Remote Monitoring And Measurement In Communications Systems

By Alfred T. Yerger II

In early October 2013, I was part of a panel discussion on test and measurement trends at the Tessco product show in Baltimore. One thing all the manufacturers there agreed on was the need for more remote monitoring and measurement.

Remote monitoring and measurement is certainly not a new idea. The concept has been around probably almost as long as radio communications itself. My first experience with remote monitoring and measurement was in the broadcast industry. Often the transmitter and studios are not located at the same place, so, unless you wanted to have someone sitting at the transmitter full time, some kind of remote operation was necessary. As time passed, more systems were developed like SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems, remote tower light monitoring, and site monitoring systems. The list goes on and on. One area that has only recently seen a surge in remote operation capability is test and measurement equipment.