CATV Systems-Design Philosophy and Performance Criteria as the Basis for Specifying Equipment Components

In the past, CATV systems have been designed around existing equipment items such as the 22 dB gain trunk amplifier instead of vice versa, with equipment items designed to meet overall system design philosophy and performance criteria. This paper takes a fresh look at the CATV distribution system design philosophy between the antenna site and the subscriber's TV receiver. With the availability of high-output solid-state CATV amplifiers, different and novel equipment requirements are derived. Signal-to-noise, distortion, and automatic level control are all examined. Resulting equipment designed on this basis results in: 1) improved performance at lower installed cost, and 2) reduced maintenance costs. These specific equipment items are also described.