SatSig topic:

Tx not getting ON: iDirect Evolution® X3 Satellite Modem/Router

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Aug 6^th, 2010 at 6:31pm

Hi Everyone,
I have an X3 modem. The Tx light of the modem is not getting on. i have reinstalled the linux bsp backage and x3 img, also reprovisioned the remote in the Hub, downloaded new option file but still the Tx light is not getting on. I am able to fire a CW carrier using the remote, also checked the 10Mhz ref and DC power status. Everything is ok but unable to get the Tx light to switch on.

Is the modem faulty or there is some other issue??

Aug 7^th, 2010 at 1:48am

TX will not occur until the remote sees a valid acquisition burst from the hub. It's a safety feature really. Make sure you have that remote properly activated in iBuilder, and you have the correct Rx properties in the remote.

You are not transmitting because the remote has muted the transmitter.

Aug 7^th, 2010 at 8:37am

Agree with wbailey.

Alti, you say the Tx light is not coming on.....what about the Rx LED?

You mentioned that you relaoded the bsp. I recommend that you talk with the hub and re-CONFIRM your software versions one more time. In conjunction to that, you need to double check your remote side software (bsp and pkg) and ensure it matches that of the Hub.

Aug 7^th, 2010 at 11:34am

Well Thanks guys,

Actually i am a NOC operator and i have verified the SW versions and img's all are of the same version. 10.0.1.0 for bsp and img pkg. We are using only this package in our hub and verified on the remote side twice, the package is of the correct version.

i have tried deactivation and reactivation of the remote but still nothing has worked.

The remote is activated in the ibuilder and for the tx, i checked via tx enable command, the tx is enabled.

Rx led is Green, Tx=off, net=orange...this the LED status of the modem.

So what can be done?

Aug 7^th, 2010 at 11:38pm

Questions:

1. Do you have other remotes in this network?
2. Have you restarted the evtsvr?
3. If you open a telnet session on that remote (while the Rx LED is green) and run an acq on command.... do you see sweeps? If no, the PPs are not sending sweeps and I recommend you DELETE the remote from the network and rebuild it (the opt). If that doest resolve it, you have bigger problems.

M

Aug 8^th, 2010 at 10:01am

Have you checked that the remote is not network locked? In iDX the command is rmtlock and not rlock anymore. Telnet into your remote and type rmtlock and check that it's not network locked?

Aug 9^th, 2010 at 3:36pm

Hi Guys,

Mike for your questions.

1-Yes we do have other remotes in the network
2-No, i haven't restarted the evtsvr and if i do what effect would it have on other live remotes?
3-on turning on the Acq on command, i see sweeps coming - so no issue on that side. We are commissioning our network and nearly add 5-10 remotes into the network daily, haven't faced an issue like this with other remotes before.

Dot,
rmtlock status shows the remote is free to join any network.

The tx status shows tx to be mute - so any ideas guys??

Regards,
Ali

Aug 10^th, 2010 at 5:55am

So there are sweeps visible in telnet? (with acq on?)

If so, talk to me about your GPS configuration. Are you hardcoding that remote or are you feeding the NMEA externally?

Aug 10^th, 2010 at 8:30am

Yes sweeps are visible...i have connected the terminal via a console cable to my Pc and when i type acq on, it shows sweeps... For the GPS, we are hard coding it to the remote. i have checked the coordinates, they are fine as one other remote is logged on at the same place and both have same coordinates.

Aug 10^th, 2010 at 11:32am

hi Atli ,

Kindly Check the dc Voltage of Tx Section from multimeter from the back side of the modem ?? what is the reading ??

Aug 10^th, 2010 at 1:20pm

Irfan,

The DC Voltage is 23 V.

Regards,
Ali

Aug 11^th, 2010 at 5:38am

Odd...

Your symptoms point to one of the following:

1. Software mismatch between the Remote and Hub.
2. The modem doesnt know where it is at (lat/long data is inaccurate).

The fact that sweeps are present indicates the modem is in fact active on the hub. So, since the remote is receiving its timeplan, the only thing standing in your way of lighting up Lband out of that box is timing to get your FSD (frame start delay data).

