Aclara 2015002, 09010B1W, 09010B1 User Manual

Technical Brief

MTU Installation Guidelines

A product of

Aclara Technologies LLC

Confidential and Proprietary

Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved.

(Y20355-TEB Rev C)

The information contained in this document is private to Aclara Technologies LLC an Ohio limited liability company (Aclara). This
information may not be published, reporduced, or otherwise disseminated without the express written authorization of Aclara. Any
software or firmware described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the
terms of such license.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Aclara. Aclara
assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.

No responsibility is assumed for the use or reliability of software on equipment that is not supplied by Aclara.

TWACS, STAR, and Metrum Cellular are registered trademarks of Aclara Technologies LLC.

PROPRIETARY NOTICE

DISCLAIMER

Table of Contents

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

FCC/IC Compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

FCC/IC RF Exposure Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Field Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Overview

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Deployment Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Recommended Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Signal Propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Free Space Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

RF Absorption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

RF Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

RF Shadowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Mounting Considerations

Exterior Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Pit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Wiring

Cable Insulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Wire Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Wire Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Interior/Exterior Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Meter Pit Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Appendix A: Recommended Equipment
Appendix B: Checklist

MTU Installation Guidelines i

Table of Contents

ii MTU Installation Guidelines

W

ARNING

C

AUTION

N

W

ARNINGS

Always consult and adhere to all local and national safety codes, regulations, and
standards.WARNING, CAUTION and Note statements are used throughout this
anual to emphasize important and critical information to help you ensure safety
and prevent product damage.These statements are defined below.

indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in
death or serious physical injury.

indicates a situation, which, if not avoided, could result in damage to
equipment, damage to software, loss of data or invalid results.

OTE

indicates important supplemental information.

, C

AUTIONS, AND

N

OTES

FCC/IC Compliance

The following statements cover the RF exposure guide and the field calibration
procedure.

FCC/IC RF Exposure Guide

Aclara Technologies LLC low power RF devices and their antennas must be
fixed-mounted on indoor or outdoor permanent structure(s) providing a separation
distance of at least 20 cm from all persons during normal operation. This device is
not designed (and it has no external connection) to operate in conjunction with any
other antennas or transmitters. No other operating instructions for satisfying RF
exposure compliance are needed.

Field Calibration Procedure

Aclara Technologies LLC low power RF devices have passed through extensive
and multitask testing and calibration procedures while in the factory. Therefore, no
additional calibration or adjustment is required in the field. Aclara Technologies
LLC low power RF devices are shipped to the customer in the sealed enclosures.
Thus, no adjustments can be made in the field, without breaking the factory sealed
enclosure.

MTU Installation Guidelines iii

FCC/IC Compliance

iv MTU Installation Guidelines

O

VERVIEW

Meter Transmission Units (MTUs) are the endpoints of the STAR system. MTUs
are permanently sealed devices that transmit regularly scheduled meter readings
on an FCC licensed frequency to a Data Collector Unit, or DCU. Every remote
mount Meter Transmission Unit (MTU) installation location presents its own set
of variables. This document is intended to help guide installers by providing
general information about UHF radio transmissions, MTUs, and Aclara
recommended practices for installation. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may
be detrimental to system operation.

Introduction

This document is intended to help guide installers by providing general
information about UHF radio transmissions, MTUs, and Aclara recommended
practices for installation. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may be detrimental
to system operation.

Support

The Aclara Customer Portal (http://customer.aclaratech.com
information that can serve as a starting point when you have a question. If, at any
time, you would like to speak with a Aclara representative about any product or
service or if you do not have a user name and password to access the Portal, please
contact Support:

Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Deployment Process

MTU deployment can be broken down into three basic steps. These are:

1. Mounting the MTU

2. Routing and connecting the wiring

3. Programming and configuring the MTU

The scope of this document is limited to the mounting and wiring portions of the
deployment process. For more information on programming MTUs, please refer to
the following manuals:

STAR Programmer Software Installation Instructions (Y20318-TUM)

Provides detailed instructions for installing the STAR Programmer Software on
handheld PCs and Meter Shop PCs.

) provides a wide range of

STAR Programmer Software User Guide (Y20348-TUM)

Provides information that enables you to program and configure MTUs using the
STAR Programmer Software.

MTU Installation Guidelines 1

Introduction

Recommended Equipment

Aclara recommends installers have the following equipment available during
installation. A more detailed list for specific installations evironments is provided
in Appendix A.

• Cable ties

• Staple gun

• 9/16" rounded crown staples

• Fine point permanent marker

• #6 x 1"Plastic anchors for screws

• 8" x 1-3/4" exterior screws

•Hammer

• Flashlight

• Diagonal cutters

• Wire stripper

• Drill bits

• #6 x 1-5/8" drywall screws

• Cordless drill

• Screwdrivers and screwdriver bits

• Silicone gel filled electrical insulating IDCs
(Aclara #043-1913)

• Connector appropriate crimping tool

• Cellular phone (for relative signal strength)

• Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV)
sealant

• 3 conductor, 22 AWG, single-strand, black
UV jacket cable

• 3 conductor, 22 AWG, single-strand, gray
UV jacket cable

• Known operational MTU

• Known operational meter equivalent to
meter at premise

• Direct bury splice kit (Aclara #043-1912)

2 MTU Installation Guidelines

Signal Propagation

The STAR Network operates in the range of 450 - 470 Megahertz (MHz).
Frequencies in this range are specifically licensed by the FCC for business use, and
are considered to be part of the Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) band of radio
communications. As with all UHF communications, there are certain factors that
affect the propagation of the radio transmissions. The STAR Network is designed
to overcome these factors, but it is possible that failure to follow recommended
intallation guidelines may create conditions that exceed the limits of the STAR
Network.

All devices that operate in the UHF band are considered to use line of sight
transmission, and operate best when the path between the transmission point and
the reception point is unobstructed.

Overview

Every Meter Transmission Unit (MTU) installation location presents its own set of
variables, and this document is intended to help guide installers by providing
general information about UHF radio transmissions and MTUs. Failure to adhere
to these guidelines may be detrimental to system operation.

There are four main things that affect the propagation of UHF radio waves. These
are free space attenuation, absorption, reflection, and shadowing.

MTU Installation Guidelines 3