PRAXSYM PathTrax Series Manual de usuario
User’s Manual
The solution for making easy shielding effectiveness
measurements.
PathTrax
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 General Information 2
Introduction
Specifications
Receiver
Transmitter
Chapter 2 Controls and Connections 6
Receiver
Transmitter
Chapter 3 Operation 8
Chapter 4 Remote Operation 16
User Commands
Installing the USB-Serial Driver
Warranty Statement
PRAXSYM warrants that all items will be free from defects in material and
workmanship under use as specified in this guide for a period of one year
from date of delivery. PRAXSYM further agrees to repair or replace, at its
discretion, any failure which upon PRAXSYM's inspection appears to be a
result of workmanship or material defect. In no case, shall PRAXSYM's liability
for breach of warranty exceed the purchase price of the items in question.
PRAXSYM's liability on any claim of any kind, for any loss connected with, or
resulting from the use of, performance or breach thereof, installation,
inspection, operation or use of any equipment furnished by PRAXSYM, shall in
no case exceed the purchase price of the goods which give rise to the claim.
Praxsym, Inc.
120 S. Third Street
Fisher, IL 61843
P: 217-897-1744
www.praxsym.com
Page 1
Page 2
PRAXSYM
Chapter 1 General Information
Introduction
PathTrax is a user-friendly microprocessor-based transmitter and
receiver system that measures relative signal strength, path loss and
shield level. The units are powered by rechargeable batteries for up
to 4 hours of continuous operation (2 hours for the transmitter). The
battery charging circuitry allows full recharge in 90 minutes or less.
The large backlit LCD screen provides numeric as well as graphic
representation of signal levels. Operation is via top mounted
controls or through the USB port provided. Complete control of the
unit’s operation can be accomplished via the serial port, with the
exception of power ON/OFF and receiver volume. Measurement
data can be transferred to a portable computer for later analysis.
Equipment List
Transmitter
Receiver
Hard Shell Case
USB Patch Cable
User’s Manual
Driver CD
Two Power Supplies
Two Antennas
32 Stereo ΩHeadphones
Safety/Handling
The PathTrax system has been designed to survive in-field usage,
however the following handling restrictions should be observed:
Protect the units from electrostatic discharge.
Do not connect high power (>10 mW) RF sources to the RF
connectors.
Do not connect DC sources to the RF connectors.
Specifications
All models of the PathTrax line share the same specifications except
for the operating frequency. The frequency ranges for these models
are listed below:
Pathtrax 915 covers 885 to 960 MHz
Pathtrax 860 covers 824 to 900 MHz
Pathtrax 838 covers 806 to 870 MHz
Pathtrax 500 covers 489 to 512 MHz
Receiver
Tuning Step Size: 1 MHz, 100 kHz and 10 kHz
Operating Modes: Signal Strength, Spectrum Monitor,
Path Loss, Shield Level
IF Bandwidth: 15 kHz nominal
1st IF: 90 MHz
2nd IF: 450 kHz
RF Input Connector: TNC Female (BNC on Pathrax 500)
RF Input Impedance: 50 Ωnominal
Input Preselection: 4 pole Chebychev, 80 MHz 1 dB
bandwidth
Measurement Accuracy: +/- 1.0 dB (-110 dBm to 0 dBm)
+/- 2.0 dB (-120 dBm to -110 dBm)
Maximum Safe Input Level: +10 dBm (10 mW) minimum
Battery Operation: 4 hours minimum at full charge
AC/Charger Operation: 95-265 VAC, 48-65 Hz
Page 3
Charge Time: 90 minutes typical
Remote Operation: via USB interface
I/O Connectors: 5-pin, mini-USB, type B connector
Controllable Functions: All functions except ON/OFF/Volume
Output Data: All measurement data and instrument
status
Reading Rate: 500 ms (step tuning frequency and read
data)
Controls: ON/OFF/VOLUME, FREQUENCY TUNE,
COARSE/FINE, THOLD (sets threshold for
go/no-go testing), LOCK (locks out control
