Axell Wireless 55-227901 Product Description And User's Manual

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 1 of 30

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier

Product Description and User’s Manual

Product Part No. 55-227901

Axell Wireless Limited

Head Office: Aerial House, Asheridge Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2QD, United Kingdom

Tel: + 44 (0) 1494 777000 Fax: + 44 (0) 1494 777002

[e-mail] www.axellwireless.com

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 2 of 30

Copyright © 2014 Axell Wireless Ltd

All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be copied, distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval
system, or translated into any human or computer language without the prior written permission of
Axell Wireless Ltd.
The manufacturer has made every effort to ensure that the instructions contained in this document
are adequate and free of errors and omissions. The manufacturer will, if necessary, explain issues
which may not be covered by this document. The manufacturer's liability for any errors in the
document is limited to the correction of errors and the aforementioned advisory services.
This document has been prepared to be used by professional and properly trained personnel, and the
customer assumes full responsibility when using them. The manufacturer welcomes customer
comments as part of the process of continual development and improvement of the documentation in
the best way possible from the user's viewpoint. Please submit your comments to the nearest Axell
Wireless sales representative.

Contact Information

Headquarters

Axell Wireless
Aerial House
Asheridge Road
Chesham
Buckinghamshire HP5 2QD
United Kingdom

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Commercial inquiries

[e-mail]

Web site

www.axellwireless.com

Support issues

[e-mail]

Technical Support Line, English speaking

[phone]

Contact information for Axell Wireless offices in other countries can be found on our web site,

www.axellwireless.com

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 3 of 30

About This Manual

This Product Manual provides the following information:

 Description of the Amplifier
 Procedures for setup, configuration and checking the proper operation of the Amplifier
 Maintenance and troubleshooting procedures

Users

This Product Manual is intended for experienced technicians and engineers. It is assumed that the
customers installing, operating, and maintaining Axell Wireless Amplifiers are familiar with the basic
functionality of Amplifiers.

Notice

Confidential - Authorized Customer Use
This document may be used in its complete form only and is solely for the use of Axell Wireless
employees and authorized Axell Wireless channels or customers. The material herein is proprietary to
Axell Wireless. Any unauthorized reproduction, use or disclosure of any part thereof is strictly
prohibited.
All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer of Liability

Contents herein are current as of the date of publication. Axell Wireless reserves the right to change
the contents without prior notice. The information furnished by Axell Wireless in this document is
believed to be accurate and reliable. However, Axell Wireless assumes no responsibility for its use. In
no event shall Axell Wireless be liable for any damage resulting from loss of data, loss of use, or loss
of profits and Axell Wireless further disclaims any and all liability for indirect, incidental, special,
consequential or other similes damages. This disclaimer of liability applies to all products, publications
and services during and after the warranty period.

Safety to Personnel

 Before installing or replacing any of the equipment, the entire manual should be read and

understood.

 This equipment is to be installed only in a restricted access location.
 Throughout this manual, there are "Caution" warnings. "Caution" calls attention to a

procedure or practice, which, if ignored, may result in injury or damage to the system, system
component or even the user. Do not perform any procedure preceded by a "Caution" until the
described conditions are fully understood and met.

CAUTION! This notice calls attention to a procedure or practice that, if

ignored, may result in personal injury or in damage to the system or system
component. Do not perform any procedure preceded by a "Caution" until
described conditions are fully understood and met.

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 4 of 30

Compliance with FCC

FCC Part 15

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.

If not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, this equipment generates, uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to RF reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
Ensure that the input levels to the Line Amplifier are correct and that the equipment gain is not
excessive.
Isolate or Relocate the Server Radiating antenna cable.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.

Unauthorized Changes to Equipment

Changes or Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer responsible for compliance

could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment

FCC RF Exposure Limits

This unit complies with FCC RF exposure limits for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment can
only be installed in in-building or tunnel applications and must be used as a line driver amplifier to
drive radiating cable systems. There are no antennas used for the radiation, Radiating cables have a
low level of coupling and as such the RF exposure is extremely low. As a precaution it is
recommended that the radiating cable is operated at a minimum distance of 10 cm between the cable
radiator and any person’s body.

