Force5 Industrial 5-Band Cellular Booster for Commercial Offices, Institutions and Housing Complexes. User Guide WARNING This is NOT a CONSUMER device. It is designated for installation by FCC LICENSEES and QUALIFIED INSTALLERS. You MUST have an FCC LICENSE or express consent of an FCC Licensee to operate this device. Unauthorized use may result in significant forfeiture penalties, including penalties in excess of $100,000 for each continuing violation.
HAPTER 1: Introduction 1 C 1.1 - Package Contents 3 1.2 - Features & Benefits 3 1.3 - Additional Items Needed 3 1.4 - How It Works 4 CHAPTER 2: Safety 4 2.1 - Safety Warnings 4 CHAPTER 3: Planning 6 3.1 - Overview 6 3.2 - Exterior Antenna 7 3.3 - Interior Antennas 8 3.4 - Antenna Separation 9 3.5 - Calculating Signal Strength 11 3.6 - Booster Location 13 3.7 - Accessories 13 3.
Introduction Introducing SureCall’s Force5, Industrial booster Please read this entire manual before proceeding. with the installation. This manual applies to the Force5 Industrial model 1.1 - Package Contents Your booster box contains the following items: • Force5 Booster. • Mounting kit (not shown). • DC power supply (not shown). • Wall anchors (not shown). 1.
Safety 1.4 - How It Works The Force5 booster amplifies cellular signals from the nearest tower to phones in a building and from those phones back to the tower to compensate for weak reception caused by distance, topography, building structure, and/or other reasons. The booster receives the signal from an outside antenna, amplifies that signal, and then rebroadcasts it via the interior antenna(s) where it is picked up by cellular phones, modems, and data cards.
Safety • Some components may be heavy and/or bulky. Always use proper lifting and carrying techniques when handling components, especially when working on a ladder, roof, or other area with a fall hazard. • The exterior antenna must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna. • Always use a properly installed SureCall lightning protector between the exterior antenna and the booster.
Planning CHAPTER 3: Planning 3.1 - Overview The general booster installation process follows these steps: 1. Decide where to mount the exterior antenna. This will generally be on the wall or roof of the building in the location with the strongest signal. You will need to decide whether to use an omnidirectional antenna mounted vertically or a directional Yagi antenna pointed directly at the cellular tower (line of sight).
Planning 3.2 - Exterior Antenna You may use either an omnidirectional antenna such as the SC-288W (flat area with no obstructions) or a directional Yagi antenna such as the SC-230W (to point directly at the tower). The omnidirectional antenna receives and transmits signals over a horizontal 360-degree circle while the Yagi antenna receives and transmits signals over a focused area and must be aimed directly (line of sight) toward the cellular tower that provides the best signal to the building.
Planning 3.3 - Interior Antennas You may use any combination of omnidirectional (dome) and/or directional (flat panel) interior antennas needed to obtain optimal signal strength throughout the building or installation area. Dome antennas such as the SC-222W, SC-223 and SC-224 provide 360-degree hemispherical coverage suitable for mostly square areas while flat panel antennas such as the SC-248W provide a focused zone of coverage suitable for long narrow areas.
Planning Note: You may or may not need antennas on every floor of a multistory building depending on factors such as building material, booster gain, etc. 3.4 - Antenna Separation Proper antenna separation is essential in order to prevent signal oscillation (feedback) that can interfere with the cellular tower. Separation is measured in a straight line from the exterior antenna to the closest interior antenna.
Planning The easiest way to calculate the straight-line separation between antennas is to break it down into three simple measurements and then use some basic geometry to find the distance, as follows: 1. Measure the distances ab, bc, and cd as shown in the diagram on the next page. - Distance from the nearest interior antenna (Point a) to the wall underneath the exterior antenna (Point b). This is distance ab. - Distance from Point b to directly underneath the exterior antenna. This is Point (c).
Planning Separate interior antennas based on the calculations shown in Section 3.5. You may mix and match dome and directional antennas as needed to obtain proper coverage throughout the building or area where you need to boost the signal. If you are using a Yagi exterior antenna, you should normally aim it away from all interior antennas regardless of separation to prevent oscillation.
Planning • Inside antenna gain (IAG): This is the signal boost provided by an interior antenna and is always a positive number with SureCall antennas. OAG SC-222W omni dome CM2448W direction panel Gain +3 +7 • Cable loss (CL): This is the signal loss caused by the cable and is always a negative number.
Planning 3.6 - Booster Location Select an indoor location for the booster that meets the following criteria: • Wall or ceiling mounts are acceptable. • Near a properly grounded 110VAC outlet. • Not in a tightly enclosed or overly hot space. • All power and warning lights easily visible. • Least amount of cable to connect all antennas. 3.7 - Accessories The final step in the planning process is to make sure you have all of the necessary accessories to complete the installation.
