C+A
TRA NSCEIVER INSTALLATION GUIDE
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Th e in stall ati on of Cal if orn ia Amp li fi er t ranscei ver p roducts should only be done
by qualified personnel, and should be under the direct guidelines of the system
operator. These installation instructions apply to California Amplifier products
only. Use of these instructions to install other manufacturer’s products may
resul t in u nkno wn h az ards, d amage and /or u naccept able p erf ormance.
The information contained in this applications note is intended to assist the
op erator in develop in g a set of i n stall ati on gu id eli nes an d o perat in g p ractices f or
the field personnel skilled in installing roof top subscriber equipment.
California Amplifier accepts no responsibility for claims of injury, death,
destruction of property or loss of television service related to improper
installation, or installation of equipment by staff not skilled in installing roof top
cabl e t elevisi on eq uip ment.
460 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, Calif o rnia 93012 USA PH: (805) 987-9000 Fax (805) 987- 8359
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GENERAL INSTALLATION
INSTRUCTIONS FO R TRANS CE IVER
NOTE to System Operat or:
Cali f orni a Ampli f ier family of Transcei ver products has been designed for
installation by a licensed or qualified installer with experience in installing
wi reless antennas.
NOTE to INSTALLER:
1. In st allation and o peration o f thi s f amily of Transceiver products require full
compliance with FCC-adopted radio frequency exposure limits. It is in the
responsibility of the installer to install these devices an d their associated
anten nas so th at RF exp osu re do es no t exceed 1. 0mW/ cm
table summarizes the minimum distance required to satisfy these
requirements.
Limits, Minimum
P/N Integrated Planar (17 dBi) Standalone (when used with 24 dBi)
520005-1 N/A 26 in . (66 cm)
520004-1 N/A 48 in . (122 cm)
520006-1 N/A 26 in . (66 cm)
520007-2 12 in . (30 cm) N/A
520024-2 12 in . (30 cm) N/A
520004-2 22 in . (55 cm) N/A
520006-2 12 in . (30 cm) N/A
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. The following
2. When instal li ng a stan dal on e Tran sceiver, ori ent the F CC RF exp osu re lab el
so that it is facing the front of the Antenna This is a mandatory requirement
by the FCC to comply with RF exposure compliance requirements. The
label should not be obstructed when installation is complete. This will
allow the warning label to be visible and readable. This is a mandatory
requirement by the FCC to comply with RF exposure compliance
requirements
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INSTALLATION PRACTICES
In a cu st omer in st al lat ion , t her e are several fact ors t h at m us t b e c ons ider ed b efor e t h e
installation can take place: Signal contour strength and direction of the transmitting
source, seasonal interference’s such as foliage and trees, aesthetics of the outdoor
installation, system performance and overall customer satisfaction with the final
product.
In each case the customer wants the very best signal quality with a minimum of
con s tru c tion and aes thetic impact to their h om e or bu s iness. This will dict ate the use of
a variety of antenn a configuration s in order to perform the task of providing adequ ate
signal strength while maintaining low visual impact. The order of visual impact follows
the height and size of the antenna. A wall or gutter mount will present a very low visual
pr ofil e. This if foll owed by a sh ort r oof or c him ney mou nt . W h en h ig h er g ain or fol iag e
cl ear ance is need ed, then a tr ee m oun t or mast mou nt s hou ld be consid er ed.
The fol l owing mounts are described and their ge neral application:
Wall or Standoff M ount:
aesthetic s is of con c er n. It offers great flexib ility in mounting an gl es and locati ons. The
stand-off arms mount from the wall and or the eave and support the mast in the vertical
pos ition. The mast m ay be sh ort in leng th so as to p lace t he ant enn a above th e roof
line or a telescoping mast may be used in conjunction with a ground plate to extend the
antenna heigh t to above th e r oof peak .