How are you checking the software on the remote? versions_report ?

The active opt on the remote matches that of the saved remote opt on the hub? Perfectly?

Aug 11^th, 2010 at 5:50am

Completely Agree with TDMA MIKE .. it is possible that modem will not sync due to Change in DID, kindly Confirm other parameters as well as Mike said.

Is your modem is Narrow Band ? which version you are using of IDS ? is it REV A series or REV C series ?

Aug 11^th, 2010 at 4:22pm

Yes the software version is rechecked once again. its 10.0.1.0. i am checking it via versions_report. here is some of the output.

~~~~~~~~
Currently installed software package list:
falcon_evo_x3_rmt_software 10.0.1.0
phoenix_bsp 10.0.1.0

For the Coordinates Mike, i have reloaded the option file, verified the coordinates. this is a collocated remote alongside the Hub, so coordinates for hub and remote are the same. The opt on hub and remote side is the same.

We are using IDX 2.0.1.0, remote is on 1.2m antenna Ku Band.

Regards,
Ali

Aug 12^th, 2010 at 9:39pm

Run the DID command on that remote.

Confirm that the output of that command matches that of the DID and Serial Number contained in the OPT....and also matches the values shown in the hub (iBuilder).

M

Aug 13^th, 2010 at 8:26am

M, Done that. They both match each other

Aug 13^th, 2010 at 1:28pm

From Telnet, run the rx snr command and tell me what your SNR is.

Aug 13^th, 2010 at 7:36pm

Rx Snr is around 8.7, i have another modem at the same site, using same RF equipment and it is able to establish two way connectivity without any issues, so that's how i can make sure that there is no issue in the RF equipment.

Should i perform the recovery procedure on the modem??

Aug 14^th, 2010 at 5:07am

I am not sure what the issue is. Tough to troublesoot via electrons.

1. Your software matches.
2. You are seeing sweeps.
3. Your geo location is hardcoded, so the modem knows where it is located.
4. Your rx SNR is sufficient enough (high enough) that the transmitter should enable.

What are the specs on the upstream (trans, info and symbol rate)?

M

Aug 14^th, 2010 at 3:31pm

The original post said "The Tx light of the modem is not getting on"

If the site transmits normally and the only anomaly is the failure of the TX light to come on, I wonder if the LED is not installed, not soldered in, light guide misplaced etc. Does the Tx light come on briefly during power-on self-test sequence ? Does the TX light come on during CW testing (CW testing was reported to work OK)?.

If the site won't transmit a modulated burst it sounds like a software problem. Was the remote's opt file (the version at the site or the version at the hub) ever edited manually ? Maybe a non-printing character has somehow got inserted in the file, or letter O instead of digit 0. Try a clean, newly generated opt file.

Print out the suspect opt file and also the opt file used by the good working site. Get someone else to look at it and see if they can spot any discrepancy.

There is another site active at the same location. Does turning off that other site have any effect ? I wonder if having two sites with exactly the same lat/long coordinates was not anticipated by the software designers.

Just some ideas..

Best regards, Eric.

Aug 17^th, 2010 at 11:52am

Not sure what is happening with this unit, but it is starting to point to a failed component on the iDirect itself because that unit is not grabbing an acq slot. If the unit is activated on the hub, has matching software, and the geo coordinates are hardcoded properly, that unit "should" be pushing L-Band. The fact that it is not picking up sweeps could be indicative of a faultly LNB or an improper stability setting.

Alti, I know you have an Rx LED, but is the stability for your LNB set appropriately? It could be a tad out of range. Please check it to ensure the specs on the LNB match that of the Remote RFT (LNB) on the hub.

Aug 19^th, 2010 at 3:53pm

DEAR ALTI,
I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS PROBLEM ON TWO DIFFERENT SITE, U CAN THE FOLLOWING,
1. CHECK THE LO FREQUENCY OF THE BUC YOU ARE USING.
2. TRY USING A SPARE BUC FOR TROUBLESHOOTING
3. THEN TRY USING ANOTHER MODEM BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST ENCOUNTER THIS PROBLEM IT WAS ON X3 MODEM AFTER CHANGING THE MODEM, THE TX LED COMES UP.
