Operations Manual

INSTALLATION 3-12
O&M of the MCC-545B PACKET DATA RADIO
12/2000
3.3.5 Perform RF Test
A simple, but very thorough RF test can be accomplished by typing TEST[CR]. TEST forces the
processor to key the transmitter and check for the amount of forward and reverse RF power that
is transmitted. It also checks the battery voltage under load and the antenna noise voltage.
The following command response results:
Syncs Xmits Acks pwr-fwd pwr-rev v-bat det-RF
XXXX YYYY ZZZZ AAAA BBBB CCC DDD
where: XXXX = # Of sync patterns heard from the master
YYYY = # Of transmissions
ZZZZ = # Of Acknowledgements from master
AAAA = Forward power in watts >80
BBBB = Reflected power in watts <5.0
CCC = Battery voltage under load (while transmitting) >10.6 volts
DDD = Received signal strength (usually noise at antenna) in DBM
For full power 545Bs, the forward power should exceed 80 watts. If not, check the battery
voltage on the printout. It should be greater than 10.6 VDC. If it is low, check the power source
and cables. If the forward power is OK, the reverse RF power should be less than 5 watts. If not,
check the antenna and RF cables. Also check the antenna and cables if both the forward and
reverse power are low and the battery voltage is okay, since the transmitter is probably shutting
down due to an excessive antenna VSWR (>3:1).
This completes the power up of the 545B. If you followed the above check list and everything
was satisfactory, the unit should be ready for operation. Refer to Chapter 4 for detailed operating
instructions.