RF Archives

18 07, 2025

SC-QAM

DOCSIS Rocks2025-10-23T13:21:51-04:00July 18th, 2025|

Join Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac as they take a technician-level look. Educate cable broadband technicians and engineers on how to effectively use a QAM analyzer to diagnose and resolve issues with SC-QAM (Single Carrier Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) channels in the HFC plant or CMTS environment. If you’re a cable tech, broadband engineer, or just a DOCSIS nerd, this is the livestream for you. Struggling with pixelation, slow speeds, or downstream signal issues? In this video, we show broadband technicians how to troubleshoot SC-QAM channels using a QAM

7 07, 2025

ANGACOM 2025 Recap: Fiber Domination, Low Latency DOCSIS, and Charter-Cox Merger Insights

DOCSIS Rocks2025-08-06T10:10:18-04:00July 7th, 2025|

Brady Volpe and DOCSIS expert John Downey recap the latest from ANGA COM 2025 in Germany. 🇩🇪 We discuss: • Why Europe is going 90% fiber and the impact on HFC • The powerful low latency DOCSIS demo from Harmonic and what it means for streaming and gaming • Charter’s acquisition of Cox and what it means for the US broadband landscape • The upcoming SCTE Expo in DC • And yes… the mystery of The Hoff’s disappearance at the party 🎤 👀 Watch for timestamps and drop

15 05, 2025

Reddits Top DOCSIS Troubleshooting Questions Answered 

DOCSIS Rocks2025-05-15T14:10:16-04:00May 15th, 2025|

We went deep into r/CableTechs, pulled the most‑asked DOCSIS questions, and tackled them on air—now you can watch the full replay! I’m Brady Volpe, joined by cable legend John Downey, breaking down everything from upstream ingress hunts and OFDM migraines to T3/T4 storms and mid‑split mysteries. 🔍 What you’ll learn Why RxMER bounces and how to spot the real culprit The drop‑swap vs. plant‑sweep debate for return‑path noise Ideal DS/US power windows in a mid‑split (85 MHz) world Reading ICFR, Max P‑V & Tilt on an OFDM meter—when to roll

21 04, 2025

DOCSIS 3.1 OFDM Field Measurements

DOCSIS Rocks2025-04-21T12:01:21-04:00April 21st, 2025|

Join Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac as they take a technician-level look into DOCSIS 3.1 downstream OFDM field measurements. Learn what to measure, how to measure it, and what those measurements really mean — from subcarrier spacing to RxMER and everything in between. If you’re a cable tech, broadband engineer, or just a DOCSIS nerd, this is the livestream for you. Topics covered: • OFDM vs SC-QAM differences • How to interpret RxMER per subcarrier • Locking to PLC, NCP, and Profiles A/B • Measuring channel power

26 03, 2025

Mastering Cable Upstream RF Troubleshooting for DOCSIS Pros

DOCSIS Rocks2025-03-26T13:22:53-04:00March 26th, 2025|

SCTE 294 2024r1 EXPLAINED: Mastering Cable Upstream RF Troubleshooting for DOCSIS Pros In this episode, we take a deep dive into SCTE 294 2024r1, one of the most important industry references for cable professionals. Discover how to optimize your upstream RF spectrum by mastering topics like unity gain, sub-split vs. mid-split vs. high-split architectures, and common sources of noise and ingress. Whether you’re a seasoned engineer or a field tech looking to sharpen your troubleshooting skills, this guide will help you understand and resolve the most pressing issues

3 03, 2025

RF network AMA

DOCSIS Rocks2025-04-02T10:04:44-04:00March 3rd, 2025|

Join us for our livestream event part 2, Tips, Tricks and what not to do in your RF network. Ask Ron Anything! (RF related) In this episode, AMA Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac in this episode Ron and Brady will answer your burning RF questions. --- Ron's Bio: Ron Hranac, a 50 year veteran of the cable industry, who has worked for cable operators and vendors during his career. He is a Fellow Member of the SCTE and co-founder and Assistant Board Member of the organization’s Rocky

18 12, 2024

Tips, Tricks and what not to do in your RF network

DOCSIS Rocks2024-12-18T13:55:58-05:00December 18th, 2024|

Join us for our next livestream event, Tips, Tricks and what not to do in your RF network. Ask Ron Anything! (RF related) In this episode, AMA Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac in this episode Ron and Brady will answer your burning RF questions. --- Ron's Bio: Ron Hranac, a 50 year veteran of the cable industry, who has worked for cable operators and vendors during his career. He is a Fellow Member of the SCTE and co-founder and Assistant Board Member of the organization’s Rocky Mountain

14 08, 2024

Very big and very small numbers

DOCSIS Rocks2024-08-14T11:02:10-04:00August 14th, 2024|

RF with Ron and Brady - This topic is a little different than previous presentations, but is important considering the widespread use of very big and very small numbers in cable. Ours is a world of numbers, and in cable we tend to use a lot of really big and really small numbers. In reality, it’s hard to grasp just how big or small numbers can be. Examples include the speed of light (a very big number) and RF signal levels in millivolts or microvolts, or even nanowatts

13 06, 2024

Coaxial Cable Impedance, Attenuation and Beyond

DOCSIS Rocks2024-06-13T09:40:50-04:00June 13th, 2024|

Some people say coax but Ron likes coaxial cable. Coaxial cable has been a key component in our networks dating back to the industry's early days. As such, it's easy to take coax for granted without really understanding just what it is. Here's your chance to learn more about coaxial cable, along with a high-level look at some of its characteristics such as impedance, attenuation, velocity of propagation, DC loop resistance, and more. Please tell us your thoughts in the comments. Coax or Coaxial? 📡 --- Ron's Bio:

26 04, 2024

The half-wave dipole antenna

DOCSIS Rocks2024-04-26T11:09:08-04:00April 26th, 2024|

The simple half-wave dipole antenna has played a role in the RF side of the cable industry for decades. Many are familiar with its use for signal leakage measurements. The half-wave dipole antenna also forms the basis for other types of antennas, such as Yagi-Uda and log periodic dipole array antennas used at many headends and antenna sites. This livestream will cover a few of the basics of dipole antennas, followed by some fun guidelines on how to make your own. 📡 Dive into the Fascinating World of