Performance monitoring/fault location test set for tropo-radio equipment

Claim 1

A PERFORMANCE MONITORING/FAULT LOCATION TEST APPARATUS FOR TROPOSCATTER RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A BIT PATTERN GENERATOR TO PROVIDE A BINARY TEST PATTERN SAID BINARY TEST PATTERN CONTAINING A PREDETERMINED BINARY CODE, AN FDM/FM transmitter unit being connected to said bit pattern generator to receive said binary test pattern, said FDM/FM transmitter unit having a plurality of voice channels and a modem unit, said modem unit being connected to one of said plurality of voice channels, said modem unit digitally modulating said binary test pattern for compatibility with said voice channels and applying said binary test pattern into one of said plurality of voice channels, said plurality of voice channels having voice transmissions therein, said binary test pattern and said plurality of voice transmissions being modulated by an FM modulator to provide a modulated output signal, a first and second frequency carrier generator and translator means to provide first and second radio frequency carriers, and further translating up said modulated output signal to said first and second radio frequency carriers within said first and second radio frequency carrier generator and translator means, said first and second radio frequency carriers being transmitted by said FDM transmitter unit, a plurality of diversity receivers to receive said first and second radio frequency carriers, said plurality of diversity receivers comprising four receivers, first and third receivers receiving said first radio frequency carrier, and second and fourth receivers receiving said second radio frequency carrier, said first and second radio frequency carrier contain said binary test pattern, a diversity combiner unit connected to said four receivers to receive the outputs of said four receivers to provide a combined output, a plurality of voice frequency channel units, each to receive the output of a corresponding receiver respectively, said combined output being applied to a further voice frequency channel unit, said plurality of voice frequency channel units and said further voice frequency channel unit providing said modulated binary test pattern as an output signal, a plurality of modem units connected respectively to said plurality of voice frequency channel units, said plurality of modem units demodulating said binary test pattern to provide a binary code output. means for generating a local test pattern and, a plurality of pattern comparator-bit error detector unit to compare said binary code outputs respectively with said local test pattern to detect differences, said differences being bit errors, said bit errors providing an indication of the performance of said troposcattered radio communication system.