Antenna Path Alignment Test Sets

Path Align-R test set is designed to quickly and accurately optimize and align the transmission path between to microwave sites - all in the matter of minutes. All done without the use of radio, test equipment, cell phones, ground technicians or even onsite AC power. Comes complete with everything needed to align a microwave link and communicate between sites. This path alignment tester includes all frequency bands in the 1.8 to 23.5 GHz ranges. The RF signal path alignment test equipment set includes everything needed to align a microwave link and communicate between sites. Two path-align batterypowered antenna alignment transceivers are included along with battery, charger, coax cable assembly (3 meters with SMA male connectors), headset with 10- foot cord and a weather-resistant instrument backpack. The Path Align-R set provides fullduplex FM voice communication over the link, allowing the tower technicians actually doing the alignment to talk to each other via included headsets - even before alignment begins! This feature alone can save hundreds of dollars and many man hours in dealing with the complexities and frustrations of communicating between ground personnel, tower technicians, and site to site coordination, while attempting to achieve link alignment. Each Path Align-R is both a tuneable synthesized signal source and a narrow-band receiver. The transmitter's fixed output level (0dBm) is powerful enough for long path lengths, yet low enough to virtually eliminate the possibility of interference to adjacent links. The receiver's sensitivity and narrow bandwidth allows for accurate measurement of the received signal while providing a very high rejection of adjacent signals.

Front panel thumbwheel switches provide tuning within the frequency bands to a resolution of 1 MHz. An internal microcontroller controls the operation of the test set. Both test sets transmit to, and receive from, one another continuously. This continuous communication, rapid update and fine resolution of the Path Align-R allows for fast and accurate adjustment of the antenna's azimuth and elevation. Alignment now takes only minutes instead of hours

Characteristics Path-Align -R
Continuous Talk & Listen over Voice link via included headsets Tuneable operating bands: 1.8 to 19.4 GHz (2200/2201), or 1.8 to 23.5 GHz (2240/2241) Available with Record-R Data Logging Tone ranging provides variable pitch indication of path loss Path loss displayed in dB Display updated every 300ms

Description table
Equipment Path-align R Accessories Climb Ready Package. Includes Path Align-R 2241 AND quantity 2 each of the following waveguide adapters: ACC 330, ACC 331, ACC 332, ACC 333. Includes all frequency brands Path Align-R with 4 full frequncy bands (1.8 -19.4 Ghz) - price per pair Equipment Approx Cost Manufacturer Spectracom US $17500 = Corporation, USA 10,00,000 INR

Path align R 2241

Spectracom US $16500 = Corporation, USA 9,40,000 INR

Composition of the Equipment 1. The Path align R contains two Trans-receiver units

2.

Each unit consist of One Trans-receiver, one Head Set, adaptors, one Battery

TransreceiverUnit

Head Set Unit

Adaptors

Battery

Path Loss Calculator Co-X Cable

Microwave alignment involves lot of hardwork, good patience. If you are going to perform the path alignment you know how important is path alignment and you know the difficulty when the alignment is less then optimum. It required waiting for power availability, waiting for commissioning of microwave, number of visit to the site. Of course this is a time consuming job.

Operating Procedure
But now with Path Aligner R the whole problem has been sorted out. The path Align-R can align the microwave upto the distance of 100 miles within 20 minutes and that too even before the power is available at the site or even before the comissioning of microwave.

It has following characterstics:Built in voice communication lets you to talk to other technician on far end directly. Speedy and hand free operation. Accurate reading Tone Function.

Advantages:Eliminate the struggle of difficult alignmet. No need of additional ground crew. Drastically decrease alignment time. No need of cell phone or additional radio for communication. Alignment before commissioning of microwave site.

Let us take a closer look that how easy it is to align antenna with path aligner

Set one instrument to the master and another to Slave. Both the unit will simuntaneously transmit and receive.

Select the desired link frequency with thumbnails at both sets

Connect the Co-X cable to the antenna using appropriate wave guide adaptor

Connect the other end to the appropriate frequency range on the front panel of the path aligner.

Plug in your noise cancelling hand set and set audio switch on both the unit at voice position.

No cell phone, hand held radio or additional personal needed.

You and the other technician at far end will be directly able to communicate during the alignment process.

As one technician sweeps in antenna back and forth to find the optimal horizontal alignment the technician at other end watches for the expected path loss number.

The voice communication feature makes it easy to identify the side lobs and ensures that the antenna is properly aligned to the main lobe.

The alignment tone function provides another alignment option. The higher is the tone the better alignment on main lobe. You can still use path loss meter to fine tune the alignment

If the path loss number has not been provided by the network designer one can use path loss calculator supplied with the path aligner.

After the first antenna is optimized the technician can change over the role. When both technician adjusted the horizontal and vertical alignment and achieved the expected path loss, lock down the antenna and save the data to the unit internal memory by pressing the record button on front panel.

The alignment is complete within 20 minutes.

Connect the laptop with the path aligner and download the alignment data to log viewer software

Thank You