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 5 of 30

Radiating Antenna Installation

CAUTION! This Equipment is designed as an in-line Radiating Cable booster

and must not be used as a Class B Off-Air repeater.

Installation of a radiating cable antenna must comply with the FCC RF exposure requirements. The
radiating cable used for this transmitter must be mounted on permanent structures.
The FCC regulations mandate that the EIRP of type B signal boosters should not exceed 5W.
The radiating cable associated with In-Line Boosters has a high attenuation of coupling and as such a
negative gain. The Line Amplifier has a maximum amplifier P1dB of +26.5dBm (0.44w), the radiating
cable is typically -50dB radiating loss and therefore the ERP will always be below the 5W limit.

Equation (1) - Max SERVICE antenna gain

Not Applicable – Radiating cable fed equipment.

Equation (2) - Max DONOR antenna gain

Not Applicable – Radiating cable fed equipment

Compliance with FCC deployment rule regarding the radiation of noise

Good engineering practice must be used in regard to the signal booster’s noise radiation. Thus, the

gain of the signal booster should be set so that the EIRP of the output noise from the signal booster
should not exceed the level of -43 dBm in 10 kHz measurement bandwidth.
In the event that the noise level measured exceeds the aforementioned value, the signal booster gain
should be decreased accordingly.
In general, the ERP of noise on a spectrum more than 1 MHz outside of the pass band should not
exceed -70 dBm in a 10 kHz measurement bandwidth.
The WMATA Line Amplifier (55-227901) signal booster has a noise level of below -90 dBm in 10 kHz
measurement at 1 MHz spectrum outside the passband of the signal booster and an in-band noise
level of -60 dBm (worst case) in a 10 kHz bandwidth.

Conclusion:

Good engineering practice requires that in general when the out of band noise measured at the
service antenna input is more than -70 dBm per 10 kHz measurement bandwidth, an external band
pass filter should be added to attenuate the out of band noise level. However, in this application
using radiating cables, No further filtering will be required because of the cable coupling attenuation.

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 6 of 30

General Safety Warnings Concerning Use of This System

Always observe standard safety precautions during installation, operation and maintenance of this
product. Only a qualified and authorized personnel should carry out adjustment, maintenance or
repairs to the components of this equipment.

NOTE: Please refer to Axell Wireless for additional information and for requests for notifications to
authorities.

Caution labels!

Throughout this manual, there are "Caution" warnings. "Caution" calls attention to a
procedure or practice, which, if ignored, may result in injury or damage to the system,
system component or even the user. Do not perform any procedure preceded by a
"Caution" until the described conditions are fully understood and met.

Danger:

Electrical Shock

This equipment can either be installed indoors or outdoors. When installed outdoors ­wet conditions increase the potential for receiving an electric shock when installing or
using electrically powered equipment. To prevent electrical shock when installing or
modifying the system power wiring, disconnect the wiring at the power source before
working with un insulated wires or terminals.

Caution:

RF Exposure

RF radiation, (especially at UHF frequencies) arising from transmitter outputs connected

to AWL’s equipment, must be considered a safety hazard.

This condition might only occur in the event of cable disconnection, or because a ‘spare’

output has been left un-terminated. Either of these conditions would impair the system’s
efficiency. No investigation should be carried out until all RF power sources have been
removed. This would always be a wise precaution, despite the severe mismatch
between the impedance of an N type connector at 50Ω, and that of free space at 377Ω,
which would severely compromise the efficient radiation of RF power. Radio frequency
burns could also be a hazard, if any RF power carrying components were to be
carelessly touched!
Where the equipment is used near power lines or in association with temporary masts
not having lightning protection, the use of a safety earth connected to the case-earthing
bolt is strongly advised.

