CATV Leakage Detection Flyovers with Pinpointing Capability Cumulative Leakage Index (CLI) FCC and IC Compliancy Leakage Detection from Broadcast Analog and Digital Channels without Head End Injection Geo-Location Pinpointing of both Analog and Digital Channel Leakage Sources Measurements across Full CATV Spectrum (such as at New LTE 700MHz Bands) Wideband Leakage Measurements (up to 20MHz)
Flyovers Advantages Flyovers provide the quickest and the most efficient way of detecting signal leakage from the extensive cable network and all at a fraction of the cost of deploying and operating a ground leakage patrol scheme (see Comparison Table). Leakage results are available after a few hours of flight time for the entire cable system. This is in contrast to protracted period of weeks or more provided by the ground vehicles. The quick turnaround allows a single equipped airplane to be utilized more often with sufficient availability to provide measurements across entire region of cable systems for a medium sized MSO (1 to 4 million homes). Because of these time savings and high utilization, the costs of the flyovers are inherently lower. Faster results provide better consistency of measurements, as cable plant condition can change over longer periods due to ongoing maintenance and environmental changes. This helps with accurate assessment of the effectiveness of the maintenance efforts in different regions and provides more reliable CLI measurements (see next page for more discussion on CLI). Besides being faster, flyovers also provide better detection coverage. The airplane can sense leakages coming from high rise building from its flying altitude, something that ground vehicles are less capable to detect, mainly due to the type of vehicle antennas and equipment installed. Advantages over Ground Detection Ground Airborne Much Lower Capital and Operating Costs (compared to the cost of both CPAT deployment and operation for over 7-10 years) Fast Results Better Area Coverage Proven Method and FCC & Industry Canada CLI Compliant Measurements across Full CATV Spectrum Leakage Detection from High Rise Buildings Leakages Pinpointing in 3 Dimensions Hassle Free Operation (no intervention required to the Head End operations) Leakage & Hotspots Reports 2
The flyovers intrinsic advantages are further improved with the advanced leakage detection technology developed by INNOVAERIAL Systems. Our advanced flyovers can pinpoint leakage locations accurately and not just detect typical hot spot regions as traditionally done with the flyovers. Moreover measurements can be done on any analog or digital broadcast channels at any frequency within the CATV downstream spectrum, without requiring injection at the Head End. These advanced capabilities will be discussed in detail in the next sections. AGL) while making leakage measurements from any CW frequency in the aeronautical band. Typical flight pattern over a cable system is shown in Figure 1. Note how leakage intensity drops over unpopulated areas as shown by the green colors, while higher intensities are shown in orange and red. CLIa testing is advantageous over equivalent CLIg method ( g stands for ground) due to faster results and inherently lower costs of the flyovers. It takes on average of two to four hours of flying time to get CLIa compliance results for the entire cable system, as opposed to protracted period of weeks or more driven by CLIg test vehicles. The faster CLIa results ensure consistency of measurements that is lost by the ground method, as cable conditions can change over longer periods. For this reason CLIa are better for keeping track of CLI compliance efforts. Figure 1 - Typical CLIa Flight Grid Cumulative Leakage Index Testing Airborne (CLIa) Our flyovers can test cable plant s Cumulative Leakage Index (CLI) compliance per FCC (Title 47 Section 76.611) and Industry Canada (BPR-8 Section 5.4) rules. CLI testing is required for all cable operators utilizing channels (A-1, A-2, EE, FF) in aeronautical frequencies and is specified as CLIa by the regulators (the added a stands for aerial method). It is conducted by the airplane flying a grid pattern over a cable plant system at 450 meters above ground (~1,500ft Our testing is fully compliant with FCC and Industry Canada required specifications, unlike our competitors. The airborne equipment and antenna are properly calibrated at 450 meters above ground (~1,500ft AGL) utilizing specialized ground antenna as stipulated by the rules. This calibration method ensures more accurate and reliable results than ground calibration as it is less affected by obstacles and is in the far-field of the antennas. Leakage Pinpointing Our advanced flyovers are capable of three dimensional pinpointing of leakage locations. Unique to the market, this new capability saves 3
time and costs for leakage detection crews in searching for the actual source. A typical pinpointing area is shown on Figure 2 with the ability to distinguish separate leaks in proximity to each other with the resolution of about 200 meters. Under certain conditions even better accuracy (smaller area) can be achieved. of the narrowcast channels. In this case that would necessitate re-provisioning and muting of narrowcast QAMs, in order for us to inject a simulated broadcast digital channel (or channels) into the broadcast combiner. In this scenario our flyovers can be done during maintenance window to minimize any impact risks with reduced capacity to one of the narrowcast services. Our team is highly experienced with the narrowcast services platforms (SDV, VOD, and DOCSIS) and can help with the automation of reprovisioning of QAMs carrying these services, which saves time and eliminates errors caused by the manual process. Figure 2 - Typical Pinpointing Area Additionally, the system provides MSL elevation of the leaks that if superimposed in Google Earth maps can indicate if the leak is radiating from a high rise building or from a hill. Digital Channels Leakage Pinpointing Leakage pinpointing by our flyovers can be done both on broadcast analog and digital channels without the need to inject or intervene in the video Head End. The detection is done precisely on a signal, which can distinguish between signals of adjacent cable systems in the overbuilt areas. The exception to this convenience is when leakage detection is required in the frequencies Measurements across CATV Spectrum (such as in the New LTE 700MHz Bands) Performing leakage detection in the traditional aeronautical band may not be sufficient to uncover all cable plant faults, because leakage intensity varies across frequencies in the CATV spectrum. The current demand in the industry is to proof-test cable leakages at several frequencies that present greatest risks from outside interference. For instance, the recently deployed 700MHz LTE cellular bands in North America are of a particular concern to cable MSOs because they occupy large bandwidths and are utilized in proximity to the cable plant with the potential to impact multiple channels at the same time. Our flyover technology offers the most efficient solution with the capability to perform leakage detection in any chunk of CATV spectrum. 4
Wideband Leakage Measurements Measurements from a single channel will not reveal the true extent of the problem as potential ingress sources might have wider bandwidth than a single CATV channel. Our system can provide MSOs with leakage measurements on multiple adjacent channels or a composite measurement on any choice of frequency spans (up to 20MHz). The latter option, if applied to contiguous span such as an LTE band, can indicate the true ingress potential from that specific cellular band. Work Orders Management Tool As a means of facilitating our leakage reporting we have started the development of a work orders management tool. The goal of the tool is to aid MSOs in managing work orders for the repairs of the leakage sources after the flyover is complete. The tool will allow management to distribute, either automatically or manually, work orders for leakage repairs and monitor any ongoing repairs. It will also enable field technicians to view maps and update any assigned work orders via specially developed smartphone application (see illustration on Figure 3). Figure 3 About INNOVAERIAL Systems Inc. Our company was formed with the objective of providing a technologically superior, efficient and more economical electro-magnetic survey solutions compared to the existing aerial and ground based methods. Contact Us innovaerial.com +1 8553914061 info@innovaerial.com 5