[BC] Wireless Internet Installation on AM Tower

[Mark Humphrey]

I think Dana's suggestion makes the most sense, especially if the
tower is already equipped with lighting.  The use of fiber all the way
from the tower to the building will also help to prevent lightning
damage to the network interface equipment.

If the photocell control for the lighting system is mounted on the
tower (as is often the case) then there's no need to leave the lights
on full time.

Mount a small weatherproof box near the tower base for the PoE
injector and a Cat 5-to-fiber converter, which can be purchased for
under $100.  Something like a metal outdoor NEMA box will reduce the
chances of RF problems.   Run shielded outdoor Cat 5 cable from the
box up to the Motorola Canopy and make sure the shield is bonded to
the tower at top and bottom, and at least 50 ft intervals in between.

If the tower is presently unlighted, Kintronic Labs is a good source
of lighting chokes.

I recently worked on a similar WiFi installation for one of my AM
clients (quarter-wave tower on 1330 kHz) and found that the choke had
a negligible effect on base impedance.

Mark

On Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 4:34 PM, Tom Spencer<Radiofreetom at gmail.com> wrote:
> Um...
>
> That would require the lights being left on 24/7...
>
> Unless the WiFi operator would be satisfied with a dusk-to-dawn service....
>