1 00:00:08,609 --> 00:00:15,490 Hello, my name is Scott Pettigrove and I'm a Product Line Manager for VIAVI's Antenna Test Group. 2 00:00:15,869 --> 00:00:21,789 Thank you for joining us today to discuss aligning antennas for point-to-point communications links using the RF Vision. 3 00:00:22,190 --> 00:00:29,670 If you're watching this video, you likely already have some degree of familiarity with the RF Vision's focus. 4 00:00:30,489 --> 00:00:37,350 Our mission is to ensure accurate alignment of site antennas per the RF design intent during both installation and maintenance. 5 00:00:37,350 --> 00:00:46,070 We do this by combining a high-precision GNSS receiver, a built-in camera that is mechanically aligned to the boresight of the attached antenna, 6 00:00:46,409 --> 00:00:55,750 a rugged 5-inch touchscreen, and an intuitive augmented reality-based targeting system into a complete, lightweight, and easy-to-use antenna alignment solution. 7 00:00:58,570 --> 00:01:01,350 That complete solution has these notable attributes. 8 00:01:02,210 --> 00:01:04,629 Firstly, we want to get you aligned more quickly. 9 00:01:04,629 --> 00:01:13,790 We do that in a couple of ways, primarily with our new GNSS receiver, which has multiple constellation support and dual frequency support. 10 00:01:14,069 --> 00:01:26,670 In the recent past, we've supported both GPS and GLONASS systems, but as of February of 2023, we've added Galileo, Baidu, and QZSS constellations as well. 11 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:34,849 Each of these constellations supports two frequencies, one in the 1500 megahertz range and one in the 1200 megahertz range. 12 00:01:35,329 --> 00:01:37,790 So five constellations now instead of two. 13 00:01:38,810 --> 00:01:44,489 The more constellations and frequencies that the GNSS receiver can see, the faster you can get aligned. 14 00:01:46,579 --> 00:01:50,439 We also help you to see and report exactly what your antenna sees. 15 00:01:50,439 --> 00:01:58,659 So we have a unique, mechanically aligned line-of-sight survey that is driven by our mechanically aligned camera that's built into the unit. 16 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,659 This helps you to understand if the coverage that your antenna sees is jeopardized by obstructions, 17 00:02:03,780 --> 00:02:07,640 both far field and near field, including potential PIM generators. 18 00:02:09,620 --> 00:02:15,139 It's rugged, very compact, and lightweight, and it's the perfect companion for those long days in the field. 19 00:02:15,139 --> 00:02:24,139 It's one tool for all your alignment needs, whether it's for panel antennas, microwave antennas, cylindrical and or small cell antennas. 20 00:02:24,139 --> 00:02:34,340 And our solution also acts to reduce the amount of time from the assignment of work to the validation of the work performed. 21 00:02:34,340 --> 00:02:41,340 We do that in a couple of ways, one with automatic reporting and results uploads to Stratasync, 22 00:02:41,340 --> 00:02:44,599 which is VIAVI's cloud-based asset and data management system, 23 00:02:45,219 --> 00:02:50,060 and optionally with Stratasync's end-to-end job-oriented workflow. 24 00:02:50,740 --> 00:02:56,000 And with Stratasync workflow, you enter the job specifics into a form in the cloud. 25 00:02:56,259 --> 00:02:59,300 You push the job to a specific technician and instrument. 26 00:02:59,439 --> 00:03:04,439 You pick the job from a list that's then represented on the RF vision screen itself. 27 00:03:04,659 --> 00:03:07,879 You align to the configuration that's been passed to that job 28 00:03:07,879 --> 00:03:12,240 and then automatically save the results and reports back to Stratasync. 29 00:03:12,979 --> 00:03:15,759 Though it's not the primary focus of our discussion today, 30 00:03:15,939 --> 00:03:18,099 if you find that Stratasync workflow intrigues you, 31 00:03:18,199 --> 00:03:21,120 please reach out to your local VIAVI sales rep to find out more. 32 00:03:23,930 --> 00:03:26,789 The whole goal is to ensure that what you install and deploy 33 00:03:26,789 --> 00:03:29,150 matches the intent of the planned RF design. 34 00:03:29,590 --> 00:03:32,969 Unless, of course, our line-of-sight camera shows you that the planned design 35 00:03:32,969 --> 00:03:35,069 might not be achieving the expected coverage 36 00:03:35,069 --> 00:03:38,490 or brings potential near-field PIM sources into view. 37 00:03:38,490 --> 00:03:46,409 We spend much of our time talking to folks about the importance of accurate alignment of panel antennas for cellular applications, 38 00:03:46,770 --> 00:03:48,229 and there are good reasons for that. 39 00:03:48,990 --> 00:03:53,710 Incorrectly aligned panel antennas can result in RF coverage gaps, overlaps and interference, 40 00:03:54,289 --> 00:03:59,490 reduced capacity for the antenna for the site as a whole, increased handover failures, 41 00:03:59,710 --> 00:04:03,990 and with that comes increased drop calls, possibly subscriber frustration and churn, 42 00:04:04,330 --> 00:04:07,729 as well as increased potential for repeat site visits. 