User's Manual

Exalt Installation and Management Guide
ExtendAir
®
(TDD) Series Direct Mount Digital Microwave Radios
86 000000-001
2011-08-26
Back-to-back Bench Testing
Use back-to-back bench testing to test the radio before installation, pre-configure the radio and
connected equipment before installation, or in the troubleshooting process to identify if the radio
hardware is the source of a system issue. It is a critical process, and often required or highly desirable
for any installation or troubleshooting exercise. This section describes how to properly configure the
radio hardware and accessories for a proper back-to-back bench test.
For radio testing, there are two types of back-to-back configurations:
1 Basic test (test general operation)
2 Specification performance verification
Basic Test
The basic test is a simple test of radio functionality. It verifies that the radios are properly configured to
communicate to one another, and verifies general radio performance as operational.
For the basic test, the following items are needed:
• Radio pair
• Powering source
• RF interconnect cable(s) (any length – short is best)
• Fixed or variable attenuation, between 60 and 90dB (note: attenuation for basic test does not to be
calibrated or precise)
• Computer/terminal with either serial or Ethernet port (helpful, but not necessary)
– If no computer is available, use the temporary hardware configuration key or DIP switch,
depending on radio model (see Initial Configuration and Back-to-Back Bench Test
)
Connect the items as follows:
1 Connect attenuation and (known-good) RF cable(s) between radio pair, shown in Figure 53.
2 Configure one radio as Radio A; the other as Radio B
3 Power on radio pair
Figure 53 Basic back-to-back bench test configuration
After connecting and powering on, observe the front panel LEDs to verify that the LINK and STATUS
LEDs are green. If so, the radios are communicating and all radio-related alarm conditions are normal.