Military radios are designed and provided to troops in many different form factors and technologies. Fortunately, now there is a single test system capable of checking the performance of the various military radios: the ATS-3100 Radio Test Set (RTS) from Astronics Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems. The test system provides the flexibility to evaluate both legacy military radios and newer, SDR-type tactical radio designs.
The ATS-3100 test system (see photo) can test airborne and ground radios with existing waveforms (such as SINCGARS radios) along with the most advanced radio waveforms (such as ANW 2 and TSM waveforms) from a multitude of suppliers. The modular PXIe instrument employs a single PXIe module for the RF, analog, and digital radio test functionality, with room for expansion via slots for PXIe additional modules. It covers a frequency range from 1 MHz to 6 GHz and modulation bandwidths as wide as 200 MHz.
“Astronics Test Systems continues to find new ways to protect lives by ensuring peak performance of mission-critical radios,” said Jim Mulato, president of Astronics Test Systems. “We believe the adoption of the ATS-3100 RTS solution is a game-changer that will provide exceptional value to our radio test customers. They’ll now be able to implement this system quickly, and immediately realize the benefit of a single test platform for legacy and next-gen radios from multiple OEMs.”
The ATS-3100 RTS is designed to provide an easy transition from the company’s GRM-122 test set to a benchtop, flexible, modular solution that can be readily customized for specific needs. The ATS-3100 RTS is also complementary to the firm’s CTS-6010 portable tester, for in-field use. “Our ATS-3100 RTS and CTS-6010 work together, enabling our customers to leverage a common software framework and test executive across both benchtop and portable testers,” noted Brian Price, executive vice president of Astronics Test Systems.
