Broadcast Transmitter Systems
Broadcast transmitters for television, radio and mobile radio networks are deployed globally for universal coverage of communications systems. These radio sites typically house high power transmitters at ground level with feeder cables running up the tower to the antennas. Cable runs can be many meters long and represent one of the highest causes of transmitter site failure. Measuring the performance of these cable runs and their associated antennas is an essential part of the installation process. Regular maintenance tests and fault finding requires accurate, portable and easy to use test instrumentation. The Anritsu Site Master has been the test instrument of choice for field technicians since its first introduction in 1995.
The standard Site Master MS2085A cable and antenna analyzer builds on 30 years experience in this market, providing fast and accurate measurements on cables in the field, with distance to fault plots that pinpoint the location of failures.
The Site Master MS2089A adds a spectrum analyzer which facilitates transmitter quality measurements and interference hunting tools to further enhance the capability of the field technician when additional information is required.
Cellular Networks
Since their first introduction in the 1980’s, cellular network base stations have contains multiple RF cable feeds. At tower sites this can be long RF cable runs, while on rooftop sites multiple jumper cables run between the base station and antenna. Today, with multiple cellular technologies hosted on the same tower or rooftop, active antennas typically have more than ten cable inputs from multiple frequency bands and due to the deployment of MIMO technology.
Anritsu Site Master is the ideal instrument for cable testing at installation. The report generation features provide close out reports that contractors require for validation of performance. WCDMA, LTE and 5G measurement options provide modulation quality results for common cellular technologies and a coverage mapping option confirms network coverage meets the modeling of the system designers.
Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS)
Universal access to cellular networks in buildings, including shopping malls, transport hubs and stadia is now a basic expectation. This requirement has resulted in the rapid roll out of in building distributed antenna system. There are multiple implementations for DAS systems that may include combinations of fiber and RF cables. DAS system cable runs can be extremely long with multiple branches to isolated antennas as they need to reach the furthest corners of the building.
Installing a DAS network can require the measurement of hundreds or thousands of RF cables with all results requiring recording and documenting. The Site Master with its complimentary Anritsu Report Tool PC application for report generation is ideal for managing the installation of large scale DAS systems.
Military Airframes
The electronic warfare suit on modern military airframes is configured of antennas around the extremities connected to the signal processing systems at the aircraft core. RF cable feeds from antennas to core processing units require regular testing. The new Site Master MS2085A covers the RF comms frequency bands, for the EW suite the Site Master S820E extends the frequency range of the family to 40 GHz.
Ship Communications
Modern commercial and defense shipping contains many RF communications radios and high power radar systems. Antenna for all these systems are located high on masts to ensure range and minimize interference. Long cable and waveguide feeds need regular maintenance especially due to the exposure to hostile weather conditions they experience. The small form factor of Site Master makes it ideal for use in the confined spaces of a ship communications control room.
