EC20S Epsilon GPS Clock

GPS Clock Overview

High-performance GPS Clocks are designed to exceed digital TV, digital Radio, 4G base stations, satcom time and frequency synchronization requirements

Epsilon Clocks provide accurate and stable time and frequency signals for your high-performance synchronization application. The unit’s optimized architecture is well-suited to transmitter synchronization of digital broadcast signals (DVB-T/T2, T-DMB, DAB or DRM) in Single Frequency Networks (SFN) modes: the high port density allows to synchronize many emitters simultaneously on the same site.

High-performance GPS clock
EpsilTime™ smart predictive slaving algorithm
High time & frequency accuracy, even if GNSS is lost
Network management based on Web User Interface and SNMP
NTP stratum 1 support
RoHS Compliant

GNSS-disciplined OCXO internal timebase
GPS + GLONASS
Optional Rubidium clock for extended holdover performance
up to 10 x 1PPS TTL outputs
up to 10 x 10 MHz sine wave

Epsilon Clock Details

Epsilon Clocks provide high reliability synchronization with very accurate and stable time and frequency signals. The high performance suits a comprehensive range of applications where excellent accuracy is required, especially synchronization of mobile wireless base stations, emitters for digital audio or video broadcast.

A high performance ovenized oscillator (OCXO) slaved to the GPS/GNSS input source offers outstanding accuracy and phase noise. The oscillator in conjunction with the EpsilTime™ smart predictive slaving algorithm mitigates the effects of inherent GPS noise and complies to the most stringent holdover mode requirements if GPS is lost. Furthermore, the 10 MHz frequency reference is cycle-locked to the 1 PPS, meaning that there are always exactly ten million cycles between 1 PPS occurrences. This unique feature is essential to avoid phase jumps and wander between time and frequency references. The EC20S is available with an optional Rubidium atomic clock reference for extended holder performance in the case of loss of satellite signals and when there is no redundancy.

Epsilon Clocks can receive GPS and/or GLONASS satellites, which increases the probability of having the right number of satellites in view and decreases the probability of being jammed. This receiver also include Timing Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (T-RAIM) to help preventing spoofing.

The highest reliability is provided by the model EC22S with fully redundant clock modules feeding an automatic fast monitoring and switching controller. Outputs signals are switched with very low phase glitch. Both clock modules integrate their own frequency generation circuit and autonomous power supply. They are hot swappable for online repair. Modules are accessible from the front panel.

A similar approach is available with a combination of two models EC20S and the Epsilon Switch and Amplifier System, models SAS17E or SAS36E. This offers scalability to add redundancy in the future and with even more time and frequency outputs.

Setup, status and alarms are accessible by remote control through any internet browser and/or through SNMP protocol. The antenna cable delay and the choice of time scale (UTC or GPS) are programmable. Alarms via relay contacts are available. Status is displayed on the front panel by LEDs.

Applications

Designed for any applications that demand quality, reliability, and availability

Digital Video and Audio Broadcast:
- DVB-T/H/SH
- FLO
- T-DMB
- ISDB-T
- DAB
- DRM
Wireless Telecom:
- CDMA
- WiMAX
- TDOA caller locations

Resources

Datasheets
EC20S Epsilon Clock Datasheet More Info A GPS master clock for digital broadcast synchronization applications.	pdf - 238 KB Friday, February 22, 2019
EpsilWin32 More Info EpsilWin32’s graphic user interface allows the user to monitor and control Epsilon Clock and Board models.	pdf - 88 KB Monday, July 23, 2012
Technical Notes and Briefs
Epsilon Clock Issue: 2019 GPS Rollover Event More Info In the process of testing the 2019 rollover event, the Orolia Engineering department has determined that this year’s event will potentially affect a limited volume of equipments embedding a Trimble Lassen IQ receiver, despite a Rollover week event compliant notice from the vendor. As a result, the time code may be affected but the GPS will remain locked. The following products have been identified: EC20S, EC22S.	Offsite File Wednesday, March 13, 2019
White Papers
Cost-effective Synchronization for Digital Broadcast More Info In Europe, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, broadcasters are looking to the DVB-T2 standard to upgrade from analog transmission, their current DVB-T implementation, or as a supplemental network. Similarly, in South America, ISDB-T is being implemented. These and other standards rely more and more on single frequency networks (SFN) to efficiently utilize wireless frequency spectrum. SFNs require synchronization so for each instant of time, every transmission station is broadcasting the same digital data at the same exact frequency.	pdf - 739 KB Thursday, July 26, 2012