Test equipment that can replicate the behavior of wireless networks helps to find the conditions under which the radio equipment can fail. The PROPSIM MANET Channel Emulation Solution from Keysight Technologies is such a tester, capable of evaluating the end-to-end performance and interoperability of mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) and mesh radio systems for tactical missions requiring critical wireless communications. The test system ensures the interoperability of avionics, surveillance, radar, or satellite-communications (satcom) systems for mission-critical wireless communications.
Characterizing such interoperability requires the capability to test mixed networks that combine tactical and avionics radios with satcom links. Modern wireless communications systems include antenna technologies such as beamforming and multiple-input, multiple-output arrays to send and receive multiple signals simultaneously, and any test solution must be capable of providing similar functionality.
The PROPSIM MANET Channel Emulation Solution is extremely flexible and supports full mesh system configurations with as many as 64 radios with 4,032 independent fading channels in a single unit for testing MIMO and single-input, single-output (SISO) mesh-network topologies. The test system provides as much as 1.2 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth for testing ultrawideband (UWB) systems and features a single-to-operate dynamic interface for quickly changing radio channel parameters as needed.
“The introduction of PROPSIM MANET Channel Emulation Solution enables designers of MANET and mesh radios to use a multipurpose tool that offers the flexibility they need to address a comprehensive set of tactical radio testing requirements,” said Greg Peters, vice president and general manager of Keysight’s Aerospace & Defense group. “This solution, in combination with Keysight’s M8920A Radio Test Set, offers a complete platform for testing radios from simulation to manufacturing. As a result, designers have the confidence to ensure robust operation of any mission-critical wireless communication system.”
