Google balloons transferred data over 1000 km.

The Loon research and development project has his first achievements. In recent experiments, the transmission range between two balloons amounted to 600 km. However, the latest result is even better. The connection in a network composed of seven balloons covered a 1000 km distance!

Loon is a research and development project to provide internet access in rural and non-urban areas. The project uses balloons located in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 18 km to create a wireless 4G-LTE network. The balloons are designed and manufactured in such a way as to survive even extreme weather conditions. They are located in the stratosphere, where temperatures are as low as -90°C and winds can reach speeds of over 100 km/h. The balloons of the size of a tennis court are expected to float for about 100 days and then return to the ground for technical inspection.

After identifying layers with the desired wind speed and direction based on available data and sensors, machine learning software maneuvers each balloon by adjusting its altitude in the stratosphere, so that they float within the suitable layers. Project Loon needs to collaborate with local telecom provider, which should install small base stations on lampposts, buildings and other locations where there is a clear line of sight with the sky. Cell phones would communicate with the micro-cells relaying the data to the network of balloons and then to the Internet. A communications solution based on the Loon project providing cellular connectivity in Puerto Rico, devastated by hurricane Maria, was a great success.

The commercial start of such a network is planned for 2019, and the first region where the inhabitants are to access the Internet in this way is the central part of Kenya. Google and Facebook invest in Internet distribution systems because they believe that new users will benefit from their services, which will translate into an increase in ad profits. Currently, 4 billion people in the world do not have an Internet connection.

Photo contest "Engagingly about Antennas" at the finish!

September 24, is the last day for sending works to the annual photo competition organized by DIPOL company. We are still waiting for your pictures with a leitmotiv of antennas of any kind and shape, or where an antenna is an interesting accent in the landscape or composition. The works will be judged by a well known photographer and designer from Krakow, Mr. Pawel Zechenter. As every year, there are attractive prizes, including Manfrotto tripod and Instax cameras. Before submitting your work, please read the rules of the contest.

Conclusion of the ENERGETAB 2018 trade fair.

Between September 11 and 13, 2018, our sales representatives and engineers were meeting the current and prospective customers at the trade fair in Bielsko-Biala. Interesting conversations were also conducted with investors, designers, teachers of technical colleges, and students. DIPOL presented selected products from its wide offer. Most questions concerned transmission of HDMI sinals via various media, including wireless means, injecting video streams from 12 Hikvision IP cameras and NVR into MATV system of a multi-dwelling unit in the form of DVB-T multiplexes coming from TERRA mix-440 transmodulator, and Signal Fire AI-8 fusion splicer. A large amount of operating equipment attracted many visitors. They could even see "live" the process of optical fiber splicing and conduct a conversation with the Singing Robot in Polish, English, Chinese, German, and even in Silesian. More on our exhibition at the fair you can read here. Thank you all who visited our stand at the International Power Industry Fair ENERGETAB 2018. We hope to see you again next year. The fair will begin on Sept. 17, 2019.

DIPOL at Energetab 2018 in Bielsko-Biala, Poland

How to extend the data retention period?

Hikvision DVRs/NVRs allow users to activate recording mode with data allocation limits. For each channel, the amount of disk space can be determined independently. Once it's full, the older recordings will be overwritten. Such parameterization is useful for example in systems with several key cameras. By allocation of a larger disk space for their channels, the administrator can either use higher recording parameters or prolong the data retention time.

Storage Mode settings

Configuration of storage mode:

In order for the changes to take effect, the DVR/NVR must be restarted.

ANR function in Hikvision IP devices.

The video from an IP camera is transmitted to the IP NVR in the form of data stream. In the case of a network failure or bandwidth reduction, the information is irretrievably lost, because the network does not buffer packets and the camera cannot send them again. This is the reason for the increasing popularity of IP cameras with SD/SDHC card recording option. The ANR (Automatic Network Replenishment) solution developed by Hikvision limits the recording on the card placed in the dedicated camera only to the periods of problems with connectivity between the camera and NVR. After the end of the failure, the emergency recordings are automatically transferred to the NVR. So, in the event of interruptions in the transmission, the operator of the system does not need to take any actions to complete the video footage. The function is available in IP NVRs from the K and I series. They have to cooperate with Hikvision IP cameras equipped with memory card slot (marked with F letter in the type designation or G0 with slots) and suitable
microSD memory card.

