:51 - How to maintain leakage detection while waiting for updated equipment?
1:00:06 - What causes wavy lines on analog channels like Channel 17?
1:02:06 - Wrap-Up and Closing Remarks

[cnarfelc]

Hi Brady and Ron, I’m new to OFDM/OFDMA and come from as far as old-school TDMA background. My current setup is somewhat dated but fairly well-maintained. I’m wondering if SC-QAM might be easier or more robust, or if I should go ahead and switch to OFDM/OFDMA now? I have 2 x 192 Mhz OFDM I can use, and for OFDMA, a 85 MHz split, each for my 12 nodes. What’s the recommended maximum modulation I should configure? Should I push for 4096-QAM, or is it better to keep it lower for improved stability and to avoid frequent modem restarts or switching issues?

[JB-tzpi]

It's amazing how time flies while listening to Mr Hranac.

[dmac]

Awesome video! As always, your content is golden!!

Question for clarity: “At 22:35 Ron mentions if the PLC cannot be reliably received by cable modems, they will not operate properly.” Follow by Mr. Volpe saying “your cable modems all go offline”

Will a compromised OFDM cause outages?

[jdcc]

I'm sorry to have missed the livestream! There's not enough hours in the work day as it is. 😅 I'm watching now, and it sounds like there were no shortage of good questions. Thanks to both of you for continuing to share your wealth of knowledge freely!

[HunterHunter-trit]

So, you can't exempt yourself from FCC rules for leakage by not using the portion of the spectrum that overlaps with the aeronautical band. Plus, whether we can detect leaks near the aero band or not, if there is ANY leakage, there is still a compelling reason to fix it, if for no other reason than the likelihood that it might interfere with other signals and even greater likelihood that there is ingress getting into the plant. The tightest plant possible is still the best bet, leakage rules or no.

[dominicquaciari]

When are they going to do 4k on regular digital cable like 6 megahertz channels

[dominicquaciari]

Vicky dude on 6-months if they switch hevc over the air is already doing it with ATS 3