Tactical radios are essential for in-field troop communications, but their performance must be tested and maintained on a regular basis. Along those lines, the handheld CX100 ComXpert communications service monitor from Viavi Solutions provides the functionality and performance in a portable package that makes it possible to bring the equivalent of a benchtop full of instruments into the battlefield. The compact tester is ideal for testing the transmit/receive performance of tactical military and land-mobile radios (LMRs).
The portable CX100 ComXpert service monitor(see image above and figure) packs a one-port, 6-GHz vector network analyzer (VNA), spectrum analyzer, audio frequency generator, oscilloscope, and other measurement functions with the company’s mobile measurement software to simplify testing in the field.
The instrument provides the amplitude and phase measurement capability to check the alignment of communications radios and associated components, including antennas and cables.
Viavi Solutions’ director of radio test, Edward Latimer, explains that the tester builds on the company’s 50 years of service to the electronics industry: “Featuring industry-leading specifications and performance, all packed into a MIL-PRF-28800 Class 2 portable package, the CX100 enables comprehensive testing from the bench to the field. Technicians and maintainers can rest assured that their radios and communication systems will operate at their best.”
The CX100 features a frequency range of 1 MHz to 6 GHz with 80-dB dynamic range, large color touchscreen, and application software for ease of testing, even when operating from a remote location.