User Manual Part 2
Lynx.GX Installation and Maintenance BETA VERSION 
Acronyms / Glossary 
10 Base-T/F   
This designation is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics 
Engineers (IEEE) shorthand identifier. The "10" in the media 
type designation refers to the transmission speed of 10 Mbps. 
The "Base" refers to baseband signaling, which means that only 
Ethernet signals are carried on the medium. The "T" represents 
twisted-pair; the "F" represents fiber optic cable. 
bandwidth 
The width of a band of electromagnetic frequencies. Used to 
mean (1) how fast data flows on a given transmission path, and 
(2), somewhat more technically, the width of the range of 
frequencies that an electronic signal occupies on a given 
transmission medium. Any digital or analog signal has a 
bandwidth. 
100 Base-TX/FX   
The "100" in the media type designation refers to the 
transmission speed of 100 Mbps. The "Base" refers to baseband 
signaling, which means that only Ethernet signals are carried on 
the medium. The "TX" represents two pairs of data grade 
twisted-pair wire; the “FX” represents a two-strand optical fiber 
cable. 
baseband 
Any frequency band on which information is superimposed, 
whether or not the band is multiplexed and information is sent on 
sub-bands. The frequency band is not shifted to some other 
frequency band but remains at its original place in the 
electromagnetic spectrum. 
baud 
Baud was the prevalent measure for data transmission speed 
until replaced by a more accurate term, bps (bits per second). 
AC 
Alternating Current 
Alternating current   
In electricity, alternating current (AC) occurs when charge 
carriers in a conductor or semiconductor periodically reverse 
their direction of movement. 
beamwidth, half power   
In a plane containing the direction of the maximum lobe of the 
antenna pattern, the angle between the two directions in which 
the radiated power is one-half the maximum value of the lobe. 
BER 
Bit Error Rate. The bit error rate (BER) is the percentage of bits 
that have errors relative to the total number of bits received in a 
transmission, usually expressed as ten to a negative power. 
amp 
Ampere. An ampere is a unit of measure of the rate of electron 
flow or current in an electrical conductor. One ampere of current 
represents one coulomb of electrical charge (6.24 x 10
18
 charge 
carriers) moving past a specific point in one second. 
BNC connector   
Developed in the late 1940’s as a miniature version of the Type 
C connector, BNC stands for Bayonet Neill Concelman and is 
named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman. The BNC 
product line is a miniature quick connect/disconnect RF 
connector. 
amplifier 
An electronic device that increases the voltage, current, or power 
of a signal. 
analog 
An analog signal is one in which a base carrier’s alternating 
current frequency is modified in some way, such as by amplifying 
the strength of the signal or varying the frequency, in order to 
add information to the signal. 
broadband 
In general, broadband refers to telecommunication in which a 
wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information. 
Because a wide band of frequencies is available, information can 
be multiplexed and sent on many different frequencies or 
channels within the band concurrently, allowing more information 
to be transmitted in a given amount of time (much as more lanes 
on a highway allow more cars to travel on it at the same time). 
antenna 
A device used for radiating or receiving electromagnetic energy. 
attenuate 
To lessen the strength of. 
CLI 
Command Line Interface. 
AUX 
Auxiliary 
coax 
Coaxial cable. A cable comprised of a center conductor, 
surrounded by an insulating core, with a braided or solid shield. 
Conductive shield surrounds the core with outside insulation. 
azimuth 
Azimuth and elevation are angles used to define the apparent 
position of an object in the sky, relative to a specific observation 
point. The observer is usually (but not necessarily) located on 
the earth's surface. The azimuth (az) angle is the compass 
bearing, relative to true (geographic) north, of a point on the 
horizon directly beneath an observed object. As seen from above 
the observer, compass bearings are measured clockwise in 
degrees from north. Azimuth angles can thus range from 0 
degrees (north) through 90 (east), 180 (south), 270 (west), and 
up to 360 (north again). 
The elevation (el) angle, also called the altitude, of an observed 
object is determined by first finding the compass bearing on the 
horizon relative to true north, and then measuring the angle 
between that point and the object, from the reference frame of 
the observer. 
codec 
The term codec is also an acronym that stands for 
"compression/decompression." A codec is an algorithm or 
specialized computer program that reduces the number of bytes 
consumed by large files and programs. 
dB 
Decibel. In electronics and communications, the decibel 
(abbreviated as dB, and also as db and DB) is a logarithmic 
expression of the ratio between two signal power, voltage, or 
current levels. 
dBi 
Used to define the gain of an antenna system relative to an 
isotropic radiator at radio frequencies. The symbol is an 
abbreviation for "decibels relative to isotropic." 
Elevation angles for objects above the horizon range from 0 (on 
the horizon) up to 90 degrees (at the zenith). 
back-to-back testing   
A simple way to verify that the radios are fully operational before 
they are installed. 
Acronyms / Glossary  103 










