Bird Technologies AT-500 User Manual
INSTRUCTION BOOK
Operator Manual
AT-500 Antenna Tester
©Copyright 2009 by Bird Electronic Corporation
Instruction Book Part Number 920-AT500 Rev. C
Safety Precautions
The following are general safety precautions that are
not necessarily related to any specific part or procedure,
and do not necessarily appear elsewhere in this publica
tion. These precautions must be thoroughly understood
and apply to all phases of operation and maintenance.
WARNING
Keep Away From Live Circuits
Operating Personnel must at all times observe
general safety precautions. Do not replace
components or make adjustments to the inside of the
test equipment with the high voltage supply turned
on. To avoid casualties, always remove power.
WARNING
Shock Hazard
Do not attempt to remove the RF transmission line
while RF power is present.
WARNING
Do Not Service Or Adjust Alone
Under no circumstances should any person reach
into an enclosure for the purpose of service or
adjustment of equipment except in the presence of
someone who is capable of rendering aid.
-
ii
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
WARNING
Safety Earth Ground
An uniterruptible earth safety ground must be supplied
from the main power source to test instruments.
Grounding one conductor of a two conductor power cable
is not sufficient protection. Serious injury or death can
occur if this grounding is not properly supplied.
WARNING
Resuscitation
Personnel working with or near high voltages
should be familiar with modern methods of
resuscitation.
Safety Symbols
WARNING
Warning notes call attention to a procedure, which if
not correctly performed, could result in personal
injury.
CAUTION
Caution notes call attention to a procedure, which if
not correctly performed, could result in damage to
the instrument.
The caution symbol appears on the equipment indicating there is important information in the instruction manual regarding
tha
t particular area
Note: Calls attention to supplemental
information.
iii
Warning Statements
The following safety warnings appear in the text
where there is danger to operating and maintenance
personnel, and are repeated here for emphasis.
WARNING
Live RF energy. Do not touch or ground
the center conductor of a live RF
connection. Failure to comply may result
in equipment damage and serious burns
or death to personnel.
On page 17.
WARNING
Care should be taken when handling batteries.
Do not heat or dispose of batteries in fire. May burst
or release toxic materials.
Avoid forced discharge.
Do not short circuit.
Restrict charging current and time to the
recommended value.
Do not solder the battery directly.
Do not disassemble, apply excessive pressure or
deform.
Avoid placing the battery in reverse polarity.
Battery disposal method should be in accordance
with local and state regulations.
On page 39.
WARNING
Replace with ONLY Nickel-Metal hydride (NiMH)
rechargeable AA batteries with a nominal voltage of
1.2V and minimum capacity of 2000mAh. DO NOT
install any type of battery such as alkaline or other
type of secondary (rechargable) batteries.
On page 45.
iv
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
WARNING
Charging batteries installed in reverse polarity can
cause the battery to swell or rupture.
On page 45.
Caution Statements
The following equipment cautions appear in the text
and are repeated here for emphasis.
CAUTION
Only use the AC adapter provided with the AT. Do
not use the adapter with the batteries removed.
On page 15.
CAUTION
Follow guidelines for battery charging.
Avoid constant charging of batteries for long periods
of time. Overcharging can result in reduced battery
efficiency, service life, and possible permanent
damage.
On pages 15 and 40.
CAUTION
Required input is 11 to 16 VDC @ 250mA. Connector
is wired outside positive, inside negative.
On page 16.
v
CAUTION
AVOID STATIC DISCHARGE
Use proper Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
precautions to avoid static discharge when making
connections to the test port. Equipment failure can
occur if the test port is subjected to ESD.
On page 17.
CAUTION
250mW max. input
Exceeding the maximum input will cause damage to
internal components. Do not connect transmitter
output to the AT-500. Damage can also be caused by
testing antennas near other transmitting antennas. If
testing base station antennas, first measure the power
at the coax end to be sure it does not exceed 250mW.
On page 17.
CAUTION
Harsh or abrasive detergents and some solvents can
damage the display unit and information on labels.
On page 39.
CAUTION
Replace with only the same type and rating fuse.
315mA 250V
On page 46.
vi
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
Safety Statements
USAGE
ANY USE OF THIS INSTRUMENT IN A MANNER
NOT SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER MAY
IMPAIR THE INSTRUMENT’S SAFETY
PROTECTION.
USO
EL USO DE ESTE INSTRUMENTO DE MANERA
NO ESPECIFICADA POR EL FABRICANTE, PUEDE
ANULAR LA PROTECCIÓN DE SEGURIDAD DEL
INSTRUMENTO.
BENUTZUNG
WIRD DAS GERÄT AUF ANDERE WEISE
VERWENDET ALS VOM HERSTELLER
BESCHRIEBEN, KANN DIE GERÄTESICHERHEIT
BEEINTRÄCHTIGT WERDEN.
UTILISATION
TOUTE UTILISATION DE CET INSTRUMENT QUI
N’EST PAS EXPLICITEMENT PRÉVUE PAR LE
FABRICANT PEUT ENDOMMAGER LE
DISPOSITIF DE PROTECTION DE
L’INSTRUMENT.
