Patton Announces G.703 Balun

Patton Announces G.703 Balun New Balun Adapts 75 Ohm to 120 Ohm

Patton Electronics announces the arrival of its new balun designed for international WAN environments. Specifically created for the CCITT G.703 applications, the Model 460 provides conversion between 75 Ohm and 120 Ohm G.703 interfaces. The unit supports data rates up to 2.048 Mbps and is packaged in an ultra miniature enclosure.

For those of you who may not be familiar with G.703, it is similar to T1 or DDS standards in the USA. This interface standard is used throughout the world to specify the physical and electrical characteristics which enable the interconnection of digital network components. For example G.703 is the connection standard for E1 services in Europe (more tutorial in upcoming issues).

This is a very important development since the G.703 specifies network termination to dual BNC and modular connectors alternatively. According to the standard, connections are made with two BNC connectors and 75 Ohm coax cable with a 5mm diameter and a maximum cable attenuation of 6 dB at1024 kHz. The attenuation characteristics follow the "root f" law and the cable type is specified as an RG59 or 2002 equal. Use of 120 Ohm twisted pair is also accommodated by the specification and is utilized in most countries. Some manufacturers provide network termination equipment with both BNC connectors and RJ-45 connectors, while most only provide 75 Ohm. In the U.K. carriers have chosen primarily to adopt the 75 ohm coax cable option. However, according the Open Network Provision (ONP) they are now required to offer 120 Ohm connections or risk being in violation of these EC rules. This fact greatly enhances the market for baluns in the U.K.

Patton's new balun simply converts 75 ohm G.703 transmit signals to 120 signals for transmission over a network, or reception by a CPE. It also converts 120 ohm G.703 transmit signals to 75 ohm signals. The signals produced conform to the pulse shape requirements outlined in the standard.

The Model 460 can be supplied with either male or female dual BNC connectors on one side and a shielded RJ-45 receptacle on the other. We are taking orders now! The unit retails for $75 and will begin shipping in Mid-October.