PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** RuralConnect® TV White Space Radio Installation & User Guide Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc. 2700 Foster Avenue, Arcata, CA 95521 Tel: (707) 822-7000 Fax: (707) 822-7010 www.CarlsonWireless.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Trademarks RuralConnect® and the RuralConnect® logo are registered trademarks of Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc. Windows® is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Copyright Copyright© 2013 Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No person may reproduce this manual without explicit permission from Carlson.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** authorize non-qualified personnel to work on equipment without the direct supervision of a professionally trained service technician. Proper Handling and Grounding The electronic components of the RuralConnect® equipment are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). In order to prevent potential warranty voiding damage, you must use an adequately grounded anti-static wrist strap when handling the equipment.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Additional Information on TV Band Interference Protection This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the rules for TV band devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These rules are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Table of Contents 1.1. Scope of Manual.............................................................................................................7 1.2. Overview.........................................................................................................................7 2.1. Proper Handling..............................................................................................................8 2.2.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 4.7.2. CPE Properties/Details..........................................................................................28 5.1. Specifications ...............................................................................................................30 5.2. Warranty .......................................................................................................................31 5.3. Acronyms/Abbreviations.............
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 1. Introduction 1.1. Scope of Manual The purpose of this manual is to provide professional planning and installation personnel with the appropriate information and procedures required to install and operate the RuralConnect® TV White Space Broadband Radio and accessory equipment.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 2. Pre-test and System Planning 2.1. Proper Handling You must follow precautionary measures when handling RuralConnect® devices. Improper handling of your equipment may cause damage and void your warranty. The electronic components of the RuralConnect® equipment are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Use adequate ESD protection, such as an anti-static wrist strap, whenever handling the equipment.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 2.4. Cable Recommendations Use of proper high-quality cabling is important to ensure the best performance for your RuralConnect® system. Carlson extensively researched and tested cabling before selecting those offered for RuralConnect® customers. It is recommended that you use only Carlson approved cables. Discuss your cabling options with your Carlson Sales Representative. 2.4.1.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 100/1000 Mbps Ethernet network adapter Pre-Installation 2.6. Before Arrival Users operate the RuralConnect® system from the Online Management Center, or OMC. After placing your order, and prior to receiving the equipment, you will need to have a registered OMC user account. If you do not have an OMC account, visit http://omc.neul.com and click “register a new account”.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 2.9.1. Test Cable Set The bench-testing cable set (“RC-TECH-KIT”) will allow you to bench test a Basestation with two CPEs. Connect the units with the supplied cables and connectors. This consists of a set of coax jumper cables (one for each unit), an F-type splitter and five 19 dB attenuators (one for the Basestation, two for each CPE). 2.9.2.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 2.9.3. Getting Started on the OMC You will use the Neul/Carlson Operation & Management Center to test and operate your RuralConnect® radios. Open a web browser and browse to http://omc.neul.com. Enter your OMC user name and password. You should have an OMC account created by Carlson. The username will match your Carlson Customer ID.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** On the “Basestation Details” page, click the “Messages” tab. Figure 10: Messages Listing The last few messages should include “Radio Connected!” and “Completed Initialization”. Verify that the message dates and times are correct for system initialization. If “Radio Connected!” and “Completed Initialization” messages are not displayed, then troubleshoot your Internet connection and/or wait another 3-5 minutes.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** If your find incorrect latitude and longitude information, contact Carlson Support or your spectrum database manager for correction. Close the “Basestation Details” window. 2.9.5. Verifying Cell Control At the top of the page, click the “Cell Control” tab. Figure 13: Cell Control Tab Select the tab shown for your Basestation. Both the Basestation and its active CPEs will appear.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** This section of the manual is under development. Visit the Carlson Online Help Desk if you have any questions.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Operation and Management Center (OMC). 2.10. RF Testing with RadioTest Either on the bench or in the field, you can use the RadioTest software to test the RF performance of the radio. This software will provide you with accurate measurement of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), bit error rate (BER) and more. 2.10.1.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 3.3. RuralConnect® Radio Installation 3.3.1. Basestation Overview Figure 15: Carlson Basestation The Basestation is a 19” rack mountable device that will normally be installed in a weatherproof cabinet at or close to the mounting point for its external antenna. Suitable antennas are available from Carlson.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 3.3.2. Basestation Connections Figure 16: Carlson Basestation Rear Panel The rear panel of the Basestation has the following ports: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 3.3.3. Client Station Overview The CPE, also call "Client Station", is installed at the subscriber’s premises. RuralConnect® CPEs use external antennas that operate over the entire UHF band; from 470 MHz to 698 MHz. Speak to your Carlson Sales Representative about the antenna selection available. Figure 18: RuralConnect® CPE CPEs connect to a Basestation via a UHF radio signal.