How to Scan an RF Frequency Range for a Z-Band system on a Televes H30 Meter
This article provides instructions on how to perform an RF system scan using the Televes H30+ Meter in a CATV environment. This feature is useful for verifying active channel presence and overall system health. 'System Scan' option allows the Televes H30+ Meter to highlight all active RF channels within a selected frequency plan. It also provides key performance metrics such as channel power levels, Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (C/N), Modulation Error Ratio (MER), and signal quality indicators—enabling quick identification of system performance issues, missing or degraded channels.
Ensure that your Televes H30+ Meter has been properly configured for Z-Band use. If not, please refer to the article: Initial Setup of a Televes H30+ Meter for a Z-Band System
How to Initiate System Scan
- From the "Home" screen, select System Scan and press OK. The duration of the scan may vary depending on the number of active channels in the system, typically ranging from 30 seconds to up to 4 minutes. The blue vertical line indicates the progress of the scan, as it scans all 157 channels or channels based off the learning plan selected.
- Below is an example of what you might see, but will vary depending on available RF channels at a site.
Understanding the Graph Interface
| Element | Description |
| Horizontal Axis | Represents frequency range across the RF spectrum |
| Vertical Axis | Represents signal strength (currently set to dBmV) |
| Grey Line | Shows the currently selected/detailed channel |
| Blue Line | Scrolls across the screen indicating which channel is being actively detected |
| Peaks in the Graph | Each peak corresponds to a detected channel. The higher the peak, the stronger the signal. |
| Green/ Yellow/ Red Lines | Color-coded indicators showing signal health: |
| Green | Signal is within optimal range |
| Yellow | Warning- Signal may require attention |
| Red | Signal is below threshold - likely issues are present |
Viewing the Results
Once the scan is complete, the screen will display a column chart / graph and a list of detected channels. You can scroll through the list of channels to view technical information for each channel, including:
- Power Level (dBmV)
- C/N (Carrier-to-Noise Ratio)
Each of the columns are also color coded and the limits for each of the colors are defined by the Quality Profile setting. Refer to the article Add/View Quality Profiles to learn more.Saving Scanned Data
While in System scan mode, press the Settings (Gear) icon and select Save datalog option. Press OK to save the log with the default name, or select the settings/gear button again to rename the file to something more descriptive and relevant to your specific system or test location. The default name of the data log is date and time of the data capture and if the date/time are set incorrectly on the unit then the files names shown are also incorrect.
If using default file names ensure that the date/time settings are properly set on the unit.
The saved data log will be stored locally on the unit, this data log can later be retrieved by connecting the meter to a network either via Wi-Fi or wired ethernet connection. On the computer where you want to access these data logs, open a web browser and type in the IP address of the meter. This should load the web-app for the Televes meter.
Ensure that the computer is on the same network as the meter.The meter's IP address can be found by navigating to "Setup" found at the bottom of the home screen. Then by selecting Network, the IP address will be displayed.
On the web app, the menu bar on the left has Measurements option. Navigate to the Measurements section and select List to view the saved data logs. To export the data, check the desired entry (check box) and click Download-an Excel (.xlsx) file will be generated containing the recorded measurement details.
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Initial Setup of a Televes H30 Meter for a Z-Band system
If this is the first time you are using this meter and you are not sure, please review the Legend and take the following steps. H30 Keyboard (Image courtesy of Televes) Power on the unit by pressing the Power button. You will start at the Home page. ...How to Review the Signal Levels for an Individual RF Channel
Getting The Meter Ready To read signal levels and other metrics pertaining to a single channel on the Televes H30 meter follow the instructions below From the Home page, go to Channel Info and press the OK button. Scroll to the desired RF channel ...Add / View Quality Profiles
Quality profiles determines the color schemes the signal levels use when taking measurements on the meter. The color used are red, yellow and green. Using the web application of the H30 meter, you can view or add new quality profiles. Selecting a ...