Integrated solutions for radio test ATE: Targeting each level of maintenance

Radio test customers need the ability to support go/no-go testing, all levels of performance verification, as well as isolate and repair radios from the organization level (1st line) through intermediate level (2nd line) and into the depots (3rd line) to achieve and maintain system readiness using manual and automatic test. Each level of maintenance has unique objectives which dictates the packaging, hardware, instruments, and test executive SW performance requirements of the automatic test equipment (ATE) to be acquired. Often conflicting requirements, i.e. cost and ruggedization versus accuracy, leads to the need for an integrated solution. A software driven, synthetic radio test solution capable of testing multiple radios eases these integration requirements. However, this is a difficult task if the problem isn´t fully understood and the needed resources and tools are not available. This paper endeavors to provide a resource for selecting and integrating various equipment and software to solve this challenge. This paper will present generic requirements for the different levels of maintenance, identify the implications for radio testing, describe a nominal RF radio tester, and show how synthetic instrumentation (SI) can provide a solution. The paper further discusses the concepts of Test Executives, Test Programs, and Test Management Software as they play a significant role in developing an integrated test solution.