International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 22-25, 2001 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Automating Telemetry Tracking Systems Operational Readiness Tests is a concept that
was introduced at White Sands Missile Range in the early 1980’s. The idea was to
determine the condition of a Telemetry Tracking System in a reliable manner in a short
time as possible. A series of RF and Servo Tests designed to determine the condition of a
Telemetry Tracking System was implemented using HP BASIC.
The latest personal computers are faster and have more storage capacity plus the
capability to be programmed in higher level languages such as C/C++ and LabView. This
technology makes it easier to automate system tests. Many of these tests need to be
conducted just prior to supporting a mission. Some tests are required to be performed on
mobile systems after moving the system from one location to another, especially if the
move was over long distances and rugged terrain. Tests such as G/T are conducted before
each mission because it yields accurate information on the Figure of Merit, or, System
Sensitivity. Noise Figure Measurements are more difficult to perform to determine the
System Sensitivity since modern RF Subsystems have pre-amplifiers with Noise Figures
of less than 1.0 dB.
The “down-sizing” of personnel increases the possibility of failure in mission support
scenarios due to the many critical readiness tests needed to assess the Telemetry Tracking
Systems. Also, conventional test methods can be time consuming and are subject to
human error.
This paper describes four critical tests that have been automated to improve reliability of
the test data and decrease the amount of time required to conduct the tests. The “C/C++”
language was used to write the automation programs. More tests will be automated later.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/606471 |
| Date | 10 1900 |
| Creators | Pedroza, Moises |
| Contributors | White Sands Missile Range |
| Publisher | International Foundation for Telemetering |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Proceedings |
| Rights | Copyright © International Foundation for Telemetering |
| Relation | http://www.telemetry.org/ |
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