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 4. Place the U-Bolts around the pole, and slide the pipe flanges over them with the serrated sides facing the pole. See figure 1. 5. Apply an anti-seizing compound to the threads of the U-Bolts. 6. Slide the mounting flanges (now attached to the enclosure) over the U-Bolts and secure those using the 5/16” lock washers and 5/16” hex nuts. 7. Tighten the 5/16”nuts. Do not over tighten! 3.4. RuralConnect® Antenna Installation 3.4.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** c. Slide the V-bolts into the antenna mount plate and fasten them using the 5/16” flat washers, lock washers and nuts. Do not over tighten! 3.5. Client Station Antenna Overview The log periodic directional antenna (model #:057-470-786-8-F) includes a male F-type connector and a heavy-duty mounting bracket for mounting to a pole with a diameter up to 2”.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 4. Operation and Management Center (OMC) 4.1. Registration The Carlson/Neul Operation and Management Center (OMC) provides a cloud level view of all RuralConnect® devices registered under a given user name. You will use this online tool to manage your RuralConnect® network. The RuralConnect® Basestation obtains and reports information to and from the OMC via the Internet.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 4.4.1. System Health The first drop-down tab shown is “System Health”. This section displays the most recent messages and a status summary of your entire system. Figure 24: Messages 4.4.2. Network Map Click on the next drop-down tab, “Network Map”. This displays all your radios, based on the roles and coordinates of each.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Click on the arrow to the left of any Basestation. This will expand the “cell” list, showing associated CPEs. Clicking the “Id” or “Name” hyperlink of any station will give you a popup “Station Properties” window. See Section 4.7 of this manual to learn more about Station Properties. Figure 27: Expanded "Cell" List 4.5. Stations Click on the “Stations” tab at the top of the OMC window.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Figure 29: Cell Control Display Cell Control is the area of the OMC where you can view and edit the settings affecting the performance of each radio. As of April 13, 2013, this is the only area of the OMC where end users can make changes. After making your desired changes, click the “Save Changes” button to apply them. Use the “Mute” button to disable the radio on the Basestation.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Basestations will commonly use “Qpsk_1_Conv” for the Uplink and Downlink modulation modes. This modulation mode provides a good link reliability and provides enough bandwidth for system controls Set your CPE stations with the modulation mode that meets the needs of the installation and application. Stronger signal-to-noise ratios will allow the use of higher modulation modes, providing higher throughput.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Channel Allocations The spectrum database provides a list of available channels, based on the registration details. The OMC displays the allocated channel is a list on this tab. Figure 33: Channel Allocation An active RuralConnect network requires an active channel allocation. You can find this information in other areas of the OMC, as well. On the right of each channel listed, you will see the expiration, or “Expiry Time”.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** connections, listed by GUID. On the right, a bar graph indicates the timeline of each active CPE connection. Click and drag this timeline to scroll it left and right, viewing the history of these connections. 4.7.2. CPE Properties/Details This screen displays the name, description, GUID and spectrum database provider. Figure 35: CPE Details Click the “Reboot” button to reboot the CPE from this screen.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** spectrum database activity results. Interfaces Each radio has multiple network connections created for controls to and from the OMC. This value indicates the most recent date and time each Figure 37: Interfaces Last Reported interface successfully established a connection to the station. If an Internet connection fails, these interfaces will fail to communicate.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 5. Appendices 5.1. Specifications SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Bands Channel Spacing Bandwidth Modulation Data Rates Data Rate Control Receive Interface RX Max Signal Operating Mode User Ports Warranty UHF 470-786 MHz (US and ETSI) 6 MHz (US), 8 MHz (ETSI) 100 kHz (M2M) to 4.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Weight & Dimensions 25 lbs - 42” x 6” CLIENT STATION ANTENNA Model Number Antenna Type Beamwidth Polarity Antenna Connector Frequency Range Gain Weight & Dimensions 053-470-786-6-2B-V Log Periodic 35-degrees vertical, 30-degrees horizontal Vertical or Horizontal “F” type male 75 Ohms 470-786 MHz 9 dBi 2 lbs - 15” x 14” MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS Unit Dimensions Enclosure Material Weight Mounting 19.6” x 6” x 1.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE APPLICABLE WARRANTY PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or a limitation on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above exclusions or limitations may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Byte A digital “word” usually made up of eight bits. CPE Customer Premise Equipment, or “Client Station”; an endpoint, usually at a customer’s location, that connects to a network (or the Internet) via an access point Ethernet A set of computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs). IP Internet protocol provides for transmitting blocks of data between hosts identified by fixedlength addresses.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** 5.5. Useful URLs Carlson provides the following URLs for reference purposes only. This is not a comprehensive source for this information. The purchaser must be familiar themselves with all relevant safety and/or regulatory information prior to the operation of a RuralConnect® system. Carlson does not authorize untrained and/or unqualified personnel to work on the system without the supervision of a qualified technician.
PRELIMINARY RELEASE *** This is a confidential document. Do not distribute. *** Weatherproofing RF connections http://www.dxengineering.com/pdf/WeatherProofingCoax-TechTip.pdf RF Safety information FCC: Radio Frequency Safety http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/rf-faqs.html VHF/UHF Exposure information/warnings http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/rf-faqs.
