Excellent Information.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hare,Ed, W1RFI" <w1rfi@arrl.org>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 10:53 AM
Subject: ARRL HQ Test Engineering Staff (was RE: [TenTec] Re: ARRL Rcvr
3rdand 2nd IPs Test Methods)
> >I certainly agree. And I can see that I made a BIG mistake in one of my
> >previous post by saying something unfounded about the engineers at the
ARRL.
> >Based on these discussions, I was way off base about the engineering
staff
> >at the ARRL. It's pretty obvious by these post that they know their stuff
> >AND they also care.
>
> >Tom/W4BQF
>
> Thanks, Tom. I must admit, I was a bit surprised to see some of the
assumptions, but I thought
> back to the mental image I had of ARRL HQ before I started working there,
and I can understand.
> The best way to correct misunderstandings is with information, and when
it comes to the ARRL Lab,
> I am always willing to provide! Let me offer this as the first of 3 posts
that will talk about the
> experience of the HQ engineering staff, the ARRL Lab test equipment and
methods used and a brief
> overview of the ARRL Product Review process.
>
> I will discuss it more in a post about the test methods and equipment,
but in all cases, ARRL
> then and now knew the limits of its test equipment and always ensured
that the equipment under
> test had results that were below those limits, indicating that we had
measured the product, not the
> test fixture.
>
> I was hired at ARRL in 1986 as its test engineer, so I have done the job
that Mike Tracy is presently
> doing. Though not a degreed engineer, I had been employed as a test
engineer for about the previous
> 15 years, designing test fixtures and software to test analog and digital
integrated circuits in production
> and quality-control environments. I had also recently supervised a team
of QC technicians, doing
> mechanical and electrical testing of components to finished product in
cable-television RF/fiber system
> environment. Prior to that, I had a strong background as an electronics
technician, with a strong
> emphasis on troubleshooting, so that on-the-job experience has given me
years of practical experience
> figuring out what can go wrong.
>
> When I started at ARRL HQ, the test process was rather limited, and over
the years of being test
> engineer, I made continuing improvements and additions to the test
methods and test suite. At the
> time, it was not very well documented, but having the same engineer doing
all of the tests ensured that
> the tests were all done to the same method. Naturally, as the current
Lab Dad, I continue to bring my
> years of experience to bear on the Product Review testing process. I
stick my nose into the screen
> room often, as any manager will do (I am a proponent of MBWA --
management by walking around),
> and often consult as a fellow test engineer any time there is a testing
issue.
>
> I did the test-engineering job for about 4 years, when we hired Mike
Gruber, W1MG, to do the test
> engineering job. Mike came to ARRL with a BSEE and about 15 years of
engineering experience,
> most of it in a test-engineering environment in the aerospace industry.
I was tasked with training Mike
> and over the years, I served as an experienced resource to him when any
testing questions came up.
> Mike continued to build on my work and progress, further refining test
methods and -- most
> important -- fully documenting the test methods in a test-procedures
manual. Mike left our employ to go
> back to aerospace, but he has recently rejoined us as ARRL's "RFI"
engineer, so his significant
> experience is once again an in-house resource.
>
> Our current test engineer is Mike Tracy, KC1SX. Mike holds an ASEE and is
currently working
> towards a BSEE at the University of Hartford. Mike's previous experience
is in the power-supply
> industry, where he worked as a test technician for analog and switch-mode
power supplies. He has
> been ARRL's test engineer for about 6 years now, if memory serves, and
has also continued to develop
> and improve tests and the test-procedures manual.
>
> We also have Zack Lau, W1VT. Zack also comes to us with a BSEE. Though
we hired him right out
> of college, the man is absolutely brilliant when it comes to RF and he is
an important resource to us in
> all areas of the ARRL Lab responsibility. Just as one test-related
example, we were asked by our DC
> office to provide some field tests of the interference potential of IEEE
802.11a devices on 5.6 GHz.
> Unfortunately, the 5.6 GHz stuff is all high power and high cost, so we
were not able to get a system
> into the Lab to create the on-the-air signals we needed. On a Monday, I
talked to Zack about this and
> by Thursday, he had a transverter designed and built that took an IEEE
802.11a 5.2 GHz card and
> moved it up to 5.6 GHz, so we could do the testing.
>
> In addition to the HQ staff, ARRL also maintains a cadre of technical
advisors, formal and informal,
> that we rely on heavily for technical input on all sorts of issues. The
League can't afford to hire the
> likes of Ulrich Rohde, for example, but the likes of Ulrich can and do
work closely with our staff. He
> has given us lots of sage advice -- and test equipment -- on our test
methods, as have a number of the
> manufacturers.
>
> When you put this combination together, for testing the types of
commercially manufactured amateur
> equipment, there is no doubt in my mind that the team is world class!
Some of the IARU societies do
> testing to a similar level as that done by ARRL, although I believe that
ARRL does testing more often
> than the others. Although I am sure there are engineers more familiar
with specific tests on specific
> products, I don't believe that anyone in the world has more current
experience in testing the wide range
> of products and testing types than does Mike Tracy! And when you add to
that the years and years of
> testing experience that is in the Lab right now between me, Mike, Mike
and Zack, coupled with the help
> we get from low friends in high places everywhere, I think that we have a
team and capabilities that
> we can both be proud to support as a member!
>
> BTW, the test-procedures manaual is available for download from the
product-review area on the
> ARRL members-only web site, btw, and if anyone reading this list is not a
member, if you email me at
> w1rfi@arrl.org, I will send you a non-member URL where it can be
downloaded. (I keep a copy in my
> working area on the ARRL web site, so I can share it with manufacturers
or engineering colleagues on
> the several industry committees on which I serve). This document is
among the finest of its kind in the
> world, IMHO, outlining the test equipment used and the documenting the
procedures step by step. If
> memory serves, it is over 150 pages long at this point, outlining a
rather impressive test battery!
>
> Tonight, I will put together a description of the overall Product Review
process, with emphasis on the
> way the ARRL Lab does testing within that process. Maybe when we are all
done, we can have an
> appendix to the test procedures manual and an FAQ file I can use when the
subject inevitably comes
> up again. :-)
>
> 73,
> Ed Hare, W1RFI
> ARRL Lab Manager
> 225 Main St
> Newington, CT 06111
> Tel: 860-594-0318
> Email: w1rfi@arrl.org
>
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