Roof Mounts
roof mount. This mounting bracket and pole is adjustable in the vertical plane and will
raise the antenna about 24” above the mounting location. The bracket must be
secured into a structural member, not simply into siding or shingles. All points of
att ac hment must be p r operly water proof ed.
: The same basic hardware used for wall and eave mounts is used for a
These ar e used in hig h sig nal den sity areas wh ere ant enn a
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Chimney Mounts: Chimney
moun ts are one of t he easiest typ es of mou nts t o inst all.
In the application of brick-type chimneys, a dual band strap mount is best. The proper
strap will securely fasten the mounting bracket and antenna. For wood over metal
construction chimney, a version of the wall mount is best. Make sure the anchor bolts
attach to a supporting stud member and not just the fascia board.
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Tripod Mount
and signal visibility. It is however, bulky and not very aesthetic. The tripod mount
comes in 3, 5, 10 and 15-foot sections. As with the roof mount installation, the
mou nting bol ts must always be attach ed to r oof jois ts an d b e properl y s ealed .
: Th e trip od mou n t of fers ease of in st all at ion, stab l e mou nt in g st ru ct u re,
Tree Mounts:
This is a highly specialized installation and is beyond the scope of this installation
guide. Specific instructions and practices can only be formatted by the individual
oper ator in their r egion ( not pict ured).
Every installation must adhere to company policies, applicable specifications and
drawings of the system operator. This requirement includes: the choice of antennas,
the weatherproofing of all connections, all penetrations into the building and all
grounding procedures, both at the antenna mount and at the point of drop entry into
the building.
In reg ions of the cou ntry with h eavy foliag e, tree mou nts are popul ar.
INSTALLATION PLA NNING
In addition to meeting the highest standards of quality and workmanship, another valid
goal is to minim ize th e amou n t of tim e sp ent on a cu stom er’s p rop ert y, th u s min imizin g
any disruption of a customer’s schedule. Good planning helps an installer to be
eff ic ient and produc tive on each ins tallation.
Site Survey
Although the general receive location may have been previously surveyed by a signal
crew, a detailed, on-site survey is usually required prior to beginning an install. During
this survey, sign al readings must be recor ded on the in s tallation wor k order. The exact
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componen ts that were used as well as the mast height sh ould be n oted at this time.
You should also create a simple drawing of the antenna installation, including
structural supports and ground system relative to the layout of the house, generally
dr awn on the back of the work order.
Testing f or Signal S t rength wi t h a Sit e S urvey Rig
The first step of the site survey is to verify where the best signal reception is
accomm odated on the c ust om er ’s home. Most inst all er s ar e provided with a tes t kit that
includes a lightweight, telescoping, fiberglass push-up mast with attached antenna.
The antenna g ain should be specified b y t h e system engineering staff .
The most satisfactory method to ensure cl ear and ad equate system performance is to
ach ieve a sig nal- to-nois e (S/N) rat io of at l east 30 d B. This ratio is measu red usin g a
signal level meter/QAM analyzer and may be calculated for California Amplifier
transceivers with r eas onab le accuracy , us ing the f ormula b elow:
S/N = 25 + Transcei ver IF Out put Level (in d Bmv)
TECHNICAL TIP
: When reading signal levels, an installer must always be aware of
physical factors that can affect system performance. Microwave signals are highly
su scept ible t o absorp tion by tr ees and other f oliag e. A wireles s an tenn a th us cann ot
view the transmitter from behind a tree. Distant trees can also cause reception
problems. While they may not be visible to an installer, they may still lie in the
transmission path.
indication of distant foliage problems
Sig nal flu ctuatio ns exceeding 2 dB du ring a su rvey may be an
.
Foliage from winter to su m m er will affect the str eng th of the received signal. Trees that
are barren in the winter present very little signal attenuation. In the summer when the
trees ar e full of foliage the attenuation c an b e as hig h as 10 dB p er tree in the l ine s igh t
path. NEVER attempt to receive a signal through a barren or partially barren tree.
Of course, hills and large buildings can completely obscure or deflect microwave signs.
