GL Communications rolls out handheld BER testers

-- Test & Measurement World, 8/1/2008 9:21:00 AM

Housed in compact hand-portable packages, LinkTest bit-error-rate testers from GL Communications can be used to test a wide variety of communications facilities and equipment. The testers cover data rates ranging from 50 bps to 50 Mbps and include a built-in speaker for monitoring DSOs or timeslots. They also display G.821 performance measurements and operate from AC or battery power.

The LinkTest Single unit tests asynchronous, synchronous, T1, Fractional T1, E1, Fractional E1 modems, multiplexers, CSU/DSUs, T1 ESF CSUs, DUs, NTUs, and TIUs. The unit is supplied with V.35, RS-232, RS-422/RS-530, X.21, DS1 (T1, 1.544-Mbps), and G.703 (E1, 2.048-Mbps) interfaces, as well as a wall-mounted AC transformer.

The LinkTest Single+ adds T3 and E3 testing capability, while the LinkTest Dual provides dual-interface testing. The LinkTest Dual also has a LAN interface for TELNET and TFTP. All three models can be controlled from the front panel or through a command line interface, with options for control from a VT100 console, Windows GUI, or local/remote terminal.

GL also offers LinkSim, an instrument that lets you simulate a variety of communications links, as well as insert delays and errors to determine what effect these impairments will have on your system. LinkSim includes four pairs of interfaces: RS-232/RS-422/RS-530, V.35, X.21, and T1/E1. It can introduce propagation delays in either or both directions. Propagation delays can be up to 1.999 s in each direction for speeds up to 2.048 Mbps and up to 500 ms for speeds from 8.192 Mbps to 50 Mbps. LinkSim can inject logic (bit), ones, zeros, timing slips, bit, burst, frame, BPV, CRC, FDL, signaling, block, C-bit, and P-bit errors in either or both directions.