43 00:04:07,729 --> 00:04:13,449 if you're not aware that the problem that you're trying to solve is actually related to misaligned antennas. 44 00:04:15,629 --> 00:04:20,490 But we don't normally spend as much time talking about the criticality of point-to-point antenna alignment, 45 00:04:20,730 --> 00:04:24,269 though you can argue that the effects of misalignment here could be even more severe, 46 00:04:24,269 --> 00:04:30,329 where one misaligned antenna in a microwave backhaul link, for instance, could bring down the entire site. 47 00:04:31,110 --> 00:04:37,069 So accurate alignment of microwave links is fundamental to service quality and customer satisfaction on that link. 48 00:04:37,670 --> 00:04:43,949 Poorly aligned links can result in degraded link capacity and reliability, increased wind and vibration sensitivity, 49 00:04:44,589 --> 00:04:51,509 loss of link redundancy and therefore potential impact to SLAs in place, service outage and revenue interruptions, 50 00:04:51,870 --> 00:04:54,170 as well as customer churn and revenue loss. 51 00:04:54,449 --> 00:05:02,279 So when it comes to using the RF vision to align microwave links, there are two primary use cases that apply. 52 00:05:04,259 --> 00:05:09,660 First is to use two RF visions and two climbers to simultaneously align both ends of the link. 53 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,620 This is the fastest and the most efficient approach. 54 00:05:13,879 --> 00:05:19,839 The second is to use one RF vision and one climber to iteratively align both ends of the link. 55 00:05:20,459 --> 00:05:24,560 And this method is effective, but takes longer and quite a bit more energy. 56 00:05:24,899 --> 00:05:31,569 So using the RF vision, microwave dish alignment is optimized at each end of the link 57 00:05:31,569 --> 00:05:36,189 by aligning the nearside antenna onto the main lobe of the farside antenna. 58 00:05:36,189 --> 00:05:42,009 And we can do this without installing and or powering the antenna radios. 59 00:05:43,550 --> 00:05:54,509 This makes fine-tuning of the antennas to top-dead center of the main lobe with a digital voltmeter much faster and easier after the radios are installed and powered up. 60 00:05:59,459 --> 00:06:04,980 Now let's discuss how the RF vision accomplishes microwave antenna alignment in a little more detail. 61 00:06:04,980 --> 00:06:13,680 When aligning point-to-point links, the RF vision will use two points in space to calculate azimuth and tilt alignment targets. 62 00:06:16,199 --> 00:06:25,279 Each point is described by the respective antenna's latitude, longitude, and AMSL height, where AMSL stands for Above Mean Seed Length. 63 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:30,220 And using AMSL height allows for absolute height references for each antenna. 64 00:06:31,180 --> 00:06:36,680 Height above ground is relative and is normally different for each site and therefore not used. 65 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:44,620 The RF vision mounted on side A will use point A, measured by the RF vision GNSS receiver, 66 00:06:45,079 --> 00:06:48,519 and point B, entered into the RF vision UI by the user, 67 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:54,560 to calculate the alignment targets for path A to B in the form of target azimuth and tilt. 68 00:06:57,439 --> 00:07:03,720 Likewise, the RF vision mounted on side B will use measured point B and user-entered point A 69 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,139 to calculate the alignment targets for path B to A. 70 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,420 To show how this is accomplished on the RFVision, 71 00:07:13,420 --> 00:07:15,980 let's walk through the microwave alignment application. 72 00:07:17,079 --> 00:07:18,879 To align microwave antennas, 73 00:07:19,100 --> 00:07:22,720 select the Microwave Align icon on the RFVision's main screen. 74 00:07:26,910 --> 00:07:29,290 Here's a view of the microwave alignment screen. 75 00:07:29,730 --> 00:07:32,750 The box in the lower right-hand corner contains information 76 00:07:32,750 --> 00:07:36,189 about your local latitude, longitude, and AMSL height 77 00:07:36,189 --> 00:07:38,930 measured by the RFVision GNSS receiver. 