In the event of the LAN failure, the ANR function performs automatic video backup onto the SD card,
and after the defect has been eliminated, it sends the recording to the NVR automatically

Modernization of the multiswitch installation.

Currently, most of the satellite receivers in the market supports single-cable dSCR/Unicable system compliant with EN50494 and/or EN50607. DIPOL has introduced the TERRA SRQ-540 R80540 multiswitch with AGC, which enables the installer to upgrade an existing multiswitch system by the possibility of connecting single-cable receivers. It is the best solution for all situations where adding another cable is impossible or troublesome, and there are needs for replacing single-tuner SAT receivers by PVR receivers or just for connecting another independent receiver.

Top view of the SRQ-540 R80540 multiswitch: in the upper part visible four inputs
that can be connected to a quatro or quad LNB, or to a legacy multiswitch.

By default, the outputs of the SRM-540 R80540 multiswitch operate in Legacy mode (with 14/18 V, 0/22 kHz control signals). They switch to Unicable dynamic mode after receiving DiSEqC command from a receiver/STB compliant with EN50494 or EN50607 standard. It means that each of the four outputs of the multiswitch can independently feed up to 16 receivers via a single cable (in the EN50607 standard).

Easy to deploy and cheap base station.

Outdoor wireless base station TP-Link WBS510 N2356 operating in the 5 GHz band is an effective solution for building outdoor wireless networks. Thanks to a central management system, it is ideal for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint architectures. High performance combined with ease of use make the WBS510 a great choice for both business and and home applications.

An application of the base stion in a system based on point-to-multipoint topology is shown below. The N2356 is the central point of the wireless system with several TP-Link CPE510 N2352 access points that can be connected to cameras, computers etc.

An example application of the TP-Link WBS510 5GHz N2356 base station

What for 6 motors in a fusion splicer?

One of the technical parameters that characterize any fiber optic splicer is the number of motors. In combination with the appropriate optical system and software, this parameter shows the ability of the splicer to precisely position the fibers.

The simplest fiber optic splicers, based on the positioning of fibers in v-grooves, are equipped with 2 motors - one for each fiber handle. These motors are responsible for positioning the fibers horizontally, i.e. ensuring adequate distance between the fiber ends before they are spliced. The proper positioning of the fibers in the vertical axis depends on the cleanliness of the v-grooves in the splicer, as well as the cleanliness of the fibers.

Four-motor splicers are able to position fibers also in the vertical plane. Thanks to this the splicing process is much faster and less problematic. Equipped with an appropriate optical system, they usually use the method of centering the fibers to fit the cladding. This guarantees low attenuation of the splice in the vast majority of cases.

Signal Fire Ai-8 L5870 has 6 motors, two of them align the fibers horizontally, other two vertically, and the last pair controls the auto-focus function.

So, do the splicers with 6 motors position the fibers in 3 planes? Well, no. In the Z axis, the fibers always remain in the same position due to the factory arrangement of the v-grooves - there is no need to move the fibers in this plane. The 5th and 6th motors are used for the auto-focus function, which is responsible for aligning the cores of the optical fibers to be spliced. To make it possible, in addition to the additional motors, such a splicer has to be equipped with a top-class optical system (the core in single-mode optical fiber has a diameter of approx. 9 μm). The ability of finding cores in the fibers allows the best positioning, which translates into minimum signal attenuation by the splice.

Microbending and macrobending in optical fibers. The optical fiber is a very delicate transmission medium from the mechanical point of view. During the installation of fiber optic systems, the installer has to follow specific rules, in particular, should avoid excessive bending and pulling of optical cables and fibers... >>>more

Microbending and macrobending may have a significant effect on the signal attenuation in the fiber.

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