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The Television & Sound Broadcasting Regulations, 1996

Penalty.

34. Any person who contravenes any provision of these Regulations commits an offence and is liable on conviction before a Resident Magistrate to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months.

SECOND SCHEDULE (Regulations 4, 17, 29 and 32)

TECHNICAL STANDARDS - PART I

General

Part II

Cable

This Part applies to the performance of a subscriber television system as measured at any subscriber terminal with a matched impedance at the termination point or at the output of the modulation or processing equipment (generally the head-end) of the subscribe television system and are applicable to each NTSC or similar video downstream subscriber television channel in the system.

1. The subscriber television channels delivered to the subscriber's terminal shall be capable of being received and displayed by TV broadcast receivers used for the off-the-air reception of TV broadcast signals.

(2) Subscriber television systems shall -

(a) transmit channels to subscriber premises equipment on frequencies in accordance with the channel allocation plan specified in the Appendix;

(b) use the channel allocation plan for signals transmitted in the frequency range 54 MHz to 1002 MHz.

3. The aural centre frequency of the aural carrier shall be 4.5 MHz + 5r Hz above the frequency of the visual carrier at the output of the modulating or processing equipment of a subscriber television system and at the subscriber terminal.
4. (1) The visual signal level across a terminating impedance which correctly matches the lateral impedance of the subscriber system as viewed from the subscriber terminal shall -

(a) not be less than 1 millivolt across an internal impedance at 75 ohms(0dBmV);

(b) as measured at the end of a 30 metre cable drop that is connected to the subscriber tap, not be less than 1.41 millivolts across an internal impedance of 75 oboe (+ 3 dBmV).

(2) At other impedance values, the minimum visual signal level as viewed from the subscriber terminal, shall be the square root of 0,0133 (Z) millivolts and, as measured at the end of 30·metre cable drop that is connected to the subscriber tap shall be 2 times the square root o.oo662 (Z) millivolts, where 'Z' is the appropriate impedance value.

5. The visual signal level on each channel as measured at the end of 30 metre cable drop that 1J Connected to the subscriber tap shall not vary more than 8 decibels within any six-month interval, and shall be maintained within -

(a) 3 decibels (dB) of the visual signal level of any visual carrier within a 6 MHz nominal frequency separation;

(b) 10 dB of the visual signal level on any other channel on a cable television system of up to 300 MHz of a cable distribution system upper frequency limit, with a 1 dB increase for each additional 100 MHz of cable distribution system upper frequency limit (for example, 11 do for a system at 301-400MHz and 12dB for a system at 401-500 MHz, etc.); and

(c) a maximum level such that signal degradation due to overload in the subscriber's receiver or terminal does not occur.

6. (1) The roe voltage of the aural signal shall be maintained between 10 and 20 decibels below the associated visual signal level and shall be met at the subscriber terminal and at the output of the modulating and processing equipment (generally the head-end).

(2) Subscriber terminal which use equipment which modulate and Demodulate the signal (for example, base band converters), the rats voltage of the aural signal shall be maintained between 6.5 and 17 decibels below the associated visual level at the subscriber terminal.

7. (1) The amplitude characteristic shall be a range of 2 decibels from 0.75MHz to 5.0 MHz above the lower boundary frequency of the cable television channel referenced to the average of the highest and lowest amplitudes within those frequency boundaries.

(2) The amplitude characteristic may be measured after subscriber tap and before a converter which is provided and maintained by the licensee y be measured at the subscriber terminal.

8. The ratio of RF visual signal level to system noise shall not be leas than 40 decibels.
9. The ratio of visual signal level to the systems amplitude of any coherent disturbances (for example, intermodulation products, second and third order distortions or discrete frequency interfering signals not operating on proper offset assignments) -

(a) shall not be less than 51 decibels for noncoherent channel subscriber television systems, when ensured with modulated carriers and time averaged; and

(b) which are frequency-coincident with the visual carrier, shall not be le then 47 decibels for current channel subscriber system when measured with modulated carriers and time averaged

10. The terminal isolation provided to each subscriber terminal -

(a) shall not be less than 18 decibels in lieu of periodic testing, so however, that the licensee any use specifications provided by the manufacturer for the terminal isolation equipment to meet this standard; and

(b) shall be sufficient to prevent reflections caused by open-circuited or short-circuited subscriber terminals from producing visual picture impairments at any other subscriber terminal.

11. (1) The peak-to peak variation In visual signal level caused by undesired low frequency disturbances (hue or repetitive transients) generated within the system, or by inadequate low frequency response, shall not exceed 3 percent of the Visual signal level.

(2) Measurements made on a single channel using a single unmodulated Carrier may be used to demonstrate compliance with this parameter at each test location.

12. With effect from January 1, 1997, the following requirements apply to the performance of the subscriber television system as measured at the output of the modulating or processing equipment (generally the head-end) of the system -

(a) the chrominance-luminance delay inequality (or chrome delay) which is the change in delay tiara of the chrominance component of the signal relative to the luminance component, shall be within 170 nanoseconds;

(b) the differential gain for the colour subscriber of the television signal which is measured as the difference in amplitude between the largest and Smallest segments of the chrominance signal divided by the largest, shall not exceed 20%; and

(c) the differential phase for the colour subscriber of the television signal which is measured as the largest phase difference in degrees between each segment of the chrominance signal and reference segment (the segment at the blanking level of 0 IRE) shall not exceed +10 degrees.

13. Signal leakage from a subscriber television systems shall be limited as follows -

The cumulative leakage index (CLI) air based criterion shall not exceed 10 (microvolt/metre) rms at a level of 450 meters above the cable systems average ground level.

