Anritsu Company Senior Product Manager David Witkowski is one of four authors of Evaluation of RF Network Testing, a new industry best practices document written to help establish standardized Methods of Procedure (MOP) for transmission line and antenna testing for the successful commissioning and maintenance of Land Mobile Radio (LMR) RF systems. An industry review of techniques and procedures, the document is based upon the findings of a critical workshop attended by representatives from RF system manufacturers, system technologies companies, test equipment manufacturers, as well as field engineers and business managers.

"The methods for transmission line and antenna analysis need to be standardized to ensure RF network integrity, especially in situations where there are wide-area deployments. In an effort to improve these valuable tests and establish consistency in results and conclusions, experts from the industry gathered and worked together to establish a consensus on what testing should be done and how the test results should be interpreted. Those best practices were the basis for this document, which we hope will ensure consistent test results across the industry with the end goal being optimum LMR network operation and more consistency in test results," said Witkowski.

The document details the test equipment available, compares absolute and relative testing, recommends standardized tests, and establishes the basis for building a method of procedure. In addition, case study examples from actual installations are included in the document.

A broad product portfolio of handheld test instruments for conducting transmission line and antenna testing is available from Anritsu. The Site Master™ handheld cable and antenna analyzers conduct traditional line sweep measurements including return loss, VSWR, cable loss, and Distance-to-Fault (DTF). A two-port transmission measurement option expands the testing capability to include gain, insertion loss, or isolation of RF devices. The VNA Master™ offers advanced analysis via a full-reversing 2-path, 2-port vector network analyzer that specializes in S-parameter measurements of isolators, circulators, filters, and phase matched cables. The LMR Master™ S412E combines capabilities of the Site Master and VNA Master with a powerful spectrum analyzer, modulated signal generator, internal power meter, analog FM and digital LMR signal/modulation analyzers, and a GPS receiver for coverage mapping into a single, lightweight, handheld, battery-operated instrument for ultimate portability and measurement flexibility.

Download your copy of Evaluation of RF Network Testing

About Anritsu

Anritsu Company is the American subsidiary of Anritsu Corporation, a global provider of innovative communications test and measurement solutions for more than 110 years. Anritsu provides solutions for existing and next-generation wired and wireless communication systems and operators. Anritsu products include wireless, optical, microwave/RF, and digital instruments as well as operations support systems for R&D, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. Anritsu also provides precision microwave/RF components, optical devices, and high-speed electrical devices for communication products and systems. With offices throughout the world, Anritsu sells in over 90 countries with approximately 4,000 employees.

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