RuralConnect® Gen3 User Manual V1.0
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Copyright
©
2020 Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
protection for your equipment. Verified ground connections are imperative for lightning protection to
work correctly.
Primary lightning protection is located outside the enclosure. Install primary lightning protection with
a good ground on all RF and/or data connections that have even a moderate outdoor line build-out.
Best practices dictate all lines entering or exiting a building need protection. You must use protection
on both ends of the cables between buildings! Contact your sales representative for detailed
specifications and usage information for the primary lightning protection solutions available from
Carlson.
In areas with frequent lighting activity, augmenting the Client Station install with a nearby lightning
rod is strongly recommended. Lightning can unpredictably strike and miss the antenna mast
altogether, making contact with the underlying wiring/cabling instead. Lightning discharges into the
lowest impedance path to ground, i.e. earth. In many cases this will be the master ground in the
primary AC panel unless nearby grounding is installed.
Cable Recommendations
Use of factory-approved 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 strongly recommended that you use only Carlson-
approved cables. Discuss your cabling options with your Carlson Sales Representative.
Carlson carries professional-grade RF coax cables that provide greater durability and less
attenuation than those readily available. We offer and recommend well-insulated 75-Ohm broadband
coaxial cable with gas-injected foam polyethylene insulation. For short jumper connections, use 18
AWG RG-
6/U cables with a solid .040” bare copper conductor. For longer runs, use 14 AWG RG-11
cables with a .064” bare copper conductor.
Only use cable with 100-percent solid copper center conductors. Lower-quality copper-clad
conductors have decreased performance and can lead to failures.
The 75-Ohm cabling used for RuralConnect
®
installation should not exceed 45 meters. Terminate all
coax cables with weather-sealed 75-Ohm F-type compression connectors with PVC jackets. Do not
use crimp-type connectors.
Avoid cable bends as much as possible; do not put more than a 90-degree bend in any cable run.
Network performance is greatly affected by the quality of data cabling used. Carlson carries and
recommends UV-resistant, shielded and grounded twisted pair cabling (CAT-5 or greater) rated for
outdoor use.
Recommended Tools
These are the tools commonly used to set up and install a RuralConnect
®
system. To ensure a
seamless installation, make sure you have these tools available.
•
ESD protection gear
•
Wrench set (metric)
•
Socket set (metric)
•
Screwdriver set (Phillips and Standard)
•
Multimeter/multi-tester
•
CAT5/CAT6 cable tester
•
CAT5/CAT6 wire cutter/stripper tool(s)
•
RG-6/RG-11 RF cable cutter/stripper and compression/termination tool(s)
