The MD8430A's fading capabilities can be combined with the MD8430A, eliminating the need to invest in additional hardware to perform signaling tests under realistic radio frequency (RF) conditions. This is the first LTE Advanced signaling solution with an integrated fader function, supporting 4x4 MIMO downlink configurations.
Tall structures, such as buildings and trees, reflect and scatter transmitted radio waves. This means the receiver actually receives multiple original signals arriving via different paths, with varying strengths, times, and directions. A key feature of LTE-Advanced is the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system, which improves device performance by exploiting multiple paths. To thoroughly test such MIMO devices, the effects of multipath fading must be precisely applied to each antenna in a reproducible manner.
Using its internal digital baseband process, the MD8430A applies multipath effects during test execution, and the Rapid Test Designer (RTD) software provides testers with an integrated environment for creating and running fading simulation tests. Support for LTE Advanced features, such as Carrier Aggregation and MIMO, makes the MD8430A an ideal solution for helping leading chipset designers build the next generation of high-performance mobile devices. In addition to multi-RF connection test devices, the MD8430A with the fading option also supports a digital slow-timer interface for verifying designs in a simulation environment before launching the production ASIC.
