Optimizing The Radio Network; Antenna Swr Check; Inter-Packet Gap Settings; Baud Rate Setting - GE MDS SD Series Reference Manual

MDS 05-4846A01, Rev. C

5.3 Optimizing the Radio Network

Antenna SWR Check

Before the radio is placed into final service, a check should be made of
the antenna system's standing wave ratio (SWR) using a directional
wattmeter suited to the frequency of operation. High SWR (above 2:1)
may indicate an antenna or feedline problem, and should be corrected.

Inter-Packet Gap Settings

For radios operating in Packet Mode, the inter-packet gap is a timing set-
ting used to delimit a packet on the serial interface. Too short of a time
can cause serial streams to be combined into one large packet instead of
two smaller ones. Too long of a time can effectively slow down the com-
munications channel.
Inter-Packet Gap Settings for
the
Packet Settings Menu

Baud Rate Setting

The higher the baud rate, the faster the communication speed of the
serial link. However, this setting has no direct effect on over-the-air
transmission speed.
The Baud Rate may be set using the Serial Configuration Menu, and its
associated COM1 and COM2 submenus. See "Serial Configuration" on
Page 71 for details.

Modem Type Setting

All radios in the network must be set to the same modem type and speed.
A range of values is available between
default setting is . See "Modem Type Setting" on Page 42 for
9600
instructions on setting this parameter.
In general, the higher the baud rate, the faster the communication speed
over the air. However, it must be remembered that signal strength also
plays a role in how fast a transmission may be sent. If signals are strong,
it may be possible to use the faster modem speeds that are available for
the radio. If signals are fair or poor, slower speeds may be needed to
achieve the best communication results with the least number of
re-transmissions due to errors.
SD Series Ref. Manual (Packet & Transparent Mode)
and
COM1 COM2
described on Page 55.
bps and
3200
may be changed using
bps. The
19200
27