Caution: Safety to

personnel.

Before installing or replacing any of the equipment, the entire manual should be read
and understood.
The user needs to supply the appropriate AC or DC power to the Line Amplifier.
Incorrect power settings can damage the Line Amplifier and may cause injury to the
user.
Please be aware that the equipment may, during certain conditions become very warm
and can cause minor injuries if handled without any protection, such as gloves

Caution: Safety to

equipment

When installing, replacing or using this product, observe all safety precautions during
handling and operation. Failure to comply with the following general safety precautions
and with specific precautions described elsewhere in this manual violates the safety
standards of the design, manufacture, and intended use of this product.
Axell Wireless assumes no liability for the customer's failure to comply with these
precautions. This entire manual should be read and understood before operating or
maintaining the Line Amplifier.

Warning: Restricted

Access Location

Access to the Axell unit installation location is restricted to SERVICE PERSONNEL and
to USERS who have been instructed on the restrictions and the required precautions to
be taken.

Attention:

Electrostatic

Sensitivity

Observe electrostatic precautionary procedures.
ESD = Electrostatic Discharge Sensitive Device.
Semiconductor transmitters and receivers provide highly reliable performance when
operated in conformity with their intended design. However, a semiconductor may be
damaged by an electrostatic discharge inadvertently imposed by careless handling.
Static electricity can be conducted to the semiconductor chip from the centre pin of the
RF input connector, and through the AC connector pins. When unpacking and otherwise
handling the Line Amplifier, follow ESD precautionary procedures including use of
grounded wrist straps, grounded workbench surfaces, and grounded floor mats.

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 7 of 30

Table of Contents

1. Antenna Specifications and Installation Criteria ........................................................................... 8

1.1. Base (Donor) Input ................................................................................................................... 8

1.1.1. Required Input Information ............................................................................................... 8

1.2. Service Antenna Requirements ............................................................................................... 9

1.2.1. Required Radiating Antenna Information .......................................................................... 9

1.3. RF Cabling Requirements ........................................................................................................ 9

2. Pre-Installation Requirements .................................................................................................... 10

2.1. Safety Guidelines ................................................................................................................... 10

2.2. Selecting a Location ............................................................................................................... 10

2.2.1. Cooling and Airflow ......................................................................................................... 10

2.2.2. Wall Compatibility ........................................................................................................... 10

2.2.3. Access to the Line Amplifier ........................................................................................... 10

3. WMATA Dual Band UHF Line Amplifier 55-227901 ................................................................... 11

3.1. Equipment Overview .............................................................................................................. 11

3.2. Theory of operation ................................................................................................................ 11

3.3. System Diagram .................................................................................................................... 12

3.4. Table of Components by Position Number ............................................................................ 13

3.5. Exploded schematic showing Downlink RF path and components ........................................ 14

3.6. Exploded schematic showing Uplink RF path and components ............................................ 15

3.7. Front View .............................................................................................................................. 16

3.8. Side Views ............................................................................................................................. 17

3.9. Interior Picture - Downlink Path ............................................................................................. 18

3.10. Interior Picture - Uplink Path .................................................................................................. 19

3.11. Specification ........................................................................................................................... 20

4. Installation – General Notes ....................................................................................................... 21

4.1. General Remarks ................................................................................................................... 21

4.2. Electrical Connections ........................................................................................................... 21

4.3. RF Connections ..................................................................................................................... 21

4.3.1. Termination of Unused Ports .......................................................................................... 21

4.4. Commissioning ...................................................................................................................... 22

4.5. RF Installation & Gain Calculations ....................................................................................... 22

5. Maintenance ............................................................................................................................... 23

5.1. Fault Finding .......................................................................................................................... 23

5.1.1. Quick Fault Checklist ...................................................................................................... 23

5.1.2 Fault Isolation ..................................................................................................................... 23

5.1.3. Downlink ......................................................................................................................... 24

