Acterna TestPad User manual

Acterna TestPad
Base Station & Air Interface Test Module (BAT)
Getting Started Guide

2
Wireless Networks Division
http://acterna.com/products/network_types/
wireless_networks/index.htm
Acterna’s Wireless Networks Division offers a wide range of so-
lutions for the testing of handsets, devices, RF and wireless net-
works. These solutions support carriers of wireless networks in
meeting their testing requirements. The maintenance of net-
works is made easier by optimizing operations, monitoring per-
formance and confirming billing accuracy. The mobile phone
industry uses Acterna’s solutions to accelerate production, de-
tect faults and check compliance. In a nutshell, users of the
Wireless Networks Division’s solutions gain real advantages
over their competitors.
Acterna is a world leader in mobile handset test equipment used
by service providers to determine specific problems with mobile
phones and validate the need for repair. Acterna’s Air Interface
Instruments and network systems are recognized leaders in
their field and are deployed around the world. Acterna’s R&D
labs are actively developing testing solutions for all of emerging
wireless services and networks.
NOTE
The information in this document has been carefully checked and is believed
to be entirely reliable. Acterna makes no warranty of any kind with regard to
the material in this document, and assumes no responsibility for any errors
which may appear in this document. Acterna reserves the right to make
changes without notice to any of its products to improve reliability,
performance or design.
Acterna assumes no responsibility for the use of any
circuitry other than circuitry which is part of a product of
Acterna. Acterna does not convey to the purchaser of
the product described herein any license under the
patent rights of Acterna nor the rights of others. All
product names as mentioned herein are the
trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.

3
Contents
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Base Station & Air Interface Test Module (BAT) . . . . . . 6
About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Unpacking the BAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Standard equipment delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Acterna TestPad 2000TM (V3) delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dual-band coupler delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connecting Acterna TestPad 2000TM with the BAT Module . 9
Elements of Acterna TestPad 2000TM and BAT . . . . . . . 10
Power LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Handle with pocket for stylus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Table for absolute power and reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Slot for PCMCIA cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Printer port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Switches and connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Battery slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Three Main Applications for Using the BAT . . . . . . . . . . 16
Application 1:
Measurements at the base station’s attenuated output . . . 16
Application 2:
Measurements using a coupling device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Application 3:
Measurements over the air interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Working With the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Most important display sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Application buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
System buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Online help screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4
Up- and Downloading Configuration Data and Reports 27
Service and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Notice . . 28
Industry Canada Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Publication History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

5
Introduction
Dear User of the Acterna TestPad
Base Station & Air Interface Test Module (BAT),
We hope that you will enjoy using the BAT as much as we
enjoyed designing it for you.
Your feedback on this test instrument is always welcome. It
enables us to improve the BAT through updates and upgrades.
So your feedback can be the first step towards an improved ver-
sion of the BAT! Send us your comments; you can reach us by
email, fax or via our local sales offices.
Additional information, hints and updates on the latest software
can be accessed online: www.acterna.com.
Your BAT Team
Support Europe/Asia
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]
Support Americas
Tel: [phone]
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
email: [email protected]

6
The Base Station & Air Interface Test Module
(BAT)
The BAT Module is a handheld RF spectrum meter based on
the Acterna TestPad 2000TM platform. Base stations can be
tested while in operation, without any shut down. You can test a
base station either at its RF output connector or over the air
interface. Simple use and a small size make testing easier than
ever.
About this manual
The Getting Started Guide supplements the complete operating
manual. It should be read before installing the BAT Module and
taking it into operation. Further instructions are contained in the
operating manual which is included with the BAT Module in the
form of detailed online help.
This booklet will provide you with initial information and guide
you up to the point where you will be able to retrieve more
detailed information from the online help.
The main sections of this manual advise you
• how to unpack and install the BAT Module
• about the main applications
• about the highest menu level of the user interface
• how to retrieve more help from the built-in online help
Safety instructions
Maintenance and repair is only allowed for specially trained ser-
vice technicians. Opening a unit without permission causes loss
of warranty.
See “Service and Calibration” on page 27 and the Federal Com-
munication and Industry Canada Notices on page 28.

7
Unpacking the BAT
Keep the cardboard box for shipping the BAT back to Acterna
for recalibration and inspection (recommended once a year).
Standard equipment delivery
a 1 Base Station & Air Interface Test Module (BAT)
b 2 RF cables, N-type on N-type connectors, 2 m (ca. 6 ft.)
long, one with a blue cap and one with a yellow cap
c 2 RF adapter cables, N-type to SMA connectors, one
marked blue, one marked yellow
d 1 high-band antenna (not included in the cellular version)
e 1 low-band antenna, indicated by a cap with two colored
rings (not included in the PCS version)
f 4 removable cable binders
g This Getting Started Guide
a
b
f
c
d
e
g


Acterna TestPad 2000TM (V3) delivery
Note: If the BAT Module has been ordered with the Acterna
TestPad 2000TM, the latter is delivered in the same main box.
The TestPad comes with a Getting Started Guide of its own;
please refer to this when unpacking and installing the TestPad.
The complete tester consists of the BAT Module and the
Acterna TestPad 2000TM. The latter consists of the following:
a User Interface Module
b Power supply
c Power cord
Dual-band coupler delivery
d 30 dB bidirectional dual-band coupler (max. 500 W)
a
b
c
d


Connecting Acterna TestPad 2000TM with the
BAT Module
• The Acterna TestPad 2000TM may contain another applica-
tion module. If so, remove that other module.
• Slide the BAT Module into the Acterna TestPad 2000TM.
• Tighten the screw with a coin.
• Power on the TestPad.
• The application software will be downloaded from the BAT
Module (this will take a few minutes).
• Your BAT starts operation and is ready for use.
Please read the following pages carefully and do not forget
to charge the battery before going out in the field!


