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A rack system and method are provided for processing manufactured products prior to shipment. To simulate reality, the design of such rack system and method contemplates replicating field conditions for use of the manufactured products. A rack system for processing units of manufactured products may

A rack system and method are provided for processing manufactured products prior to shipment. To simulate reality, the design of such rack system and method contemplates replicating field conditions for use of the manufactured products. A rack system for processing units of manufactured products may comprise one or more plates coupled to a frame. A preferred approach includes designing the rack for use by an operator without specialized skills. This approach includes verifying that there is a match between the configuration of the unit mounted on the plate and the operating mode of the plate before processing can commence. The rack may include a detector for obtaining data from the plate and unit and a processor for comparing the obtained data to determine whether there is a match. A rack system designed using this approach can be useful in processing outdoor units of a split-mount system such as a microwave radio system.

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1. A rack system, comprising: a rack having a frame;a plate removably coupled to the frame and having an interface opening configured for a particular operating mode relating to a wireless signal, the operating mode including an operating signal frequency range, the plate including an attachment mec

1. A rack system, comprising: a rack having a frame;a plate removably coupled to the frame and having an interface opening configured for a particular operating mode relating to a wireless signal, the operating mode including an operating signal frequency range, the plate including an attachment mechanism configured for removably mounting on the plate a manufactured product having a configuration, the interface opening being further configured to at least partially prevent processing of the manufactured product if the particular operating mode mismatches the configuration of the manufactured product;an adapter coupled to the frame and configured for communicating operating signals to and from the manufactured product mounted on the plate; anda detector associated with the rack and configured to determine whether the particular operating mode matches the configuration of the manufactured product, the determining by the detector being independent of the communicating by the adapter. 2. A rack system as in claim 1, further comprising a shield attached to the plate and configured to mitigate interference generated by or affecting the manufactured product. 3. A rack system as in claim 2, wherein the interference includes one or more of electrical interference, electromagnetic interference, and acoustic interference. 4. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the detector includes a data retrieval device configured to obtain data from the plate. 5. A rack system as in claim 4, wherein the data retrieval device is configured to obtain data from the manufactured product, the plate, and the rack. 6. A rack system as in claim 4, wherein the data includes one or more of the operating signal frequency range, a plate identifier, a rack identifier, a product identifier, a customer identifier, a serial number, and a part number. 7. A rack system as in claim 4, wherein the detector further includes a processor operatively coupled to the data retrieval device and configured to determine whether or not to commence processing of the manufactured product based on the data obtained from the data retrieval device. 8. A rack system as in claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether or not there is a match between the configuration of the manufactured product and the particular operating mode of the plate, and the determination of whether or not to commence the processing is made based on the determination of whether or not there is a match. 9. A rack system as in claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to receive program instructions from a system external to the rack. 10. A rack system as in claim 9, wherein the system external to the rack is attachable to the rack. 11. A rack system as in claim 9, wherein the detector further includes memory. 12. A rack system as in claim 11, wherein the memory is configured to store the program instructions received by the processor. 13. A rack system as in claim 4, wherein the data retrieval device includes a scanner, a bar code reader, a keyboard, a key pad, a pointing device, a voice recognition device, or any combination thereof. 14. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to simulate field mounting of the manufactured product. 15. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the plate is mechanically affixed to the frame. 16. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the plate is mounted on the frame at a predetermined angle corresponding to a mounting angle of the particular operating mode of the plate. 17. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the plate is mounted on the frame so that a manufactured product mounted on the plate assumes a vertical, horizontal, or other angled position, and the vertical, horizontal, or other angled position corresponds to a mounting angle of the particular operating mode of the plate. 18. A rack system as in claim 1, further comprising a carrier attached to the frame or on which the frame rests. 19. A rack system as in claim 1, further comprising a plate system associated with the plate, wherein the plate is configured for mounting thereon a plurality of manufactured products comprising the manufactured product, and the plate system is configured for communications between the plurality of manufactured products. 