Frequency Bands

14. (1) For operation in the frequency bands 108-137 and 225-400 MHz the standards relating to Signal Leakage Performance Criteria and Frequency Separation Standards are applicable to all subscriber television systems transmitting carriers or other signal components carried at an average power level equal to or greater than 10(4) watts across a 25 KHz bandwidth in any 160 microsecond period at any point in the cable distribution system in the frequency bands 108-137 and 225-400 MHz for any purpose.

(2) Before transmitting any carrier or other signal component with an average power level across a 25 Hz bandwidth In any 160 microsecond time period equal to or greater than 10-(4) watts at any point in the subscriber television distribution systems on any new frequency or frequencies the aeronautical radio frequency bands the licensee is to notify the Commission.

Signal Leakage Performance Criteria

1. A licensee shall not provide subscriber television service on any system in the frequency hands 108-137 and 225-400 MHz unless such system meets at least one of the following subscriber television basic signal leakage performance criteria -

(a) prior to the carriage of signals in the aeronautical radio bands and at least once each calender year, with no acre than 12 months between successive tests based on a sampling of at least 75% of the cable strand and including any portion of the subscriber television system which is known to have or can reasonably be expected to have less leakage integrity than the average of the system, compliance with a cumulative signal leakage index is demonstrated by proving that -

(i) 10 log 1(3000) is equal to or less than -7; or

(ii) 10 log 1 (00)" is equal to or less than 64,

using one of the following formulae -

Where -

"E;" means the electric field strength in microvolt per meter V/m;

"n" means the number of leaks found of field strength equal to or greater than 50 uV/m;

"0" means the fraction of the subscriber television system cable length actually examined need for leakage sources which is equal to the strand kilometres of plant tested divided by the total strand kilometres in the plant;

"r" means the distance in metres between the leakage source and the centre of the subscriber television system;

"R" means the 4pheet height distance in metres from the leakage a W ace to a point 3000 meters above the centre of the subscriber television system;

(b) prior to carriage of signals in the aeronautical radio bands and at least Once each calendar year with no more than 12 months between successive tests the subscriber television system operator demonstrates by measurement in the airspace that at no point does the field strength generated by the subscriber television system exceed 10 microvolt per meter (uV/m) rms at an altitude of 450 metres above the average terrain of the subscriber television system;

(c) the measurement system (including the receiving antenna) shall be calibrated against a known field of 10 uV to rms produced by a well characterized antenna consisting of orthogonal resonant dipoles, both parallel to and one quarter wavelength above the ground plane of a diameter of two entree or more at ground level;

(d) the dipoles shall have centres colocated and be excited 90 degrees apart;

(e) the half-power bandwidth of the detector shall be 25KNz;

(f) an aircraft antenna shall be horizontally polarised;

(g) calibration shall be made In the community by unit or, if more than one, in any of the community units of the physical system within a reasonable time period to performing the measurements; and if data is recorded digitally the 90th percentile level of points recorded over the cable system shall not exceed 10 uV/m rms;

(h) if analog recordings are used the peak values of the curves when smoothed according to good engineering practices shall not exceed 10 uV/m rms.

2. Subscriber television service transmitting carriers in the frequency band 108-137 and 225-400 MHz shall provide a programmes of regular monitoring for signal leakage by substantially covering the plant every three months.

3. Monitoring equipment and procedures utilized by licensees shall be adequate to detect a leakage source which produces a field strength In the bands of 20 uV/m or greater at a distance of 3 Nether and any leakage source which produces such a field strength in the aeronautical radio frequency bands shall be noted and such leakage measures shall be repaired within a reasonable time.

Frequency Separation Standards

All subscriber television systems which operate in the frequency bands 108-137 and 225-400 MHz shall comply with the following frequency separation standards.

1. In the aeronautical radio communication bands 108-137, 225-328.6 and 335.4-400 MHz, the frequency of all carrier signals or signal components carried at an average power level equal to or greater than 10(4) watts in a 25ZHz bandwidth in any 160 microsecond period shall operate at frequencies offset from certain frequencies which may be used by aeronautical radio services and the aeronautical frequencies from which offsets shall be maintained are those frequencies which are within one of the aforementioned aeronautical bands, and when expressed in MHz and divided by 0.025 yield an integer, the offset meeting one of the following criteria -

(a) all such cable carriers or signal components shall be offset by 12.5hs h a frequency tolerance of + 5K Hz; or

(b) the fundamental frequency from which the visual carrier frequencies are derived by multiplication by an integer number which shall be 6.0003 MHz with a tolerance of + 1Hz, Harmonically Related Carrier (CRC) comb generators only;

2. In the aeronautical radio navigation bands 108-118 and 328.6-335.4 MHz, the frequency of all carrier signals or signal components carrier at an average power level equal to or greater than 10(-4) watts in a 25 Hz bandwidth in any l60 microsecond period shall be offset by 25 hz with a tolerance of + 5 he and the aeronautical radio-navigation frequencies from which offsets shall be maintained are as follows -

(a) within the aeronautical band 108-118 MHz when expressed in MHz and divided by 0.025 yield an even integer;

(b) within the band 328.6-335.4 MHz.

NOTE: She Harmonically Related Carrier (HRC) system shall meet the requirement in the 328.5-335.4 RHz navigation glide path band, those incrementally Related Carriers (IC) system with comb generator reference frequencies set at certain odd multiples equal to or greater than 3 times the 0.0125 MHz aeronautical communications band offset (for example 6n 1.250 + 0.0375 MHz may also meet the 25 hz offset requirement in the navigation glide path band).

APPENDIX

CHANNEL ALLOCATION PLAN FOR SUBSCRIBER TELEVISION

No allocation shall be made by a licensee who operates subscriber television service for operations over the standard VHF Channels chic are in use for over the air television broadcasting operations in the zone served by the licensee, that is to any, channels 2 to 13.

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