Security television monitoring using a wideband radio-frequency cable system

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was equipped with a multichannel, bidirectional rf cable television system for security assessment. The multichannel cable system was selected over a more conventional video cable system that has separate cables to each camera. Primary considerations for election of the rf cable system were initial cost and ease of midification or additions to the system. Two, 300-MHz cables, having a capacity of approx. 60 channels, and modulators and demodulators for 40 channels were installed. The modulators, located in buildings or building complexes, receive video signals from 40 TV cameras. These signals are transmitted as rf signals by the cable system to centralized emergency control center (ECC) where they are demodulated, processed, and displayed by the video equipment. TV monitors, digital video motion detectors, and recorders enable the dispatcher in the ECC to evaluate and document the video information. This paper covers the justification for a TV system and the reasons for selecting an rf cable system. It includes a discussion of the design criteria, installation, and expansion capabilities of the system