Installation Manual

Tsunami MP.11a Antenna Installation Guide
OVERVIEW OF THE OUTDOOR INSTALLATION
The outdoor installation of the link (point-to-point or point-to-multipoint) requires the following:
▪ An antenna
▪ A low-loss antenna cable (available in three lengths)
▪ Antenna mast or wall bracket for the antenna
▪ An adequate grounding system that meets the requirements described in “Grounding System.”
▪ Waterproofing of all connections
Note: All outdoor cable connectors must be sealed with weatherproofing stretch tape to make the coax
connectors permanently waterproof. See “Sealing the Cable Connectors” on page 29.
DANGER! For your own safety, the antenna mast and the grounding system should only be
installed by experienced installation professionals who are familiar with local building
and safety codes and the national electrical codes.
Read carefully the instructions described in “Grounding System” on page 16 and verify
that your installation complies with the appropriate regulations and codes before
installing the antenna.
Antenna Placement
To achieve maximum performance of your wireless outdoor link, the outdoor antenna must have clear line-
of-sight to the antenna of the other Tsunami MP.11a unit. Although the MP.11a radio signal can work well
without line-of-sight in urban environments, where the signal is transported by reflection instead of being
direct, the best results are achieved in line-of-sight conditions.
Line-of-sight can be defined as:
▪ No obstacles in the direct path between the antennas (antenna beam).
▪ No obstacles within a defined zone around the antenna beam.
You should be aware that the shape of an antenna beam is not straight and narrow like a laser beam. The
antenna beam, also referred to as Fresnel
1
Zone, is rather “bulged” in the middle, such as, for example, a
rugby ball.
The exact shape and width of the Fresnel Zone is determined by the path length and frequency of the radio
signal. The width as distance from the direct antenna beam is approximately 6 m (21 ft) in the middle of the
wireless link for a distance of 6.5 Km (4 mi) and a frequency of 5.8 GHz. This width also is the required
clearance of the antenna beam from obstacles in its path, to avoid loss of radio signal.
If any significant part of this zone is obstructed, a portion of the radio energy will be lost, resulting in reduced
performance. Reduced performance can also occur when obstacles close to the antenna beam cause signal
reflections or noise that interfere with the radio signal.
1
Pronounced as ‘Fray-Nell’
Chapter 1. Preparing for Installation 12
CPN 65756 Issue Date: 01 August 2003