IMPIEGO
QUALORA QUESTO STRUMENTO VENISSE
UTILIZZATO IN MODO DIVERSO DA COME
SPECIFICATO DAL PRODUTTORE LA PROZIONE
DI SICUREZZA POTREBBE VENIRNE
COMPROMESSA.
vii
SERVICE
SERVICING INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR USE BY
SERVICE - TRAINED PERSONNEL ONLY. TO
AVOID DANGEROUS ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT
PERFORM ANY SERVICING UNLESS QUALIFIED
TO DO SO.
SERVICIO
LAS INSTRUCCIONES DE SERVICIO SON PARA
USO EXCLUSIVO DEL PERSONAL DE SERVICIO
CAPACITADO. PARA EVITAR EL PELIGRO DE
DESCARGAS ELÉCTRICAS, NO REALICE NINGÚN
SERVICIO A MENOS QUE ESTÉ CAPACITADO
PARA HACERIO.
WARTUNG
ANWEISUNGEN FÜR DIE WARTUNG DES GERÄTES
GELTEN NUR FÜR GESCHULTES FACHPERSONAL.
ZUR VERMEIDUNG GEFÄHRLICHE,
ELEKTRISCHE SCHOCKS, SIND
WARTUNGSARBEITEN AUSSCHLIEßLICH VON
QUALIFIZIERTEM SERVICEPERSONAL
DURCHZUFÜHREN.
ENTRENTIEN
L’EMPLOI DES INSTRUCTIONS D’ENTRETIEN
DOIT ÊTRE RÉSERVÉ AU PERSONNEL FORMÉ
AUX OPÉRATIONS D’ENTRETIEN. POUR
PRÉVENIR UN CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE DANGEREUX,
NE PAS EFFECTUER D’ENTRETIEN SI L’ON N’A
PAS ÉTÉ QUALIFIÉ POUR CE FAIRE.
ASSISTENZA TECNICA
LE ISTRUZIONI RELATIVE ALL’ASSISTENZA
SONO PREVISTE ESCLUSIVAMENTE PER IL
PERSONALE OPPORTUNAMENTE ADDESTRATO.
PER EVITARE PERICOLOSE SCOSSE ELETTRICHE
NON EFFETTUARRE ALCUNA RIPARAZIONE A
MENO CHE QUALIFICATI A FARLA.
viii
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
UNITS ARE EQUIPPED WITH RECHAREABLE
BATTERIES.
THESE ARE TO BE REPLACED BY AUTHORIZED
SERVICE PERSONNEL ONLY!!!
LAS UNIDADES VIENEN EQUIPADAS CON
BATERIAS RECARGABLES.
¡¡¡Y SOLAMENTE EL PERSONAL DE SERVICIO
AUTORIZADO PUEDE REEMPLAZARLAS!!!
GERÄTE SIND MIT WIEDER AUFLADBAREN
BATTERIEN BESTÜCKT.
BATTERIEN SIND NUR VON QUALIFIZIERTEM
SERICE PERSONAL AUSZUWECHSELN!!!
CES DISPOSITIFS SONT ÉQUIPÉS DE BATTERIES
RECHARGEABLES.
SEUL LE PERSONNEL D’ENTRETIEN AUTORISÉ
EST HABILITÉ À LES REMPLACER !
LE UNITÀ SONO DOTATE DI BATTERIE
RICARICABILI,
CHE DEVONO DA COME SPECIFICATO DAL
PRODUTTORE LA PROTEZIONE DI SICUREZZA
POTREBBE VENIRNE COMPROMESSA.
ix
RF VOLTAGE MAY BE PRESENT IN RF ELEMENT
SOCKET - KEEP ELEMENT IN SOCKET DURING
OPERATION.
DE LA TENSION H.F. PEAT ÊTRE PRÉSENTE DANS
LA PRISE DE L'ÉLÉMENT H.F. - CONSERVER
L'ÉLÉMENT DANS LA PRISE LORS DE L'EMPLOI.
HF-SPANNUNG KANN IN DER HF-ELEMENTBUCHSE ANSTEHEN - ELEMENT WÄHREND DES
BETRIEBS EINGESTÖPSELT LASSEN.
PUEDE HABER VOLTAJE RF EN EL ENCHUFE DEL
ELEMENTO RF - MANTENGA EL ELEMENTO EN EL
ENCHUFE DURANTE LA OPERACION.
IL PORTAELEMENTO RF PUÒ PRESENTARE
VOLTAGGIO RF - TENERE L'ELEMENTO NELLA
PRESA DURANTE IL FUNZIONAMENTO.
x
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
About This Manual
This manual covers the operating and maintenance
instructions for the following models:
AT-500
Changes to this Manual
We have made every effort to ensure this manual is
accurate. If you discover any errors, or if you have sug
gestions for improving this manual, please send your
comments to our Solon, Ohio factory. This manual
may be periodically updated. When inquiring about
updates to this manual refer to the part number and
revision on the title page.