Stil l oth er in t erest ing p rob l ems can res ul t when t he mic rowave b eam g razes t he t op of
a hill or build ing, partiall y deflectin g the beam, or when reflective surfaces (bod ies of
water, buildings, etc.) cause multiple signal paths from the transmitter into the receive
antenna, a problem known as “multi-path” can occur.
Never use a s ign al received from a reflec tion as its reception charact er is tics can change
drastically over time. Only line-of-sight signals should be used.
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GENERAL INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
CAUTION - EXTREME DANGER - OVERHEAD WIRES
Wh en inst all in g any outsi d e antenn a, be very aware o f al l o verhead electri cal wi re
and service feeds. Contact with power lines could be catastrophic and INJURY or
DEATH may resu lt. W hen faced with a diff icul t antenn a in stallat ion locat ion , d o
no t proceed - contact your su perviso r at on ce.
The following sections list installation procedures for various types of mounting
sch emes. The order of pr eferen ce is as l isted in th ese in st ru ct ions . In oth er word s, wal l
and eave mounts are preferable over roof mounts, and so on for aesthetic reasons.
Note t hat you wil l n eed to eval uat e various of t he in st al lat ion and mou n tin g p roced u res
lis ted in this g uid e in order to deter m ine the on e which pr ovid es the best aest hetic s an d
still provides adequate signal quality for proper reception of signals.
SAFETY NOTE: Aluminum ladders are not to be used for field installation or
repai r service. Only lad ders that have fibergl ass rails may be used because of the
possibility of contact with electrical wires or other energized conductors.
Ladders should be checked weekly to make sure t hat t hey are i n good repair and
safe working order.
Instructions:
1. Determ ine the l oc ation of antenna. Choose a location an d h eigh t for the antenn as
so that the radio frequency propagation path is not obstructed by tall trees,
buil dings, freeway overpasses, or an y other large obs tacl e that may interfere or
dis perse the r adio fr equ ency s ign al. Refer to the networ k operat or ’s c overage
guidelines to determine coverage range where this product may be used.
2. Install a tr ipod or m as t to t he st r uct ure on whic h the an tenna wil l b e m oun ted. Refer
to operator guidelines on allowable mount types and criteria to determine which is
appropriate.
3. Mount the planar antenna to the mast using the mounting hardware provided. Be
sure to observe the polarity indicating arrow cast into the antenna radome to ensure
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correct antenna polarization. Do not over-tighten the antenna mounting hardware
as damage to the antenna may result.
4. Connect the transceiver to a signal level meter and apply power to the unit (through
the signal level meter internal power source). Align the antenna by peaking the
sig nal level readin g measured on the m eter. If avail abl e, a QAM anal y z er s hou ld be
used to record the signal level, signal to noise ratio and the Bit Error Rate (BER).
Always r ec or d these values on the work order.
5. Run a cab le f r om the tran s c eiver into t he custom er premis es . Note: There are a
number of established methods of running cables from outdoor installations to
indoor l oc ations whil e eliminating the potential for m ois tur e ing r es s . It is beyon d the
scope of these instru ct ions t o recommend a method . Please check with the system
operator’s installation guidelines for recommended procedures.
6. Once inside the customer premises, the cable must be run to the location of the
cable modem. At this location, add powering by connecting the cable to the power
passing side of the power inserter and plug in the power supply into an appropriate
outlet. Note: It may be advisable to use an uninterruptable power supply or surge
suppressor to power the transceiver, to minimize power supply transients affecting
the performance of the desired link.
7. The cabl e m odem t hen is c onn ec ted to the other en d of the power insert er , the sid e
that does not pass DC.
Important:
do not apply DC power to the cable modem.
Refer to the system operators’ instructions or cabl e modem supplier’s instructions
on proper op er ation and verif ic ation of cab le modem fun c tionality .
See attached diagram for connection configuration.
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Planar Array
Antenna
Transceiver
Cable Modem
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