HD Link

Digital 950 MHz STL and Data Gateway

The next generation of digital STL

Our challenge: to design a studio-to-transmitter (STL) link for your most demanding 950
MHz applications one as reliable and robust as Harris Intraplex T1 and IP audio links.
Your digital STL manages much more than audio, so installation and configuration need
to be straightforward not a science project. Data should not have to be an option
requiring additional boxes and complexity. The STL should be ready, out of the box, for
AM, FM and HD Radio, as well as future multimedia applications. And, of course, the
price has to be right.
Earlier digital STLs were not designed for IP data transport. Adding IP data to them
requires optional modules and external add-ons, and many engineers working on HD
Radio installations reported spending much time and money trying to eliminate glitches.
Our solution: HD Link is designed to manage all HD Radio transport scenarios, regardless
of where you place your importer and exporter. Its two prioritized Ethernet paths give
preference to HD Radio data over control and other LAN/WAN data. It supports both UDP
and TCP, and even handles the switching of TCP return packets over asymmetric IP
paths with plug-and-play simplicity.
HD Link offers RF power to spare, an integrated IP gateway with sophisticated data
handling capabilities, and multiple channels of great audio. The intuitive front-panel and
remote interfaces tap into the most complete feature set of any microwave STL, yet take
less time to configure.
Intraplex is broadcastings first choice for rock-solid, full-time operation of T1 STLs. With
HD Link, you can now count on the same dependable performance, superior support and
long-term value for your microwave links.
HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com

FEATURES
Powerful, reliable RF performance
Up to 5 W of RF power
Harris-designed transmitter and receiver with 200, 250, 300, 375 or 500 kHz of RF bandwidth
Low-Density Parity Check Coding advanced error correction requires less receive signal than
Reed-Solomon to achieve an equivalent Bit Error Rate (BER), a critical parameter for glitch-free HD
Radio performance
State-of-the-art modulation technology operates at 32, 64, 128 or 256 QAM, providing more than 3
Mb/s throughput under optimal conditions
Built-in circulator provides a high degree of isolation and VSWR protection
Designed for data
Integrated IP channel for HD Radio (Importer-to-Exporter or Exporter-to- Exciter)
At least three times the nominal IP data throughput of other digital STLs
Does not require an external adapter to work with an external TCP return path suitable for use
over private and public networks
Capable of taking advantage of available IP audio paths to provide integral backup in the event of
radio link failure
Two prioritized Ethernet ports high priority for HD Radio traffic, low priority for control data and
LAN traffic
Each main program channel includes an RS-232 asynchronous data channel, up to 9600 b/s
Top-notch, multichannel audio performance
One or two stereo main program channels, each available with linear uncompressed or Enhanced
apt-X compressed audio
User-selectable 32, 44.1, or 48 kHz sample ratestransports 15, 20 or 22 kHz audio
Two monaural, 7 kHz audio channels with G.722 coding available for AM, radio reading services,
SCA, EAS and other auxiliary audio applications
Easy setup and reliable operation
Advanced Web browser user interface and SNMP remote control
Front-panel Ethernet port for access to Web GUI and diagnostics
USB port for saving configurations and updating software
FTP access for remote software uploads
User-configurable control input and alarm output contacts
Convenient connections and display
Intuitive front-panel interface
XLR AES/EBU digital and L/R analog input/output connectors
Headphone jack on the receiver for audio monitoring
AES/EBU sync port on the receiver
LCD level displays for all audio programs at each end
Analog level outputs for forward power and reflected power (on transmitter unit) and for received
signal level and signal-to-noise (on receive unit)
Optional main/alternate interface for redundancy switching

HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com

PRODUCT DETAILS
The ability to do more
Our RF and audio engineering teams designed HD Link for maximum reliability and to carry
higher-quality audio and more data over the STL path than was possible with earlier 950 MHz STLs.
More power
Sometimes you just need a little more RF power to get the job done. Out of the box, HD Link can
operate at 1 W, 2 W, or 5 W, selectable in the field. Its the most powerful 950 MHz digital STL you
can buy.
Advanced error correction
HD Link is the only radio STL using LDPC coding for forward error correction. This highly efficient
scheme contributes to increased data throughput.
21st century design
By applying Harris know-how to the technologies not available when legacy STLs were designed, we
optimized HD Link for state-of-the-art performance with minimal circuit noise.
The advantages to you
The combined benefits of more transmitter power, LDPC error correction and enhanced circuit design
add up to as much as 10 dB signal improvement over older digital STLs. Depending on your
requirements, this can enable any or all of the following:
Use of smaller antennas, for less tower load and lower costs
Increased path distance
Improved fade margin
Operation at higher quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) orders for increased carrying capacity
Sounds great
As with any Intraplex product, audio quality is a top priority. Uncompressed audio transport is fully
transparent. In the event bandwidth limitations require audio compression, HD Link offers Enhanced
apt-X coding to prevent the occurrence of audio artifacts that can occur with multiple generations of
MPEG compression in the air chain.
Audio and data. And more data.
The architecture of HD Link starts with an integrated IP gateway, the first in a radio STL. This provides
you with options for nearly every practical combination of audio, data, control and status used by radio
stations as well as future media applications. With the HD Link systems 1536 kb/s of allocatable IP
data, youll no longer consider your STL to be merely an audio transport system that happens to provide
some data options. In addition, an asynchronous RS-232 serial data channel accompanies each main
program audio channel for use with legacy control systems.
IP done right the Intraplex way
If you like what Intraplex has done for you with T1 and IP audio and data codecs, youll love our
implementation in HD Link! The integrated IP gateway includes numerous features:

IP prioritization allows it to carry other IP data, such as control signals and LAN traffic, separately f
the high-priority HD Radio stream.

Dual domain access control provides the tightest, most practical security. One access list is for co
of the HD Link units. Another manages the firewall that keeps unwanted traffic off the transport link.

Layer 3 switching supports an asymmetric TCP return path, allowing integrated plug and play sup

for TCP wherever a return path exists. Using TCP allows quality HD Radio transport under 30 times
HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com

higher Bit Error Rate (BER) conditions than UDP (3 x 10-4 for TCP versus 10-5 for UDP).

IP tunneling allows TCP return packets with private addresses to traverse third-party networks like

HD Link IP Gateway Architecture

How HD Link Technology Improves Link Quality
Like most digital microwave systems, HD Link uses quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to maximize
data throughput. All other factors being equal, higher-order QAM can deliver more data using the same
RF bandwidth than lower-order QAM (Figure 1), but each step up in QAM order requires about 3 dB to 4
dB better signal-to-noise ratio on the RF link to maintain the same level of quality. RF link quality is thus
a critical factor in determining the amount of data that any given 950 MHz STL can carry.
Forward error correction (FEC) is a useful tool for improving link quality in digital transmission.
Essentially, it involves adding redundant data to the transmission stream to allow the detection and
reconstruction of missing information. All digital RF STLs use some form of FEC, typically using either
the Reed-Solomon or the Viterbi coding method.
However, adding FEC increases the bit rate of the STL. Adding enough extra bits may require the use of
a higher QAM order, which places greater demands on the link quality, thereby creating a Catch-22
situation adding FEC to improve link quality may cause an increase in QAM order, which requires yet
higher link quality.

HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com

Figure 1. Higher-order QAM levels enable greater data carrying capacity

With HD Link, Harris has taken significant steps to improve this situation.
First, HD Link uses LDPC to do its FEC coding. LDPC is more efficient than either Reed-Solomon or
Viterbi, requiring less overhead data to provide the same level of error correction; given the same
overhead, it typically provides about 3 dB improvement in link performance over traditional FEC methods
(Figure 2). While the mathematical principles underlying LDPC have been understood for some time,
only recently have DSP chips become available with the speed and processing power to run LDPC on
digital STL signals in real time.

HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com

Figure 2. The HD Link systems advanced error correction handles difficult links
better than STLs using older technology
In addition, whereas the performance of Reed-Solomon FEC falls off directly if the link quality is
degraded due to environmental or other interference, LDPC maintains superior performance in the face
of link deterioration.
Further, where other STLs add a fixed level of FEC regardless of the system configuration, HD Link uses
adjustable amounts of FEC and employs a sophisticated algorithm to calculate the optimum balance
between QAM order and FEC overhead to achieve the maximum data throughput for any given
configuration.
The result? Combined with the increased performance afforded by its 5 W amplifier, HD Link can provide
up to 10 dB of system enhancement, right out of the box, compared with older digital STL systems
(Figure 3).

HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com


Figure 3. The combination of HD Link technology advantages can offer you
a dramatically improved STL system.
Elegantly simple installation, configuration and operation
Your time is valuable, so HD Link is designed to make setup quick and painless. The front-panel display
is bright and clear, with easy-to-understand labels. Menu hierarchies are shallow, so accessing most
functions takes only a few steps.
Modem settings automatically synchronize between the transmitter and receiver units. With both units
set for the same frequency and RF bandwidth, changes to QAM, IP bandwidth, etc., on the transmitter
automatically sync to the receiver.
HD Link has tools to help you in planning your overall STL system. Select the active audio channels and
IP bandwidth you want it to carry, and HD Link automatically calculates the optimum settings for QAM
and forward error correction, along with the receive signal strength necessary to achieve the desired
level of throughput. These auto-calculated values enable you to prepare a reliable path calculation and
determine the requisite transmitter power, antenna size and other variables.
HD Link provides numerous interfaces for setup, diagnostics and updates, with Ethernet and USB ports
on each unit, plus remote access via HTTP, FTP and SNMP.
Additional convenience features include a headphone jack and AES/EBU sync port on the receiver, and
variable-speed fans to minimize noise. And HD Link is physically compact at only two rack units per end.

Built-in backup
When your HD Link is connected to a bidirectional IP network with sufficient bandwidth, the program
channels will automatically switch to IP should the 950 MHz link fail. In effect, HD Link is both a 950 MHz
RF STL and an IP audio STL in one box, with automatic fallback from one to the other.

HD Link

www.broadcast.harris.com

IMAGES/DIAGRAMS
Back Panel

SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.
RF
Frequency

944 to 960 MHz fully synthesized

Step Size

25 kHz

Frequency Accuracy

+/-4 PPM (+/-0.0004)%

Occupied Bandwidth

200/250/300/375/500 kHz

Identifier

V-HDL950

FCC Emission Type

Designator(s)

200KD7W, 250KD7W, 300KD7W, 500KD7W

Modulation

Digital, 32/64/128/256 QAM

Antenna Connector

Type N (female), 50 ohms

Error Correction

LDPC (Low Density Parity Check)

Error Correction Overhead

8to 25% depending on mode

Transmitter
Power

1/2/5 Watts RMS

Monitoring

Forward power, reverse power, VSWR, PLL lock

Receiver

HD Link

Sensitivity

-95 to -82 dBm depending on mode

Dynamic Range

0 to -95 dBm

Spurious and Harmonic Equalizer

24-tap feed-forward filter and 3-tap decision feedback filter

Monitoring

Receive lock, receive signal level, receive signal-to-noise ratio, PLL lock

www.broadcast.harris.com

System
Delay

Main audio end-to-end delay is 50 to 300 mS based on mode. HD Radio and

Ethernet end-to-end delay less than 20 mS

Networking
Ethernet

Three 10/100BASE-T, full-duplex, auto-negotiation

One port for monitoring and remote control
One port for high-priority data
One port for low-priority data

Ethernet Connectors

Three RJ-45, each connector with integrated LEDs for link and activity monitoring

Protocols

IP, TCP, UDP, HTTP, FTP, NTP, Syslog, and SNMP v2c

IP Gateway

Port or IP based prioritization, static routing, proxy ARP, policing, firewall, public or
private network for return path

Control and Monitoring

Front Panel

Intuitive graphical front panel user interface 4.3 in. display, 480x272, TFT Color
LCD with LED backlight and seven button keypad

Remote User Interface

Monitoring and control using embedded Web server

Network Management

SNMP

VU Meter

Front panel display, six segment audio level indicator for all audio channels

Contacts, Output

Four output contacts with both normally closed and normally open outputs
Two output contacts: normally closed
Maximum current: 120 mA
Maximum voltage: 350 VDC
Closed resistance: 23 ohms typical

Contacts, Input

Two input contacts, TTL compatible

Telemetry Output

Two analog outputs (0 to 5 V) for RF transmit forward and reverse power

(transmitter)
Two analog outputs (0 to 5 V) for RF receive signal level and signal/noise ratio
(receiver)

Contact/Analog Connector

26-pin D Sub and RJ-45

USB

One USB 2.0 port for saving settings and software upgrade

Audio Monitoring

One stereo 1/4 headphone jack (receiver)

Fault Detection and Logging

Internal log files, SNMP traps, Syslog, and automatic upload of log files

AUDIO AND SERIAL DATA

Main
Channels
HD Link

One or two stereo program channels, individually configurable for linear or

9

www.broadcast.harris.com

Enhanced apt-X audio

Sample Rate and Audio
Bandwidth

48 ks/s for 22.5 kHz operation

44.1 ks/s for 20 kHz operation
32 ks/s for 15 kHz operation
24 ks/s for 12 kHz operation (apt-X)
16 ks/s for 7.5 kHz operation (apt-X)

Coding

Linear or Enhanced apt-X

Sample Size

16 bit (linear)
16/20/24 bit (apt-X)

