Plastronics
For decades, connector manufacturers have relied on traditional spring-loaded, or pogo-style pins, to provide highly compliant, reliable interconnections. Although expensive, these highly compliant pins are used to connect batteries to docking stations, antennas to PCBs, for rugged, high-shock and vibration applications, or to compensate for floating heights and uneven mating surfaces. Continue reading
Jeffrey Feigin, PhD, GSSI
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is an electromagnetic imaging technique that allows users to see beneath the surface through soil, pavement, concrete, ice, and even water. GPR is widely used for utility mapping, concrete inspection, forensic investigations, geological surveys, and archaeology. Regulatory agencies place stringent power emission limits on GPR equipment to prevent disruption to other technologies that share the same spectra, for example, wireless communications and global positioning systems. Continue reading
D. J. Kozakoff, C. Corallo, D. Petra, and W. Roovers
Every pole mounted cellular antenna uses a RF transparent electromagnetic window to protect the antenna from the environment. For 5G and the migration to much higher cellular frequencies and extremely broadband signals, many materials used at current frequencies cannot provide adequate low loss and broad bandwidth performance. This article discusses some issues and tradeoffs. Continue reading
Mohamed Nadder Hamdy, Director of Technical Sales
CommScope
The practice of network sharing has been a recurring topic of interest in the wireless industry since it was introduced in the early 2000′s. The first network sharing agreements were conceived as a way to help European wireless operators offset the high cost of launching 3G service in hard-to-cover areas. Despite the potential for savings, the initial surge of interest in network sharing quickly declined as most operators opted to build their own 3G networks. Continue reading
As the LAN (Local Area Network) environment gets increasingly complex, IDEAL Networks has issued guidance to help technicians identify the source of errors more simply and get the most from their network troubleshooting tester. Continue reading
Dr. Mohammed Nadder Hamdy, Director, Wireless Network Engineering
CommScope
Base station antennas are like closed boxes that we rarely get a chance to look inside. They can’t be opened without getting damaged, and their size and weight makes them difficult to display inside offices. Despite significant technological advancements on the inside of the box, we still see only the same shaped box from the outside. This could be one of the reasons behind many misperceptions surrounding their function, which have turned into myths over time. Let’s explore some of the most common myths related to these mysterious boxes, revealing a few of the industry’s best-kept secrets. Continue reading
By Donald Gardner | CommScope
Microwave antennas form an essential part of modern mobile communication networks, providing the majority of backhaul provision between cell sites and core networks. In common with the rest of the network, there is a lot of pressure to minimize the costs of microwave network rollout. Some choose to do this through the use of cheap antennas; however, this can actually cost more in the long-run when the total cost of ownership (TCO) is considered. Let me explain by first reviewing some of the factors that drive cost in a microwave antenna. Continue reading
