Installation Guide

SAFEmine Ltd | www.safe-mine.com | [e-mail] 27/39
SAFEmine (part of Hexagon Mining)
Baarerstrasse 133, CH-6300 Zug
Switzerland
www.hexagon.com
4.4.2. Antennas on Haul Trucks
It is not always possible to position the antenna on the topmost location. On haul trucks the bucket
might be covering the entire structure of the vehicle and thus making the installation of an antenna on
the top rather impractical. In this case SAFEmine recommends using a pole on which the antenna
can be mounted. The best position for the antenna is one of the front corners. If the vehicles transit
on the right side of the road than the left corner is most appropriate and vice versa. The pictures
below show different configurations for pole sizes and positions.
Antenna positions in the above side view improve from left to right:
 The left most picture shows an antenna directly under the canopy. The Antenna’s reception
is very bad.
 In the second picture the antenna is positioned lower but still has bad reception due to being
under the canopy.
 The third picture shows an acceptable position. The antenna is not covered by the canopy
and is at least 1m from any metal structure such as the canopy, the handrail or the cabin
platform.
 The fourth picture on the right extreme shows the antenna’s recommended ideal position.
In the above top views:
 The left picture shows how the canopy shields a considerable part of the GPS and RF.
 This is why the right picture is SAFEmine’s recommended position.
4.4.3. Antennas on Tracked Vehicles
On tracked vehicles, the antenna must be mounted as close as possible to the axis of rotation. For
better accuracy, especially to sense a turning maneuver on the spot without losing heading, is to use
two SAFEmine units in a master/slave configuration, minimum 5m apart from each other. If you
require setting up such a configuration, please consult chapter Error! Reference source not found.
on rotating vehicles.
4.4.4. Coaxial Antenna Cabling
The selection of coaxial high frequency antenna cables and connectors must be done carefully.
SAFEmine recommends to source readily confectioned coaxial cables with SMA connectors already
installed and quality checked. It will save precious installation time and avoid faultfinding and rework.
 Source cables from a professional local supplier.
 High frequency cabling work must be carried out professionally by trained personnel.
 Do not save costs on the coaxial cables and connectors. SAFEmine recommends only using
high quality components.