VoIP test solutions provider Tektronix (News - Alert) recently announced a group of enhancements to its line of RF Scout Interference Hunter devices. The family of products now includes radio frequency benchmarking capabilities that allow service providers to take competitive measurements of carrier quality and coverage. Also included in the new features is integrated, map-based spectrum analysis that speeds up network optimization.

 

Tektronix said in its announcement that the RF Scout, introduced in 2006, was the first handheld interference hunting tool. This product is now more robust than ever, with capabilities locating radio frequency interference and checking indoor and outdoor signal quality/coverage. All this is packed into a single, rugged handheld device designed for use in the field.

 

RF Scout was designed with a handheld form factor for convenience, reliability, and accuracy both indoors and out.

 

Benchmarking capabilities now part of RF Scout let engineers and technicians working in the field to take multiple measurements at different frequencies during one physical pass. This eliminates the need to walk back and forth, and drive back to location previously examined, to take additional readings.

 

Here’s an example: RF Scout can be used to scan GSM and WCDMA signals, and make noise floor measurements, in a single pass. The result is that complex RF coverage and interference analysis/benchmarking can be easily performed in a minimum amount of time. Competitors beware: RF Scout an also be used to capture and measure signals from multiple carriers.

 

“Our customers are always looking to maximize the effectiveness and productivity of each session in the field,” said Bob Hiebert, general manager of Tektronix’s wireless field test division, in a statement. “In response, we combined the physical layer assessment typical of a walk tester with the RF measurement performance of a spectrum analyzer.”

 

Hiebert continued: “By integrating benchmarking along with interference hunting and base station test in one portable platform, our customers can realize distinct benefits. Now, each time they spend their operating budget to roll the trucks for maintenance or optimization, they can also gather critical benchmarking data in specific or high value locations, reducing the number of special trips for different purposes.”

 

Further enhancing productivity and effectiveness in the field, RF Scout now includes a feature that integrates measurement into a user-supplied map. Each measurement type is represented by a unique icon, color-coded to reflect signal quality—acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable. This tool also provides visual representation of limit violations.

 

But wait, there’s more! For this new version of RF Scout, Tektronix also threw in Base Station Transmitter testing, letting engineers quickly switch to base station tests without having to reset measurement parameters.

 

To learn more about Tektronix’s testing products, please visit the company’s TMCnet.com channel, VoIP Test Solutions.

 

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