T&M - COLUMN
RADIO TESTING -
From the bench to the field Land Mobile Radio
Land Mobile Radios (LMRs) are two-way communication devices used for person-to-person voice and data transmission in extensive use by many important government and commercial applications, providing essential voice and data communication for diverse users around the globe. As technology has progressed over the years, LMR devices are incorporating more advanced digital technologies that utilize computer-controlled access for efficient allocation of channels to subscribers.
Monojit Samaddar
Country Director, VIAVI Solutions, India Modern digital land mobile radio (LMR) technologies and software defined radio (SDR) have significantly improved security, range, and spectral efficiency. Radio test solutions have followed suit, incorporating advanced automation, signal mapping, and spectrum analysis features for the lab and field. Auto-Test and auto-tune applications provide fully automated test and alignment of mobile and portable radios without the need for user interaction. The test sets ensure that the test and alignment procedures are performed to manufacturer-recommended specifications and industry standards, delivering consistent and repeatable results, proper interoperability, and optimal radio and network performance.
Radio products and standards have evolved to have improved range, reliability, and spectrum utilization. Simultaneously, LMR test, measurement and mapping solutions have consolidated advanced capabilities into integrated, compact equipment suitable for multiple use cases, events, and environments.
LMR Testing
The range, security and reliability of land mobile radio systems have made them a logical fit for critical communications. With often unpredictable field conditions and security threats, LMR radios must remain robust while maintaining high performance standards of transmit power, error rate, and sensitivity. Overthe-air LMR radio testing aids deployment activities and helps test for equipment failures. Portability has become an invaluable asset for radio test equipment that often allows LMR subscribers to prepare for challenging environments. With a high degree of market diversity, exacting test requirements, and lofty reliability expectations, LMR testing can quickly become a complicated and challenging undertaking. Signal generators, spectrum analyzers, power meters, frequency counters, computers, and sensors must be interconnected and configured appropriately to constitute an accurate and repeatable communications test. This can become a long and arduous process, prone to hardware compatibility issues, setup errors, operator-to-operator variation, and inordinate test and reporting times. Technical resource constraints can further worsen these challenges as electronics industry expansion continues to place an unprecedented strain on the radio frequency talent pool. Today, the availability of a wide range of versatile, easy-touse, and portable radio test solutions allow development, testing and maintenance of LMR equipment of all leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
52 11 | 2021 BISinfotech
