~ Test Your Equipment —
Calibrated Leak for Field
Drive-Outs
The purpose of a calibrated leak is to
determine the accuracy of your equip-
ment in relation to your truck or van
before you begin patrolling in the field
for cable leakage sources. A half an
hour spent on calibrating your equip-
ment can save hours of labor that
would be wasted if the leakage test
equipment were not functioning prop-
erly during a patrol. This section of the
manual is designed to provide a step
by step process for conducting a cali-
brated leakage test for drive-outs.
1. Gather the equipment needed for
leakage testing:
• Leakage detection meter
(e.g. CLI-1450 or CLI-1750).
• Antennas
(e.g. dipole antenna HD-1 and
monopole antenna VMA-3).
Note: For accuracy purposes, a
dipole antenna should always be
used when measuring leakage
from a known source. The dipole
antenna should be positioned to
match the polarization of the
leakage source.
• Adjustable 10 foot (3 meter)
fiberglass antenna pole (PL-1).
The antenna pole method is rec-
ommended for the calibrated leak
test because the pole provides
the same height as your vehicle
mounted antenna. In addition,
using the antenna pole method
provides good practice for FCC
leakage measurements.
• Patrol Vehicle.
2. Select a location to conduct your
calibrated leak that is free from
obstructions (e.g. people, trees, wind,
etc.) and conductive surfaces (e.g.
metal buildings, fences, cars, etc.).
The ideal location to conduct a cali-
brated leak is in an open area.
Note: When setting-up your calibrated
leak, be sure to choose a location
which will allow you to park your patrol
vehicle at least 10 feet (3 meters) from
the leakage source.
3. Set-up your leakage source
(step a. see illustration, page 4-5),
turn your equipment “ON” and turn
the RF level “ON”.
• The leakage source that you
choose should not interfere or be
affected by any off-air service.
Your leakage source should be
“ON” only during the time need-
ed to conduct a calibrated leak.
(step a. see illustration, page 4-5)
4. Prepare to measure the leak level
generated from your leakage source.
• Mount your dipole antenna to the
adjustable fiberglass antenna
pole. The pole should be set to a
height of 10 feet (FCC) / 3 meters
(CENELEC).
4-2
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