74 Part D: Monitoring © Tait Electronics Limited December 2007
Note: These audio levels are not monitored during Rx cycling (see
“Rx cycling” on page 121), so the display freezes. Monitoring starts
again as soon as something is received or transmitted, stopping the
Rx cycling.
Output lines The Output lines area displays the audio levels for the balanced and unbalanced
line outputs.
Rx Gate output The Rx Gate output LED displays the current state of the Rx Gate line. If it is
green (active), the base station is receiving a valid signal.
Tx Key input The Tx Key input LED displays the current state of the Tx Key line. If it is
green (active), the line has been asserted, instructing the base station to transmit.
Monitoring the Power Amplifier
The Power Amplifier form (Monitor > Monitoring > Power Amplifier) lets
you monitor the levels of various parameters. Each level is displayed graphically
as a gauge or thermometer. The equivalent numeric value appears in or under
the heading. If a value goes off the scale, it turns red.
The first box in the form displays the internal name of the PA.
Alarm status The Alarm status box indicates whether the PA has an alarm. If the LED is red,
select Monitor > Alarms > Current Status to see which alarm is active.
Transmitter
output
The Transmitter output area displays the forward and reverse power. Click
Watts or dBm to view these parameters as watts or dBm. Underneath is the
VSWR
. If the VSWR is greater than 10:1, an alarm is triggered and the PA
folds its output back to 10% of its capability. Only when the VSWR falls below
5:1 will the power output begin to recover.
Note: The base station reports power values in 1W increments.
With a 5W PA this can mean that the forward power gauge displays
a power of 0W when in fact the PA is operating at 0.99W.