UNDERSTANDING ANTENNA SPECS FOR MVP PLATFORM

It is important for everyone to understand how important the antenna location, configuration and strength is, for making the technology work to its maximum potential.

1. The Expert contains "Shark Antennae", which are a soft flexible rubber material and provide an additional +3dB gain/modem.
2. The LTE++ and Compact have "Angled Antennae", which are a hard rubber material with no flexibility and provide an additional +1dB gain/modem.
3. The "Dome Antenna", which are mainly used on the Expert provide an additional +6dB gain/modem.

In order for these antennae to provide the best possible connection, it is important to remember that the antennae should be facing upwards whenever possible. The backpack itself should always be at the highest possible position when operating. This means that if the backpack is not being worn by the cameraman and they have placed the unit on the ground, you will automatically see a lower performance from the unit in comparison to if the unit is placed on top of a car an elevated surface. The antennae are omni-directional and need to have a clear line of sight to open sky. If you place the backpack on the ground or against a wall, this will automatically cause a decrease in signal strength, which will in turn cause a decreased performance of the unit.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO CONVEY THIS INFORMATION TO THE CUSTOMER AND TO KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN DOIN DEMOS. IF THE UNIT IS BEING PLACED ON THE GROUND OR AGAINST A WALL, WE ARE NOT SHOWING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE UNIT AND NEED TO ELEVATE THE UNIT BY WEARING IT AS A BACKPACK OR PLACING IT ON A HIGHER SURFACE IF YOU ARE NOT MOVING AROUND.

Could you also highlight about the directional antennas? What kinds of directional antennas do we support?

There is one comment about LOS. Omni-directional antennas are not meant for LOS communication. LOS communication is generally used in those cases where is there is enough path loss to deteriorate the signal, like in Satellite based communications. The cellular frequencies are not that high to be significantly affected by path loss and that the signal can also reach via reflection, refraction and diffraction. Yes, LOS to the nearest BTS tower might ensure higher performance but it is not mandatory. Besides, in mobile networks, as we are always on the move, it will be difficult to be in LOS all the time. So the scenario that you are suggesting is absolute.

When referring to the omni-diretional antennae that we use on the backpack products, I did not necessarily mean that they require true line of sight (LOS). What I meant to say is that they perform best when away from objects that may deteriorate or reflect signal. When the backpack is on the ground, the antenna will not perform as well as if it is placed in an an area where it is closer to the open sky. There is nothing in the sky to create the requirement for a LOS situation, however, since the omni-directional antenna works with a v-pattern (see link below), then it will always work better when there are no physical objects directly interfering with the signal path, such as when placing the backpack on the ground beside a building.

Hope this clarifies the point.

Please see this link to understand the point of the discussion:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=kTyyYCH4GFkb_M&tbnid=b1Io-MOuIGOlZM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cisco.com%2Fen%2FUS%2Ftech%2Ftk722%2Ftk809%2Ftechnologies_tech_note09186a00807f34d3.shtml&ei=8xaYUuGgK879oASm7YLABg&bvm=bv.57155469,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNEvbFMPNOfjzg5L0jf8u2TnHLELXg&ust=1385785111877310

In the case of cellular networks, even if the antenna is a directional one and there is an obstruction between the UE and the BTS tower, there will be communication between the entities. I know that LOS signal will be better when compared to a reflected one, but the communication will not be compromised. Height of the UE is one of the factors, as you are suggesting that our transmitters might not perform well on ground than on an elevated hight near the sky.

The V shaped coverage area as shown in the link is of a Directional antenna. On the contrary onmi-directional antennas are like isotropic antennas having coverage area uniform in all directions. It might be thought of a circular coverage area with the antenna at the center when viewed from the top.

To what extent we can increase the length of wire in case of dome antenna from the TX to the head of base of dome antenna.(i.e.The max length )

Hi Ajay ,

The Dome antenna wire length can be extended to MAx 5 Mtrs length by joining it with another cable of 2.5 Mtrs with existing wire