Exalt Communications, Inc.
r-series
Installation and Management Manual
5000007 (ETSI)
69
2007-02-12 (draft)
Troubleshooting
This section provides information regarding troubleshooting of common issues and alarms on
these radios. Exalt Digital Microwave Radio systems are designed by Exalt’s expert engineers
with extensive experience through multiple generations of microwave radio design. These new-
generation systems contain extensive diagnostic tools, alarm indications, and troubleshooting
aids. And, as compared to other systems in their class, are easier to install, maintain, and
troubleshoot. The GUI provides information to aid in troubleshooting (see Diagnostic Charts
Page on page 65).
Contact Exalt Customer Care for further assistance with issues with your Exalt radio and with
suggestions on how the radio and documentation can be improved.
General Practices
Troubleshooting a microwave radio link can be a complex task. Approach troubleshooting as a
process of elimination, and first determine which portions of the system are operating properly.
In a vast majority of cases, failures or poor performance of microwave links is attributed to
something other than the microwave radio hardware. In this respect, the back-to-back bench test
(see Back-to-back Bench Testing on page 82) is very important to determine if radio hardware is
operating properly and eliminate many variables in the troubleshooting process.
If a back-to-back bench test fails, then the radio hardware is either broken or the radios are
improperly configured. Upgrade the radio to the most current release of firmware, and/or reset
the radio to its critical factory settings, following the quick start guide instructions and those in
Configuration and Management, helps to confirm if configuration issues cause failure. The most
common issues with microwave radio links are:
•
An improperly terminated RF cable
•
Multipath propagation
•
RF interference
•
Path obstruction
•
Misaligned antenna
•
Faulty antenna
•
Improper grounding
•
Insufficient link margin in the design/implementation
•
Moisture in the transmission system (antenna feed and/or RF cable)
If the radio link has been operating without issues and is exhibiting new poor performance
behavior or becomes completely inoperative, the troubleshooting process should pay close
attention to any conditions that may have changed between the time when the system was
working without issue and the time when the issues started.