Good Signal...Great Signal!
Welcome to Tech Talk, Pico Macom's series of technical notes offering useful information and equipment tips. This installment of Tech Talk discusses testing signals and features Pico Macom’s line of accurate and stable signal and voltage test equipment.
Are You Working in the Dark?
Troubleshooting without the proper test equipment is like driving at night without headlights. You may travel fine for a while, but when the road has a sharp turn, you’re in trouble.
We receive many calls for troubleshooting assistance. The question I ask first is, “What are you using to measure the signal level?” The usual response is, “A TV set.” This is an acceptable response for picture quality, but the TV will not provide meaningful signal level data. However, the TV set is the first and most important piece of test equipment used in diagnosing picture distortion problems.
My next question is, “Do you own and use a signal level meter?” Usually the answer is, “No, they’re too expensive.” The reality is that, to assure that your customers are receiving the highest quality signal, the entire system—from headend to home—must be optimized using test equipment to measure the performance.
Pico Macom’s affordable line of high-quality test and measurement equipment will help you quickly troubleshoot and solve most system problems, providing accurate data that will allow you to optimize your system for the best possible performance.
Introducing Pico Macom Test & Evaluation Products
Pico Macom manufactures everything you need to align and test satellite and CATV signals plus measure voltage, resistance, capacitance and a multitude of other test functions.
PSA-5000T |
PICO PRO & PICO-TECH |
DSM-1 |
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MUL-280 |
TSSF Series |
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- The Pico Macom PSA-5000T precision spectrum analyzer is the ideal instrument to measure amplitude and frequency, carrier-to-noise, composite triple beat and composite second order and to analyze interference and distortion.
- PICO-PRO and PICO-TECH are cost-effective signal level meters for the automated testing of carrier levels, carrier delta, carrier-to-noise and voltage on the cable. In addition, the PICO-PRO provides a single channel or full spectrum graphic display for advanced troubleshooting.
- For satellite signal peaking, the DSM-1 and TSSF-series peaking meters provide a level display for maximum satellite signal acquisition.
- The MUL-280 is an enhanced feature, auto-ranging multimeter that's durable and easy to use.
Pico Macom offers a variety of other weatherproofing, grounding and aesthetic preparation products to ensure a professional installation that lasts.
Click here to download a technical specification sheet with installation instructions.