56
MDS Mercury 16E Technical Manual
MDS 05-6302A01, Rev. B
Procedure
1. Place a directional wattmeter between the radio (
TX/RX
connector)
and the antenna system.
2. With the transmitter keyed, measure the forward and reflected
power on the wattmeter. Reflected power should be no more than
10% of the forward power. Record these readings for future refer-
ence.
NOTE:
The transmitter has a 10-minute timer. When in test mode, it
will dekey after 10 minutes of continuous operation. The
Radio can also be dekeyed by temporarily disconnecting the
radio’s DC power.
3. Dekey the transmitter and disconnect the wattmeter. Reconnect the
antenna feedline to the radio.
End of procedure
Antenna Heading Optimization
Introduction
The radio network integrity depends, in a large part, on stable radio
signal levels being received at each end of a data link. In general, signals
stronger than –80 dBm provide reliable communication that includes a
fade margin for signal variances. As the distance between the Base Sta-
tion and Subscriber Unit increases, the influence of terrain, foliage and
man-made obstructions become more influential and the use of direc-
tional antennas at Remote locations becomes necessary. Directional
antennas usually require some fine-tuning of their bearing to optimize
the received signal strength. The transceiver has a built-in received
signal strength indicator (RSSI) that can be used to tell you when the
antenna is in a position that provides the optimum received signal.
RSSI measurements and Wireless Packet Statistics are based on mul-
tiple samples over a period of several seconds. The average of these
measurements will be displayed by the Management System.
The path to the Management System menu item is shown in bold text
below each step of the procedure.
Procedure
1. Verify that the Subscriber is associated with the Base Unit unit by
observing that the
LINK
LED is on or blinking).
2. View and record the
Packets Dropped
and
Receive Errors
on the
LAN1/LAN2 Statistics
window. This information will be used later.
3. Clear the
LAN1/LAN2 Statistics
.
4. Read the RSSI level at the Subscriber Unit.
(Maintenance & Status>>Performance>>RSSI)
