WT4 millimetre waveguide system: Reliability and maintenance of the WT4 transmission medium

The reliability of the waveguide medium depends upon its resistance to damage from external forces, the restoral time in case it's damaged, its resistance to gradual deterioration, and the ability to move the location of the medium after it is installed. Trouble estimates, their causes, and restoration methods for the WT4 medium are discussed. This includes electrical and pneumatic fault location. Also discussed from both a systems design and operations viewpoint are maintenance systems designed to prevent deterioration of the WT4 medium (corrosion protection system and the nitrogen system) and the concepts for methods to change the location (route rearrangements) of the medium after it is installed.