09-10/2013
TELE-audiovision.com/13/09/horizon
64
TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine
— 09-10/2013
—
TEST REPORT
DVB-C Signal Meter
Made for
professionals
– by
professionals!
A reliable signal meter is
one of the most important
tools for professional install-
ers of new DVB-C networks
for hotels, apartment build-
ings and small residential es-
tates or for distributing ex-
isting DVB-C signals. Horizon
has come up with just the
right device for all those de-
manding installers out there:
The HD-CM+ for DVB-C sig-
nals, launched by a long-time
manufacturer of top-notch
signal meters which TELE-
audiovision readers have
come to know and appreci-
ate through numerous test
reports.
The blue signal meter
measures 17 x 16 x 6.5 cm,
weighs approximately 1 kg
and sports the tried-and-
tested Horizon design that
has proven its worth in many
previous tests. On the front
users of the new HD-CM+
can find a female socket for
the signal input. High up on
the wish list of most install-
ers is an option to exchange
that socket, and Horizon has
gladly met that demand. In
case you’re wondering why
this is an issue at all – the
signal input socket is usually
the first component of a me-
ter to fail due to all those dif-
ferent cables that need to be
connected and disconnected
again during active use.
Right next to the socket
there is a perfectly readable
LCD display, as well as a total
of five buttons for using all
functions of the meter.
Turning the meter around
will give you access to the
power socket on the back, as
well as a USB interface and
connection for the external
12V car charger on the side.
The built-in Ni-MH battery
pack is located on the bot-
tom side and is protected
by a sturdy flap. We love the
fact that the battery pack
can be accessed without the
need for additional tools and
therefore can easily be ex-
changed, if need be. After
all, nothing is more annoying
than running out of power
during a major installation
job.
Horizon has also been
generous as far as included
accessories are concerned.
The HD-CM+ comes with all
required cables (power sup-
ply, USB), a car charger, a
very handy display cover
for rainy days, an external
antenna for detecting faulty
cables or interfering signals,
and a heavy-duty carrying
bag made of nylon. This way,
the meter is always at hand
while at the same time being
protected from the elements
or damage. The manual that
is also part of the package is
clearly structured and deals
with all functions of the sig-
nal meter in a straightfor-
ward way.
Horizon recommends charg-
ing the battery pack of the
HD-CM+ for eight hours be-
fore using the meter for the
first time. This makes sure the
battery reaches its maximum
capacity and provides opti-
mum performance. It goes
without saying that we heed-
ed that advice and connected
the meter to the mains over-
night. Speaking of which, the
internal power pack can han-
dle any voltage between 90V
and 250V AC, which makes it
a true globetrotter. During the
charging process an indica-
tor on the display shows the
Horizon HD-CM+ für DVB-C
Extremely easy to operate,
for professional installers
current battery status at any
time, which is a nice feature
as it gives you some hint as to
when the charging cycle will
be completed. And while we’re
at it, let’s have a closer look
at the monochrome LCD dis-
play at this stage. Offering a
resolution of 128 x 64 pixels it
sports remarkable readability
in dark surroundings thanks to
its backlight feature, but also
in direct sunlight thanks to its
excellent contrast settings.
As far as the battery pack is
concerned, Horizon has opted
for a 3300 mAh Ni-Mh battery
which allows seven hours of
continuous operation without
external power supply. This in
turn means that a single cy-
cle will get most professional
installers through a regular
workday.
Similar to other Hori-
zon meters the HD-CM+ is
brought to life with a feisty
touch of the arrow down but-
ton. Installers can then call
up the settings menu right
away in order to customise
the meter according to their
requirements. This is where
you can adjust the backlight
mode, display brightness and
display contrast, or you can
activate automatic shutdown
1. Horizon HD-CM+ Logo
2. The three scan modes of the
HD-CM+
3. Signal level measurement
4. MER measurement
5. BER measurement
6. Manual scan with spectrum
display
7. Selecting one of five pre-set
channel allocation plans
8. Comparison measurement of
five different frequencies
9. Comparison measurement of
five different frequencies with
signal level difference shown
10. Spectrum display
11.Settings menu
12. Settings menu
13. Leakage test
14. Constellation diagram
15. Individual channels can
easily be selected for a
comparison measurement
after a pre-set period of in-
activity. This is a particularly
useful feature, as it avoids
drawing all power out of the
battery pack simply because
you forgot to switch off the
meter. Measurement results
can be given in dBµV, dBmV
or dBm and an automatic
noise limiter can be set be-
tween -75 dBm and -55
dBm. Lastly, default factory
settings can also be restored
through the settings menu.
Right after turning on the