4. THE SECOND WAS ON 3000 SERIES, BUT THAT ONE WAS DUE TO BAD BUC, I HAD TO CHANGE BUC OVER AND OVER.
LET ME KNOW IF THE PROBLEM STILL PERSIST.

Aug 25^th, 2010 at 1:22am

Alti,

Did you resolve this? If so, what was the issue?

Aug 29^th, 2010 at 6:53pm

Dear M,
Sorry for the delayed response, i was away and busy lately therefore could not post anything.

I have tried all of your suggestions but nothing has worked, the Tx light is still not turning on, the LEDs seems to be Ok coz when the modem turns on all the lights turn on for a second. As far as stability of the LNB is concerned its ok, i have already told you that i get the connectivity with the same Antenna, BUC, LNB, Cables when i use another X3 modem but when i remove that modem and switch it with the affected modem nothing happens

Do i need to RMA?

Aug 29^th, 2010 at 7:22pm

Are you 100% certain that the lat/long data entered in the GEO tab of that remotes control panel is accurate?

Did you ensure that the North, South, East, and West data in that hardcoded lat/long is right? If it is, then the only other issue is a software mismatch....but you said you checked that as well.

I dont think your issue is BUC related (as mentioned above) because even with the BUC completely disconnected the modem (with its associated timeplan and GPS/FSD data) should push Lband out of the TX IF port. Regardless of the BUC.

Please run a latlong command on that iDirect (via telnet) and ensure that it matches the location of the remote (which you said is co-located with the hub). I hate to keep wrapping you around GPS, but your problem seems to be GPS related.

Sep 1^st, 2010 at 12:24pm

M,

Yes, i have verified the hardcoded GPS coordinates. the command latlong does not work on our X3 modems. it displays the following message:

> latlong
Command Not Supported for This Board!

I verified through iSite the coordinates, they perfectly match those on the Hub side

looking forward to some more suggestions.

Alti

Mar 2^nd, 2011 at 8:12am

Hello Alti,

Please check if modem type and serial number matches with the one configured on the hub side.

Version difference can be another option.

Check if down snr is stable and not fluctuation. Also check if there is no scpc errors.

If modem is not locked then modem modulator card could be faulty.

Check by replacing a modem.

Mar 14^th, 2011 at 4:21pm

I'm also facing exactly the same issue and have followed all the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this thread but i'm still clueless.

the only fresh thing is noted is that i'm able to transmit a carrier to the hub (unmodulated) but when i stop the carries the modem is unable to transmit anything (modulated).

the command, tx status, displays tat the tx is muted.
can there be any command to unmute it!

Andy

Apr 17^th, 2011 at 11:00am

Hi,

encountered an issue sometime ago. It boiled work to long/lat

The remote contact gave a wrong long/lat.

Note: if the provider can verify your CW then tripple check the long/lat. I bet the remote contact mixed it up.

You can confirm the remote long/lat on google earth

ask the remote contact the name of the nearer town. then search on google earth to confirm the coordinates

Cheers

Apr 17^th, 2011 at 5:05pm

Try my latitude and longitude finder. It gives you the dish pointing angles as well as your lat/long location.
wxw
Best regards, Eric.

Apr 26^th, 2011 at 1:11am

Excuse my ignorance, I haven't worked on this model of iDirect modem, but having a similar issue with another model, it turned out to be with an SNR of 8 in the middle east, which is the best we can get at our location, the default initial transmit db was set to -15dbm, which it needs to be around -7dbm to acquire a transmit lock. once locked in you will see that the dbm will stick around -4.5 to -6dbm. so try increasing your dbm in 1dbm increments until you get a lock, if you do end up getting a lock, modify the option file and change that tx init dbm from -15 to -7. Again sorry if I sound ignorant, like I said I was using a different type, and I didn't see anyone suggest this, and its probably because this is not the case because the carrier can see your CW.