5.1.4. Uplink .............................................................................................................................. 24

5.1.5. Checking service ............................................................................................................ 24

5.1.6. Fault repair ...................................................................................................................... 24

5.1.7. Service Support .............................................................................................................. 25

5.2. Tools & Test Equipment ......................................................................................................... 25

5.3. Care of Modules ..................................................................................................................... 26

5.3.1. General Comments ......................................................................................................... 26

5.3.2. LNA Replacement (general procedure) .......................................................................... 26

5.3.3. Module Replacement (general procedure) ..................................................................... 26

5.3.4. Power Amplifier Replacement (general procedure) ........................................................ 26

5.3.5. Low Power Amplifier Replacement (general procedure) ................................................ 27

5.3.6. Module Transportation: ................................................................................................... 27

Appendix A ........................................................................................................................................... 28

A.1. Glossary of Terms used in this document .............................................................................. 28

A.2. Key to Drawing Symbols used in this document .................................................................... 29

A.3. Document Amendment Record .............................................................................................. 30

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 8 of 30

1. Antenna Specifications and Installation Criteria

WARNING!!!

o This Dual Band Line Amplifier is specifically designed for in-line radiating

cable operation and must not be directly connected to an off air radiating
antenna.

o The installer is held accountable for implementing the rules required for

deployment.

o Good engineering practice must be used to avoid interference.
o Output power should be reduced to solve any IMD interference issues.

This chapter provides information on the donor source feed and server output radiating infrastructure
associated with the Line Amplifier equipment.

1.1. Base (Donor) Input

The Base (Donor) input is normally provided from the attenuated end of an existing radiating cable of
from an in-line coupler used to coupler off a sample of the main line signal for downlink amplification.
In the uplink direction a low level signal is fed back into the donor cable for retransmission to the base
station equipment. The output signal of the Line Amplifier is not transmitted to air.

1.1.1. Required Input Information

You will require the following information:

 Number of carriers
 Carrier Power
 Length and type of radiating coaxial cable connecting the Donor system to the Line Amplifier and

the attenuation.

Axell Wireless Limited

Technical Literature

UHF Dual Band Line Amplifier
Document Number 55-227901HBK

Issue No. 4

Date 23/06/2014

Page 9 of 30

1.2. Service Antenna Requirements

WARNING!!!

a. The installer is held accountable for implementing the rules required for

deployment.
b. Good engineering practice must be used to avoid interference.
c. Output power should be reduced to solve any IMD interference issues”

This product is designed as a Line Amplifier repeater to extend the signal coverage distance of a
radiating cable system and must not be used as an off air repeater.

1.2.1. Required Radiating Antenna Information

The following antenna requirements, specifications and site considerations should be met:

 Service area type and size
 Radiating Cable Coupling factor and longitudinal Attenuation
 Distance from Mobile

Mobile Signal = Line Amplifier Output – cable attenuation dB/100ft – cable coupling dB – distance
correction.

e.g. Typical 7/8” cable = loss 0.7dB / 100’ with Coupling Loss 80dB @ 6’

Thus for an 800’ cable with +10dBm input we have:
+10 – (0.7*8) – 80 = -75.6dBm radiated signal from the cable at 6’ distance.

1.3. RF Cabling Requirements

 For all coaxial connections to/from the Line Amplifier - high performance, flexible, low loss 50Ω

coaxial communications cable.

 All cables shall be weather-resistant type.
 Make sure that cable and connector are compatible. Using cables and connectors from the same

manufacturer is helpful.

 All connectors must be clean and dry
 Waterproof all outdoor connections using silicone, vulcanizable tape or other suitable substance

as moisture and dust can impair RF characteristics.

 Make sure enough room has been allocated for the bending radius of the cable. RF cables must

not be kinked, cut or damaged in any way

 Use jumper cable for easy installation. The RF Coaxial cable can be substituted at each end with

a jumper cable.