User's Manual

Exalt Communications, Inc.
Exalt i-Series Installation and Management Guide
5000001 118
2007-04-15
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
Radio A/B Configuration on page 38)
Connect the items as follows:
1. Connect attenuation and (known-good) RF cable(s) between radio pair, shown in
Figure 41.
2. Configure one radio as Radio A; the other as Radio B
3. Power on radio pair