20. A rack system as in claim 19, wherein the plate system includes, for each of the plurality of manufactured products: an interface to each of the plurality of manufactured products;a unit adapter operatively coupled to the interface; andan attenuator operatively coupled to the unit adapter. 21. A rack system as in claim 20, wherein a pair of the attenuators in the plate system are connected to each other via a cable in order to facilitate communications between the mounted manufactured products associated with them. 22. A rack system as in claim 20, wherein the interface is adapted for a particular configuration associated with each of the plurality of manufactured to be mounted on the plate. 23. A rack system as in claim 20, wherein the unit adapter is configured for converting a signal form associated with a first medium surrounding each of the plurality of manufactured products mounted on the plate to a signal form associated with a second medium. 24. A rack system as in claim 20, further comprising a shield attached to the plate and wherein the interface, unit adapter and attenuator are housed in the shield. 25. A rack system as in claim 20, wherein the interface includes a waveguide interface and the unit adapter includes a waveguide adapter. 26. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the frame is configured to support a plurality of plates comprising the plate. 27. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the configuration of the manufactured product is associated with a particular signal frequency range. 28. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the manufactured product comprises an outdoor unit of a split-mount microwave radio system. 29. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the rack supports substantially simultaneous processing of a plurality of manufactured products, comprising the manufactured product. 30. A rack system as in claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism includes a ramp and a stop coupled to the plate and configured to cooperatively allow mounting, securing in place, and demounting of the manufactured product without using additional fasteners or locking mechanisms. 31. A rack system as in claim 1, comprising a plurality of plates including the plate, and another plate configured to support mounting of another manufactured product having another configuration different from the configuration of the manufactured product. 32. A rack system as in claim 31, wherein at least two plates of the plurality of plates are configured for different operating modes. 33. A rack system as in claim 1, further comprising a connector coupled to the adapter and configured for transferring from the adapter operating signals directed to the manufactured product mounted on the plate. 34. A rack system as in claim 33, wherein the connector is configured for a connector mode of operation, wherein the rack has an identifier associated therewith, and wherein the detector is further configured for determining whether there is a match between any two or more of the configuration of the manufactured product, the particular operating mode of the plate, the connector mode of operation, and the rack identifier. 35. A method for processing manufactured products, comprising: providing a rack with a frame, the rack further including a plate having an interface opening configured for an operating mode relating to a wireless signal, the operating mode including an operating signal frequency range, the plate being removably mounted on the frame, the plate including an attachment mechanism configured for removably mounting on the plate a manufactured product having a configuration, and the interface opening being further configured to at least partially prevent processing of the manufactured product if the configuration of the mounted manufactured product mismatches the operating mode;providing a detector and an adapterremovably mounting on the plate a particular manufactured product having a particular configuration;obtaining, via the detector, the operating mode from the plate and the particular configuration from the particular manufactured product;determining whether the particular operating mode matches the configuration of the particular manufactured product; andin response to determining that there is a match, evaluating whether processing of the particular manufactured product is to commence by communicating operating signals to and from the particular manufactured product via the adapter, the determining by the detector being independent of the communicating by the adapter. 36. A method as in claim 35, further comprising, in response to determining that there is no match, at least partially preventing processing of the particular manufactured product. 37. A method as in claim 35, wherein the plate includes an attachment mechanism including a ramp opening and a stop, and wherein removably mounting the plate includes: inserting a mounting stud coupled to the particular manufactured product into the ramp opening; andlocking the particular manufactured product to the plate by turning the inserted mounting stud in the ramp until it reaches the stop. 38. A method as in claim 35, wherein the operating signals are used for one or more of calibration, thermal testing, and manufacturing testing of the particular manufactured product. 39. A method as in claim 35, further comprising providing a shield coupled to the plate for mitigating interference with or from the particular manufactured product mounted on the plate. 40. A method as in claim 35, wherein removably mounting the particular manufactured product on the plate simulates field mounting of the particular manufactured product. 41. A method as in claim 35, wherein the determining whether the particular operating mode matches the configuration of the particular manufactured product is performed by a processor executing program instructions. 42. A method as in claim 41, wherein memory is configured to store the program instructions executed by the processor.