Comtech CPA-200 Solid-State Indoor Power Amplifier

Description

Overview
Our indoor C–Band SSPA, the CPA, has a rack–mountable chassis,
power supply, fan assembly, front panel assembly, Monitor/Control Processor (MCP), and an SSPA module. The amplifier was designed using our low–loss combining technique and an MCP–based temperature versus gain compensation.
The front panel of the unit features a user–friendly Liquid Crystal
Display (LCD) menu display and cursor control keys to display status and enable parameter configuration. The front panel also has LEDs for quick reference to binary status points and both input and output sample ports for easy test point access.
The unit delivers rated power, guaranteed, at the 1 dB compression point, to the transmit waveguide flange. The amplifier is cost–effective and provide a reliable replacement for alternate technologies. As a result of the small form factor, the CPA is ideal for the construction of small “flyaway” terminals, medium sized (equivalent to Intelsat F class) earth stations, and hub earth stations for small to medium size private networks or point–to–point links.
The CPA is constructed with highly reliable Gallium Arsenide Field Effect Transistors (GaAs FETs). Solid–State provides significant
advantage over alternate technologies, including:
• More superior third order inter–modulation products – from 4–6 dB better
• Saturated power levels up to twice that of the CPA’s rated output
• Greater Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) – 4–6X better than a typical TWTA
The CPA is also equipped with useful features that other manufacturers offer as chargeable options. Included in the base price of our units are:
• Temperature compensation
• Sample ports
• Power monitor
• Rack slides
• Full remote monitor and control capabilities

Built–In Redundancy Controller
Each amplifier has the ability to function as a 1+1 or 1+2 redundancy controller in the backup mode. The optional redundancy configuration is implemented by attaching a ganged waveguide/coax transfer switch(es) to the input and output connectors of the amplifiers with a combination coaxial cable and waveguide kit. When the backup SSPA is commanded into the controller mode, it monitors the online SSPA(s) for faults. A faulted online unit may be disconnected and replaced without affecting the online power amplifier.
Remote Control
The remote control interface is selectable between EIA–232 and EIA–485, as well as full Ethernet including Telnet, SNMP and pre–
loaded HTML GUI. All configuration control, status retrieval, and adjustments are available as simple ASCII commands through the serial interface or through the front panel menu. As a cost option, the remote control command structure can be customized in order to accommodate existing network control software.