Elements of Acterna TestPad 2000TM and
BAT
Apart from the large touchscreen right in the middle, the Acterna
TestPad 2000TM with the BAT Module consists of the following
user elements:
a Power LEDs
b Connectors
c Table for absolute power and reflection
d Switches and connectors
e Battery slot
f Handle with stylus pocket
g PCMCIA card slot and printer port
The components above are explained and illustrated in
more detail on the following pages.
b
c
d
e
f
ga


POWER LED lights up when the Acterna TestPad
2000TM is switched on.
CHARGE Illumination indicates that the battery is be-
ing charged.
LOW BATTERY LED lights up when battery charge is low.
Handle with pocket for stylus
Power LEDs
Handle for carrying the TestPad.
The stylus can be used to operate
the user interface more easily. You
can put the yellow stylus inside the
pocket so you will not lose it.
S


Table for absolute power and reflection
For your convenience, a conversion table for power and reflec-
tion measurements is printed on the right-hand side of the front
panel of the module.
If you want to convert between different dimensions, please use
the equations below:
Power [dBm] = 30 + 10 log10 Power [W]
Reflection [dB] = 20 log10 ()
96:5 
96:5 ±
-------------------------


Antenna Connector for the BAT stick antenna
Trigger Connector for triggering time measurements
Reflection Connector for the reflected coupler power
Main Connector for the attenuated radio output or the
coupled forward power
Note: The short antenna is for PCS (high-band) measurements
and the long antenna with two colored rings is for cellular (low-
band) measurements.
Connectors
Warning: The power input to the
Antenna connector must not exceed
1 mW (0 dBm); the power input to the
Reflection and Main connectors must
not exceed 1 W (30 dBm).


A PCMCIA memory card can extend the storage capacity of
your BAT. It will also speed up the BAT application after module
swap (the memory card needs to be ATA-compatible).
An external PCMCIA storage device is highly recommended if
you want to store many screenshots.
The printer port is also used to up- and download the base
station configuration data, as well as for result files. The PC
Upload/Download Software Option to the BAT is required for
this task.
Slot for PCMCIA cards
Printer port


DC IN Use this connector to supply your Acterna TestPad
2000 with voltage from an external DC supply and
to charge your battery.
0/1 This switch is used to turn the power on and off.
Handset The BAT module does not make use of the Hand-
set connector.
Battery slot
Note: With some versions of the TestPad 2000, the battery slot
can be opened with a coin.
Switches and connectors


Three Main Applications for Using the
BAT
Application 1:
Measurements at the base station’s
attenuated output
Attach one end of the blue cable to the Main connector of the
BAT and the other end to the attenuated RF output of the base
station radio section (max. 1 W).


With this application you can measure:
• Output power
• Output spectrum
• Output ripple
• Carrier frequency
• Carrier frequency error
Warning: Always use the attenuated
output. Never connect the high-power
output of the radio directly to the BAT.
A direct connection can be hazardous
and may destroy your test equipment.
Taking measurements
at the base station’s
attenuated output


Application 2:
Measurements using a coupling device
When using a bidirectional coupler you can take the same mea-
surements as on the attenuated output. You can also test the
match between antenna and radio by measuring the reflection
value. A high reflection value indicates a mismatch. A mismatch
may reduce the coverage of the base station and is often
caused by defective antennas.
Many base stations already include a fixed bidirectional coupler;
for testing base stations without this feature, bidirectional coup-
lers are available from Acterna (Dual-Band Coupler, order
code AC-016953). This device if of high accuracy and superior
to many couplers built into base stations.
• Connect one end of the blue cable to the Main connector of
the BAT and the other end to the forward port of the bidirec-
tional coupler (normally the coupler port which is closer to
the radio).
• Connect one end of the yellow cable to the Reflection con-
nector of the BAT and the other end to the reflected port of
the bidirectional coupler (normally the coupler port closer to
the antenna).
Warning: Always use the coupled port
of a coupling device. Never connect the
BAT directly to the high-power output of
the radio or to the feedthrough connec-
tor of the coupler. Direct connection can
be hazardous and will destroy your test
instrument.


With this application you can measure:
• Output level
• Output spectrum
• Output power ripple
• Carrier frequency error
• Reflected power (antenna match)
• Frequency-dependent reflected power
Taking measurements
using a bidirectional
coupler


Application 3:
Measurements over the air interface
With measurements over the air interface you can analyze the
RF environment of the base station. You can cover all the fre-
quencies in which the base station transmits or receives by
using the two antennas included in the standard delivery. Attach
the respective antenna to the Antenna connector and start test-
ing. The BAT separately checks the base station’s RF environ-
ment for transmission (forward link) and reception (reverse
link).