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accurate estimate of Pedestal Azimuth angle by these parameters. All of these parameters are
determined during the manufacture of the antenna system and verified during final system test.
Many of the sensors in the antenna system are either a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) or part of one.
By definition, an LRU is a customer serviceable item. For that reason, most of these parameters are
changeable at the AvL customer’s Level 4 privilege level.
7.3.3.3
Operation Parameters
Critical aspects of the antenna’s operation are controlled by an extensive set of user settable
parameters. These parameters set things like antenna azimuth axis scan speed, the satellite signal
level sensor/device used for acquisition purposes, and the fine peaking method. AvL sets all of these
parameters to default values in the factory based on information and Customer Furnished
Equipment provided by our system integrator customer. Acceptable performance of every antenna
system is verified to the extent possible before that system leaves our factory.
Most of these parameters are accessible at lower log-in privilege levels to provide the system
integrator and the knowledgeable end user the ability to fine-tune the performance of the AvL
antenna system for their specific application, satellite, frequency band, and even terminal location.
This is a very powerful feature of the AvL AAQ design and should be exercised with some care and
due diligence. Advice on how to set these parameters and their effect on antenna performance is
included in Chapters 5 & 6 of this manual.
7.3.4 Antenna System Calibration
Every antenna must be accurately calibrated to insure safe, reliable acquisition, and tracking of the
desired communications satellite. Almost every sensor has critical characteristics that will vary unit
to unit. The orientation and placement of these sensors will vary within a range of tolerances
allowed by their design and our assembly processes. The calibration process we have developed at
AvL virtually eliminates these inconsistencies and allows us to provide a cost-effective auto-
acquisition antenna system solution.
7.3.5 Factory Test
All model based calibration parameters are set in the AvL factory Engineering test lab. All customer
based parameters are set before final test by the AvL Service group. The Service group test procedure
includes steps that verify that every calibration parameter is set correctly. Upon successful completion