Installation Chapter 4. Installation This chapter describes how to install the booster and antennas for best results. 4.1 - Selecting the Locations Select the locations for the exterior antenna, interior antenna(s), booster, cables, and accessories as described in the previous chapter. CAUTION: FAILURE TO PROPERLY PLAN THE BOOSTER INSTALLATION CAN CAUSE SIGNAL OSCILLATION AND/OR OTHER EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION. 4.
Installation WARNING: FAILURE TO EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN WORKING IN HIGH AREAS COULD CAUSE A FALL AND PERSONAL INJURY. WARNING: DO NOT TOUCH ANY LIVE ELECTRICAL WIRES OR ALLOW THE ANTENNA OR CABLING TO TOUCH ANY LIVE ELECTRICAL WIRES. CAUTION: AVOID AIMING A YAGI ANTENNA TOWARD ANY INTERIOR ANTENNA. 1. Mount the antenna. 2. Connect a length of SC-400 cable to the antenna and tighten until hand-tight. 3. Run the cable along the planned route. 4. Install a properly grounded CMLP lightning protector. 5.
Installation 4.4 - Internal Antennas Mount the interior antenna(s) in the location(s) you selected during the planning process. Be sure to follow the instructions included with the antenna(s) for a safe installation. Remember: • Dome antennas (SC-222W, SC-223, etc.) should be mounted in the ceiling as close to the center of the desired coverage area as possible with the domed side pointing down.
Installation 4.5 - Mounting the Booster Mount the booster as follows: 1. Verify that the selected location meets all of the criteria described in the previous chapter. 2. Attach the included mounting kit to the booster using the screws provided. Tighten the screws by hand with a screwdriver until tight plus 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Do not over-tighten. 3. Mount 24” x 24”, 3⁄4” thick sheet of plywood on top of sheetrock into wall studs where the booster is to be situated. Plywood should be flush against wall.
Configuration and Testing CHAPTER 5: Configuration & Testing The Force5 has nine dipswitches. Below is an image of the dipswitches and the frequency bands they utilize for attenuation. Next to the image is ageneral attenuation guide.
Configuration and Testing Each bank of DIP switches contain five switches. • Turning a switch OFF increases booster gain for the selected channel. • Turning that switch ON decreases booster gain for the selected channel. From left to right, the DIP switches in each bank provide 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 dB of attenuation (reduced amplification). These switches are cumulative, meaning that the total amount of attenuation for a channel is equal to the combined dB of all ON DIP switches in the corresponding bank.
Configuration and Testing 5.2 - Initial Configuration By default, your booster ships with all DIP switches turned OFF to provide maximum gain in all channels. This should always be your starting point whenever installing or reinstalling the booster. 5.3 - Powering on the Booster To power on the booster: 1. Make sure that exterior and interior antenna cables are firmly connected to the proper ports on the booster. 2. Plug a surge suppressor into a grounded 110VAC wall outlet. 3.
Configuration and Testing • Do not expect to see 5 bars of reception everywhere in the building as this is practically impossible. Also, signal strength in dB can vary significantly without necessarily affecting the number of bars displayed because different phone and data card manufacturers handle bars slightly differently. • A good rule of thumb is that increasing gain by 6dB doubles the coverage distance of the interior antennas. Start at the lowest gain setting and increase gain gradually as needed.
Warranty 6. If the problem is not resolved within 15 minutes, the booster will shut down (all lights off except the Power light, which is green) and must be reset by unplugging it from the power supply and plugging it back in. To resolve oscillation, increase the antenna separation (Section 3.4) and/or the attenuation (Section 5.1). 7. Each band on the booster works independently from other bands. Therefore, Band lights will react accordingly.
Warranty Three-Year Product Warranty SureCall warrants its products for three years from the date of purchase against defects in workmanship and/or materials. Specifications are subject to change. The three-year warranty only applies to products meeting the latest FCC Certification Guidelines stated on 2/20/2013 and going into effect April 30, 2014. A two-year warranty applies to any products manufactured before May 1, 2014.
Warranty Limitations of Warranty, Damages and Liability: EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, GUARANTEES, OR REPRESENTATIONS AS TO MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR OTHER WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, GUARANTEES, OR REPRESENTATIONS, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IN LAW OR IN FACT, ORAL OR IN WRITING. SURECALL AGGREGATE LIABILITY IN DAMAGES OR OTHERWISE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PAYMENT, IF ANY, RECEIVED BY CELLPHONE-MATE, INC.