Literature Contents
Chapter Layout
-
Introduction -
ter, lists equipment supplied and optional equipment.
Basic Operations -Describes the base level operation
instructions.
Installation - Describes the power supply and antenna
connection instructions.
Measure Match - -Describes how to use the antenna
tester in it’s various modes of operation.
Field Strength - Describes how to use the field strength
detection mode.
Maintenance - Describes cleaning, calibration, and other
maintenance procedures vital to the operation of the
antenna tester.
xi
Describes the features of the antenna tes-
xii
Table of Contents
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Safety Symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Warning Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Caution Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Safety Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Changes to this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Literature Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Chapter Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Items Supplied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Component Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Display Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Swept Frequency Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Single Frequency Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Auto Scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Relative Field Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Limit Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Data Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Serial Communication Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optional Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Automobile Cigarette
Lighter Adapter (P/N 5A2238-1) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Carrying Case (P/N 5000-030) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Verification Kit (P/N 7000A145) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Interface Software (P/N 7000B840) . . . . . . . . . 7
xiii
Chapter 2 Basic Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
“Lo Batt” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
“Busy” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
“Hold” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
“Pass” or “Fail” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
“Noise” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Out of Range Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Setting the Auto Shut-Off Timer . . . . . . . . . . 12
Return to Factory Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Set Serial Baud Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 3 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
AC Mains Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Automobile Cigarette
Lighter Adapter Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connecting the Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 4 Measure Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Understanding the Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . 19
Swept Frequency vs.
Single Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Measurement Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Rho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
VSWR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Match Efficiency (%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Return Loss (dB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Auto Scale vs.
Manual Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Sweep Type-Single Hold vs.
Continuous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
xiv
Swept Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Select Frequency Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Start Stop MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Center MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Select Measurement Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Select Auto or Manual Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Auto Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Manual Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Selecting the Sweep Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Saving a Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Recalling a Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Clearing a Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Limit Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Turn Audio On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Selecting Limit Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
VSWR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
% Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Return Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
RHO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using a Trace as the Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Clearing a Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Single Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Selecting the Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Select Measurement Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Select Auto or Manual Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Auto Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Manual Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Turn Audio On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 5 Field Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Field Strength Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Turn Audio On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Enter Gain Factor / Select Auto Gain . . . . . . . 37
Auto Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
xv
Chapter 6 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Charging Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Batteries and Long Term Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Operational Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Power-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Firmware Rev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Battery Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Display Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Battery Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Fuse Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
The Antenna Tester
will not power up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
NVRAM Test Fails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
ROM, EEPROM, RAM,
A/D, TEMPR, PLL Test Fails . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Stuck Keys Test Fails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
“Noise” is Displayed
During Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Antenna Tester indicates
a Perfect Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Menu Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
xvi
xvii
Chapter 1 Introduction
Items Supplied
Figure 1 Supplied Items
1
1. Bird AT-500
2. AC Mains Adapter
3. Female “N”-Type Connector
4. Field Strength Antenna
5. Instruction Book (Not Shown)
1
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
131
Component Description
Figure 2 Component Description
4
1
2
3
4
1. LCD Display Backlit liquid crystal display.
2. External DC
Connector
Connect either the ac adapter or the
cigarette lighter adapter. External
supplies operate the unit and charge
the internal battery.
2
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
Introduction
3. Cursor Keys
Left Arrow Press in swept frequency mode to
move the cursor to the left. Press
during data entry to erase data.
Right Arrow Press in swept frequency mode to
move the cursor to the right.
Up Arrow Moves the cursor to the maximum point
on the displayed trace. Press during
data entry to increase numeric data.
Down Arrow Moves the cursor to the minimum point
on the displayed trace. Press during
data entry to decrease numeric data.
4. Backlight Key Turns the backlight on or off. Backlight
is on a timer to increase battery life.
5. On Key Press to turn tester on, press and hold
to turn tester off.
6. +/- Key Toggles between positive and negative
numbers.
7. Enter Key Completes data entry.
8. ESC Key Back up through menu structure. At the
top menu level, blanks menu. Exits
data entry without saving changes.
9. Menu Key Displays software menu and enables
menu select keys.
10. Select Key Allows current parameter, indicated by
flashing cursor, to be changed. Press
again to enable the next parameter to
be changed.
11. Numeric Keys Input numeric values.
12. Menu Select
Keys
Used to access the menu sections
described directly above them. Can
also be used to scroll through available
settings in a particular parameter.
13. T est Port Connect antenna or antenna lead.
14. Serial Port Connect communication cable to allow
data transfer to a PC.
3
Bird AT-500 Antenna Tester
Display Description
Figure 3 Display Description
1.35
Meas
Units
69.00 MHz
Sweep
Type
2.0
1
2
*
VSWR
3
1.0
2.00 MHz 136.00
4
Band
1.35
69.00 Mhz
1.2
1.5
8910
Busy
8910
7
6
5
LimitTrace
2
VSWR
Low
Batt
7
11
4
Freq
MHz
Units Manual
Scale
Auto
Scale
Audio
Off
4
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