panel), MODE (SIGNAL STRENGTH,
SPECTRUM MONITOR, PATH LOSS, and
SHIELD LEVEL) and CAL (provides path
loss or shielding reference level normaliza
tion)
LED Indicators: BATTERY OVERTEMP, BATTERY CHARGE,
BATTERY FAULT
LCD Displayed Functions: Frequency, Battery Level, Mode (Signal
Strength, Spectrum Monitor Path Loss and
Shield Level), CAL Status, LOCK Status,
Frequency Adjust Status (Coarse or Fine)
Weight: 5.5 lb. Nominal
Case Size: 11.7”H x 5.1”D x 4.9”W
Page 4
PRAXSYM
Transmitter
Tuning Step Size: 1 MHz, 100 kHz and 10 kHz
Maximum Output Power:+30 dBm nominal (1 Watt)
Output Power Control: 1 dB steps from –30 to +30 dBm
Output Level Accuracy: +/- 1.0 dB maximum over Temp and Fre-
quency
Harmonics: -50 dBc typical
Output Impedance: 50 Ωnominal
Load VSWR: Safe operation into infinite VSWR
RF Output Connector: TNC Female (BNC on Pathtrax 500)
Battery Operation: 2 hours minimum at full charge
Batteries: Nickel Cadmium 9.6V @ 1800 mAh
AC/Charger Operation: 95-265 VAC, 48-65 Hz
Charge Time: 90 minutes typical
Remote Operation: via USB interface
I/O Connectors: 5-pin, mini-USB, type B connector
Controllable Functions: All functions except ON/OFF
Output Data: Instrument Status
Reading Rate: 500 ms (step tuning frequency)
Weight: 5.5 lb. Nominal
Case Size: 11.7”H x 5.1”D x 4.9”W
Page 5
Chapter 2 Controls and Connections
Receiver
FREQUENCY – F.DIGIT – The frequency select knob operates in
conjunction with the F.DIGIT button. Pressing the F.DIGIT
button toggles the step size between 10 kHz, 100 kHz, and 1
MHz. The current step size is displayed on the FRQ ADJ line of
the display. Turning the knob clockwise increases the frequency
by the selected step size. Counter-clockwise rotation decreases
the frequency by the selected step size.
MODE – The Mode button toggles the receiver between Signal
Strength, Spectrum Monitor, Path Loss and Shield Level. The
current mode is always displayed on the LCD screen. Press the
Mode button until the desired mode of operation is displayed.
CAL – When setting up the unit for Path Loss or Shield Level
measurements, pressing this button initiates the internal System
Calibration sequence. (See OPERATION section for details)
THOLD – These two buttons increment the threshold value up or
down. The value is displayed on the LCD. This is the signal level
at which the audible alarm is triggered.
LIGHT – This button activates the backlighting for the LCD display.
LOCK - The lock button toggles on and off to lock the control panel,
in order to guard against accidental changes during a
measurement. The status of the lock function is displayed on the
LCD screen.
POWER ON/OFF/VOLUME – Turn the control clockwise to power ON
the unit and counter-clockwise to turn it off. The volume control
changes the audio level for the alarm output.
PHONES – This is the audio jack for the threshold tone output. The
supplied headphones can be plugged into this output jack.
INPUT – RF Input connector (50 OHM)
REMOTE – This is the USB connection port. (See the section on
remote operation for details on this connection.)
Page 6
PRAXSYM
Transmitter
FREQUENCY – F.DIGIT – The frequency select knob operates in
conjunction with the F.DIGIT button. Pressing the F.DIGIT button
toggles the step size between 10 kHz, 100 kHz, and 1 MHz. The
current step size is displayed on the FRQ ADJ line of the display.
Turning the knob clockwise increases the frequency by the selected
step size. Counter-clockwise rotation decreases the frequency by the
selected step size.
MODE – The mode button toggles the unit between FREQ and
ATTEN. The current mode is displayed on the MODE line of the
display. When in the Frequency mode, the FREQUENCY select
knob steps the frequency as set by the F.DIGIT button. When in
the Attenuator mode, the FREQUENCY select knob steps the
output level as set by the F.DIGIT button.
