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APPENDIX M – SITE SURVEY
Some installation sites might cause paging reception problems. In these cases, it’s usually beneficial
to perform a site survey by monitoring the radio waves in the area that you want to install a system. In
addition, it also might be beneficial to perform a range test to find out of the installed signal will be strong
enough to be received in all of the areas you want to cover. A site survey consists of both monitoring for radio
signals on your channel, and verifying that the paging system has the power to cover the expected area.
PERFORM A SITE SURVEY IF PAGING CONDITIONS MEET ONE OR MORE OF THESE CRITERIA:
•
HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL FACILITY
•
UNOBSTRUCTED LINE OF SIGHT DISTANCE EXCEEDING 1 1/2 MILES
•
BUILDING ABOVE 5 STORIES
•
BUILDING GREATER THAN 50,000 SQUARE FT.
•
MULTI-BUILDING FACILITY
•
VICINITY OF SEAPORTS AND SHIPYARDS
•
PAGER RECEPTION PROBLEMS OCCUR
•
EXCESSIVE CARRIER SIGNAL DETECTION CONDITIONS OCCUR AT THE PAGING SYSTEM
You can monitor for radio signals using a simple multi-channel UHF band scanner
. You listen to the
scanner for any audio output on that channel (
Note:
The louder the audio, the stronger the signal
).
If the
scanning results in excessive use of that radio channel, consider changing the paging system to operate on
another radio frequency channel. Use the scanner to identify the lowest traffic of those channels available to
you. You may need to monitor for several minutes to determine which channels are busier than others.
You can use a PC connected to a SPS5 paging system to perform a range test using the WaveWare
Paging Encoder Setup Software (
see pg. 19 for details
). If pager reception problems occur without excessive
foreign traffic on that channel, then consider boosting the strength of the paging signal. Typically, when you
boost a signal, you will need to change the paging system equipment and pagers to a channel that allows
higher power transmissions, measured in Watts.
