10/8/2010
The Need for Precise Alignment of Microwave Systems and Rooftop Management
<p>Not long after installing a microwave for a large insurance company, I was back to service the link. Unbeknownst to the IT folks, a massive air conditioning structure was built on the roof over a weekend, blocking the path between the dishes. On Monday morning when they discovered the link down and the reason for it, they instructed an air conditioning installer to move the mount for the microwave such that there were no obstructions between it and the far end, which was clearly visible a few blocks away. <br /> <br /> Moving it about 10 feet re-established clear line of sight, but the link still did not work. Realizing that the far end was no longer pointing directly at the relocated dish, they made a few adjustments to the angles and managed to turn the link lights on the radios to green.  At this point they declared the move a complete success, however, the performance on this link told a much different story - one of mounting errors and greatly diminished throughput. They watched as I re-aligned the link with actual receive levels and signal quality measurements. Close didn’t cut it in this configuration and they seemed a bit embarrassed for trying it themselves after seeing just how accurate ‘accurate’ needs to be. I commended them for their efforts, and also for practicing what they preach, insurance! They had a backup link to see them through.</p>
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