ATTEN – Pressing the ATTEN button changes the power output level
in 10 dB steps, from 30 to +30 dBm. The current power level is
displayed on the LCD screen. Press the ATTEN button until the
desired output power is displayed. When the MODE is set to the
ATTEN then the FREQUENCY select knob will change the output
power in 1, 2, or 5 dB steps selected by the F.DIGIT button.
LIGHT – This button activates the backlighting for the LCD display.
LOCK – The lock button toggles on and off to lock the control panel
in order to guard against accidental changes during a
measurement. The status of the lock function is displayed on the
LCD screen.
POWER – This is a rotary ON/OFF switch. Rotate clockwise to turn
ON, rotate counter-clockwise to turn OFF.
OUTPUT – RF output connector (50 OHM)
REMOTE – This is the USB connection port. (See section on remote
operation for details on this connection.)
Page 7
Chapter 3 Operation
Receiver Modes
The receiver has four different modes. Pressing the MODE button
will cycle through SIGNAL STRENGTH, SPECTRUM MONITOR, PATH
LOSS, and SHIELD LEVEL modes. The selected mode of operation is
shown on the LCD.
Signal Strength Mode
SIGNAL STRENGTH mode is used to measure the signal level of a
continuous wave (CW) signal. The receiver has a narrow (+/-7.5 kHz)
IF bandwidth enabling it to measure a test signal in the presence of
interfering signals in the same band. Although the receiver has no
demodulation capabilities, it can be used to measure the signal level
of narrow band modulated signals. The signal strength is displayed
on the LCD display in dBm (decibels relative to 1 mW). The receiver is
calibrated at the time manufacture by applying signals of known
levels to the RF connector. Antenna gain must be accounted for
when making measurements using different antennas.
One should monitor the proposed test frequency in SIGNAL
STRENGTH mode to ensure that no interfering signals are present,
before making measurements in PATH LOSS or SHIELD LEVEL modes.
To take full advantage of the dynamic range of the receiver,
interfering signals measured at the test frequency should be below
120 dBm. If an interfering signal is present, the level will be
displayed on the LCD. Choose a clear frequency before operating the
transmitter.
Page 8
PRAXSYM
Spectrum Monitor Mode
In SPECTRUM MONITOR mode the
receiver can be used to view a 1.2
MHz span of the frequency
spectrum. This mode is ideal for
locating a clear frequency that you
can use for conducting a test or for
identifying large interfering signals
that could cause errors in
measurements. Use the receiver’s
left and right THOLD buttons to
move between each 1.2 MHz span
of spectrum. The Frequency
control rotary knob adjusts the
position of the marker.
Spectrum Monitor Mode
Path Loss Mode
PATH LOSS mode can be used to measure the amount of
attenuation/path loss between the transmitter and receiver. Before
making path loss measurements, the receiver is initialized with the
transmitter to obtain a baseline measurement of 0 dB. Once
initialized, the receiver can be moved around the stationary
transmitter while monitoring the change in path loss.
Shield Level Mode
SHIELD LEVEL mode can be used
to measure the amount of
attenuation/shield level that is
provided by an enclosure or
other obstacles between the
transmitter and receiver. Before
making shield level
measurements, the receiver is
initialized with the transmitter to
obtain a baseline measurement
of 0 dB.
Shield Level Mode
Page 9
Este manual sirve para los siguientes modelos
4
Tabla de contenidos
Otros manuales de Transmisor de PRAXSYM
Manuales populares de Transmisor de otras marcas
Dejero
Dejero EnGo 3x Manual de usuario
Rosemount
Rosemount 4600 Manual de usuario
Speaka Professional
Speaka Professional 2342740 Manual de usuario
trubomat
trubomat GAB 1000 Manual de usuario
Teledyne Analytical Instruments
Teledyne Analytical Instruments LXT-380 Manual de usuario
Rondish
Rondish UT-11 Manual de usuario
