1. TEST REPORT Analogue Modulator
SPAUN
VAM 420
NG PAL
High Quality
Analogue • easy to create analogue tv signals
Modulator
• extremely good technical specifications
• simple and fast programming
• also suited for extremely long cables
66 TELE-satellite International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 09-10/2012 — www.TELE-satellite.com www.TELE-satellite.com — 09-10/2012 — TELE-satellite International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志 67

2. TEST REPORT Analogue Modulator
09-10/2012
SPAUN VAM 420 NG PAL
Easy way to create
analogue tv channels
n-vam
www.TELE-satellite.com/12/09/spau
■Ready for the
measurements
Generate your own
analogue tv channel system
When you need to send an color systems. It is quite sim- is the VAM 420 NG PAL of DVB-T. But let’s get back to
analogue TV signal to a des- ple today to create your own SPAUN. the analogue version, which
tination far away or when you analogue TV channel. All you Interestingly, SPAUN re- will currently find many more
would like to distribute just a need is a source of analogue cently also launched a simi- uses than the digital version
couple of TV channels, it still signals (TV camera, VCR, or lar device, the VAM 420 NG (there aren’t yet so many
makes sense to use an ana- just the output of a satellite DVB-T. Obviously, this device signal sources with a digital
logue modulator and the old receiver) and a VSB modu- is doing exactly the same as output).
good PAL, SECAM or NTSC lator. One such modulator the VAM 420 NG PAL, only in This twin modulator is care-
68 TELE-satellite International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 09-10/2012 — www.TELE-satellite.com

3. 1 3
fully finished off as all SPAUN modulators. One VAM 420 increase the number of ana- the programming mode. And
products. It is designed to be NG PAL has two sets of inputs logue channels. Here you that’s all you need to program
mounted either on a DIN rail (video and stereo audio) and can also feed a coax from a and operate this device.
or on a flat surface, like a wall generates two analogue TV terrestrial antenna to com- To evaluate the perfor-
- either directly or with the channels. As you can easily bine the terrestrial signal mance of the modulator, we
help of the included bracket. calculate, four such devices with your own two channels drove it with two analogue
SPAUN even offers a perfect can generate 8 analogue TV generated by the VAM 420 signals taken from two sat-
housing for the VAM 420 NG channels. SPAUN includes NG PAL. Observe the advice ellite receivers (video and
PAL: it is called SpaceBox and a plastic spacer to be used SPAUN gives in the included stereo audio). We connected
is a 19” rack which can acco- when mounting the modula- brochure with technical in- the SPAUN SPAROS meter to
2 4 modate either up to 5 or up tors one next to the other on structions: when connecting the output of the VAM 420 NG
to 10 VAM 420 NG PAL units. a DIN rail. a terrestrial antenna make PAL to observe its frequency
The modulator can be cas- Please mind that it is just sure you insert an amplifier spectrum. As you can see in
caded with three other iden- a modulator – so if the input between the antenna and the our screen shots, the gener-
tical units and in such case video signal complies to the modulator that has at least ated signals were extremely
you can use a single power PAL color system, it will not 20 dB input/output isolation.
supply unit (SPAUN SNG be changed and we will get Programming the modu-
12/2000) to power all four the output in analogue TV in lator is pretty simple. Only
three buttons are used: Up,
1. The SPAUN VAM 420 NG PAL configured to generated two TV
signals: one with maximum level, the other with minimum level (-10 Down and Enter. Frankly say-
dB). Note that the signals are over 50 dB above the ground noise. ing, we would prefer if SPAUN
2. As above, but now the adjacent channels are used. called the last button L/R or
3. Test card picture generated by VAM 420 NG PAL. something like that. Its func-
4. An analogue TV channel demodulated by the VAM 420 NG PAL tion is just switching between
and displayed by the SPAUN SPAROS meter
the left and right channel. In
PAL. Should it be SECAM, it the normal mode, you select
will stay as SECAM. However, the left or right channel by
except for the color system, pressing the Enter button.
you should also be aware of The decimal point on the two
the TV standard that speci- digit display moves either to
fies how audio is transmit- the left or to the right digit
ted. And here we have a few indicating in this way which
possibilities: B, G, D, K, I or L channel is currently chosen.
standards. VAM 420 NG PAL You use then the Up and
is compatible with all of them. Down buttons to change the
It will be perfect for feeding channel number from S03 to
analogue tv sets used in Eu- 69.
rope and many other regions When you press and hold
of the world were signals like the Up and Down buttons si-
PAL D/K or PAL B/G were multaneously for one second,
used and sometimes are still VAM 420 NG PAL switches to
in regular days. What it does programming mode. Now you
not support are the N and M can use the Down button to
standards mostly used in the travel down the “menu” and
Americas. the Up button to change the
The VAM 420 NG PAL has value of the present option.
two sets of inputs. You can The options are as follow: TV
see the familiar yellow/white/ system, fine tuning of video
red RCA connectors in two carrier frequency, video/au-
columns located at the top of dio ratio (16 or 12 dB), test
the front panel. In the bot- pattern generator (on/off),
tom part of the panel, there RF output signal (on/off),
are two F connectors. One RF level adjustment (from 0
of them is the output (where through -10 dB), Audio signal
two TV channels appear) and level (from -6 dB through +6 ■A similar device as the VAM
420 NG PAL is the above model
the other in the input. You dB), Audio processing mode VAM 420 NG DVB-T, which has
can connect another VAM (mono, stereo, dual). When recently been launuched by
SPAUN. The features are the
420 NG PAL to the input to you are through with all the same as for the VAM 420 NG
settings, you again press and PAL, but instead of an analogue
■The SpaceBox by SPAUN solves any problems, where to mount PAL signal the VAM 420 NG
the VAM modules. It can house up to 5 or up to 10 VAM 420 NG PAL hold Up and Down buttons DVB-T has a COFDM output
units. simultaneously and leave signal.
70 TELE-satellite International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 09-10/2012 — www.TELE-satellite.com www.TELE-satellite.com — 09-10/2012 — TELE-satellite International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志 71

