One of the challenges that customers who use RF test equipment face today is how to safely handle and maintain heavy equipment and maximize the available storage space. If proper procedures for handling and maintenance are not followed, servicing of a tester can be quite expensive for customers. This is especially a concern with larger and more complex test systems such as the LitePoint IQxstream cellular tester. The good news is, there isn’t much preventative maintenance needed and if a few simple procedures are followed, it will go a long way in keeping the tester in good operating condition. Just to show you how easy it is, our local Service Manager (and resident artist) Gail San Diego has illustrated six helpful tips to preventing a tester from being damaged. Here are the first three that cover handling of the IQxstream unit(s).


Avoid Stacking 3 or More IQxstream Testers

Many customers who purchase LitePoint IQ2010 systems tend to stack three units or more, but our new IQxstream cellular tester is much heavier so you shouldn’t stack more than two of these testers. Here are some of the reasons:

•  Mechanical Damage – a stack of three or more testers is extremely heavy and the combined weight
   may dent the testers’ casings or break the feet. Multiple testers can also weigh down a table, desk, or
   rack.

• Accidents – We’ve seen stacks of testers fall over in earthquakes or just when accidentally bumped.
  Employees moving a heavy stack can injure themselves as well.

Avoid Dragging Testers

We recently have had testers returned with strange scratch marks on their sides and edges that came from testers being dragged across factory floors. The testers are not meant to be dragged like a pull-along luggage. Dragging can cause:

•  Tester Parts to Break – this includes denting or scratching covers, breaking handles/bumpers/feet and
    breaking electrical connectors.

•  Shock and Vibration – dragging is a rough way of transporting an expensive tester.

•  Personal Injury – an IQxstream can be hard on your back to drag and harder on your toes if dropped.

•  Dust and Dirt in your Tester – the dirt from the manufacturing floor can get into the tester.

Carry IQxstream Testers with a Friend

Okay, I know this one is obvious but I thought I’d include it when I saw one of our instructors who was teaching proper IQxstream carrying techniques recently actually walk over to a tester and say, “Let me grab one to show you” and proceeded to lean over and pick up the tester completely wrong. That convinced me that it is worth restating the obvious. Lifting a heavy object can cause an injury if lifted and carried improperly! We recommend that you:

•  Have a Friend Help – with proper lifting posture and perhaps a back support belt it is possible for a
   single person to lift an IQxstream tester, but we do not recommend it.

•  Handle with care – make sure you don’t accidentally jostle or bump the IQxstream tester, which may
   cause modules, boards, and other parts to break.

Stay tuned for the next three tips on preventative maintenance on LitePoint testers.