Connectors

Audio Inputs: XLR female on left, right, and digital AES/EBU

Audio Outputs: XLR male on left, right, and digital AES/EBU
External AES/EBU Input Clock: RJ-11
RS-232 Data: RJ-11

Digital/Analog Operation

For input, digital/analog auto-detection

For output, digital and analog simultaneous

Data Channel

RS-232 data transport 9.6 kb/s (linear)

RS-232 data transport 1.2, 2.4, 4.8 and 9.6 kb/s, mode dependent (apt-X)

Main Digital Audio

Accepted Audio Sampling
Rates

Accepts any AES/EBU rate between 32 and 48 ks/s (linear)

Accepts any AES/EBU rate between 24 and 48 ksps (apt-X)

Rate Conversion

Rate converts any AES/EBU input rate to 48, 44.1 or 32 ks/s. In addition, for
apt-X, rate conversion includes 24 and 16 ks/s

External Sync (Receive Only)

Accepts external AES/EBU reference signal or RS-422 clock to synchronize

output to facility timing

Input/Output Impedance

Balanced, 110 ohms 20%

AES/EBU Channel Status

A&B channel status bits are transported

Main Analog Audio

Audio Frequency Response
0.5 dB

48 ks/s: 1 Hz22 kHz

44.1 ks/s: 1 Hz20.5 kHz
32 ks/s: 1 Hz15 kHz

Audio Full Load Level

9 to +24 dBu

Crosstalk

Better than 80 dB

Total Distortion

THD+N, less than 0.003% at 1 kHz 1 dBFS input (linear)

THD+N, less than 0.004% at 1 kHz 1 dBFS input (apt-X)

HD Link

10

www.broadcast.harris.com

Dynamic Range

Greater than 91 dB (for linear)

Greater than 92 dB (16-bit apt-X)
Greater than 105 dB (20-bit apt-X)
Greater than 110 dB (24-bit apt-X)

Input Impedance

Balanced, greater than 10 Kohms

Output Impedance

Balanced, less than 52 ohms

Main Diagnostics
Test Tone Generator

1004 Hz test tone at -12 dBFS, which is equivalent to +8 dBm input

HD Audio

Integrated IP channel for UDP or TCP HD Radio (Importer-to-Exporter or

Exporter-to-Exciter)

Auxiliary Audio
Channels

Two analog

Sample Rate and Audio Bandwidth 16 ks/s for 7.5 kHz operation
Audio Connectors

Audio Inputs: XLR female

Audio Outputs: XLR male

Coding

ITU G.722 mode 1

Sample Size

14 bit

Audio Frequency Response

100 to 6400 Hz 1 dB

Data Rate

64 kb/s per active channel

Total Distortion

THD+N, less than 0.1% at 1 kHz 1 dBFS input

Dynamic Range

Greater than 65 dB

Input Impedance

Balanced, greater than 10 Kohms

Output Impedance

Balanced, less than 52 ohms

Mechanical and Environmental

Dimensions (2RU)

Width: 19 in. (48.3 cm)

Depth: 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Height: 3.5 in. (8.9 cm)
EIA rack mountable

Weight

Transmitter 18.5 lbs (8.4 kg)

Receiver 14.5 lbs (6.6 kg)

Power Requirements

Universal AC 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz

Power Consumption

Transmitter 104 W max

Receiver 34 W max

Fuse Protections

HD Link

2A AC input fuse

11

www.broadcast.harris.com

Cooling

Forced air using variable-speed internal fan

Humidity

To 95% non-condensing

Operating Temperature

0 50 C (32 122 F)

Compliance
Regulatory Compliance

FCC Part 15
FCC Part 74, subpart E
EN60950

ORDERING INFORMATION
Its easy to choose the HD Link that is right for you
To choose the right HD Link model for your STL, all you have to decide is how many stereo audio
programs you need and whether you want linear or Enhanced apt-X compressed audio. The auxiliary
audio channels, control options, selectable output power, and data handling flexibility come standard
with every unit.
Choose from:

IP plus one linear stereo program

IP plus two linear stereo programs

IP plus one Enhanced apt-X stereo program

IP plus two Enhanced apt-X stereo programs

IP plus two stereo programs, one Enhanced apt-X and one linear

IP data and auxiliary audio only

HD Link Accessories

Bandpass filters
Single- and dual-cavity bandpass filters are available to attenuate interference at sites with congestion in the 950 MHz
band

Main/alternate interface
This system detects hardware and system faults in the HD Link transmitter and receiver, switching to an alternate pair
should conditions fall out of normal operational boundaries

HD Link

12

www.broadcast.harris.com