4. clear – well over 50 dB above restrial frequency band. We formance of VAM 420 NG PAL level and frequency settings.
the noise level. We tested also checked how it worked was brilliant for all the set- Video to audio level ratio was
both maximum and mini- when two adjacent channels tings we tried. quite close to its nominal
mum amplitude settings and were chosen to output the To give you the idea how value 16 dB. With such su-
performance at the low end analogue channels. We are great the performance was perb performance, you can
and the high end of the ter- happy to inform that the per- let us provide you with a cou- connect the VAM 420 NG PAL
ple of measurement results. even to a very long coax ca-
See the table below. C/N bles without any fear of signal
significantly exceeded the degradation. This modulator
specification (50 dB) for all is really a top quality device.
Min. level setting Max. level setting
Channel S03 67 S04 S05 69
Frequency [MHz] 119.25 839.25 126.25 133.25 855.25
Level [dBµV] 80.4 79.1 91.3 91.2 91.2
C/N [dB] >55.7 >51.4 >57.1 >57.9 >61.8
V/A [dB] 15.1 15.7 17.4 18.1 15.4
Expert Opinion
Excellent C/N ratio exceeding the
specified 50 dB.
Very good workmanship.
+ Versatile mounting options.
Cascadable with other identical units.
Easy programming. Jacek Pawlowski
TELE-satellite
– None
Test Center
Poland
TECHNICAL
DATA
Manufacturer SPAUN electronic GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
Web www.spaun.com
E-mail contact@spaun.com
Phone +49-7731-8673-0
Fax +49-7731-8673-17
Model VAM 420 NG PAL
Function VSB Twin Modulator
Number of analogue A/V inputs 2
Frequency range 110 … 862 MHz
TV standard B/G/D/K/I/L
Output level max 90 dBµV
Output level adjustment 0...-10 dB
Spurious level <-60 dB
C/N ratio ≥ 50 dB
Input level 1 ± 0.1 V p-p
Supply 12 V, 475 mA
Dimensions 196 x 106 x 35 mm
72 TELE-satellite International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 09-10/2012 — www.TELE-satellite.com