78 00:07:41,089 --> 00:07:46,290 Make sure that your height input is set to GPS AMSL height in the settings menu. 79 00:07:48,519 --> 00:07:55,319 Touch the box in the lower left-hand corner to enter the latitude, longitude, and AMSL height for the far end antenna. 80 00:07:59,019 --> 00:08:06,720 That will take you to the path information screen where you enter the path ID and the latitude, longitude, and AMSL height of the far end antenna. 81 00:08:07,459 --> 00:08:13,800 This information could be derived from the link design parameters provided to you by a co-worker at the far end 82 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:16,920 or captured by you on a prior visit to the far end. 83 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:23,000 Note that the latitude and longitude are always entered in decimal degree format in this screen. 84 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,839 Select Accept when you're done. 85 00:08:31,759 --> 00:08:34,320 This will bring you back to the microwave alignment screen, 86 00:08:34,519 --> 00:08:37,419 where your new azimuth and tilt target values will be shown. 87 00:08:38,460 --> 00:08:43,240 Align the antenna to the target values using the RFVision's augmented reality alignment system, 88 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:46,860 and when the bullseye turns from red to green, lock your antenna down. 89 00:08:49,759 --> 00:08:54,519 While aligning, please make sure to give the bullseye target at least five seconds of settling time 90 00:08:54,519 --> 00:08:57,460 to allow for our smoothing algorithms to complete their work. 91 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:00,480 Select Save, and you're done. 92 00:09:07,250 --> 00:09:13,309 With that under our belt, let's talk in more detail about the two primary use cases for microwave alignment with the RF vision. 93 00:09:13,629 --> 00:09:20,120 The first use case is alignment with two RF visions. 94 00:09:21,159 --> 00:09:27,120 Using an RF vision on each side of the link simultaneously will expedite the alignment process substantially. 95 00:09:30,299 --> 00:09:35,820 Begin by mounting one RF vision on the side A antenna and another on the side B antenna, 96 00:09:36,159 --> 00:09:39,340 and wait until the RF visions obtain GNSS lock. 97 00:09:40,159 --> 00:09:45,860 At this point, the operators on each side will communicate with each other via voice, text, or email. 98 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:54,610 The operator on side A will input the location values measured by the RF vision attached on side B, 99 00:09:54,909 --> 00:10:00,970 and the operator on side B will enter the location values measured on side A. 100 00:10:03,730 --> 00:10:09,710 Both operators then proceed to align their azimuth and tilt targets using the augmented reality alignment system. 101 00:10:15,460 --> 00:10:19,299 The second use case is alignment with one operator and one RF vision. 102 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:33,960 Mount the RF vision on the Side-A antenna and enter the latitude, longitude, and AMSL height of the far end antenna based on link design parameters. 103 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,120 Align the antenna on Side-A to the bullseye target and save the report. 104 00:10:39,519 --> 00:10:40,940 This is very important to do this. 105 00:10:40,940 --> 00:10:44,399 You'll need the information from that report when you get to side B. 106 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:49,659 Now take the RF vision to the side B antenna, mount it, 107 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:54,120 and enter latitude, longitude, and height values saved during the side A alignment. 108 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:00,700 Align the antenna on side B to the bullseye target and save the report. 109 00:11:05,190 --> 00:11:09,750 If the side B actual values differ significantly from the original design targets, 110 00:11:09,850 --> 00:11:16,230 you may need to revisit side A and repeat the alignment using the saved values that you obtained during the side B visit. 111 00:11:16,509 --> 00:11:27,659 So before we wrap up, let's talk briefly about what comes with the standard RFVision 2000 kit. 112 00:11:28,220 --> 00:11:35,960 The kit includes the RFVision antenna alignment tool, a universal strap clamp for use on a variety of antenna types, 113 00:11:36,460 --> 00:11:42,539 a soft padded carry bag, a hard carry case for protected transport to and from the site, 114 00:11:43,340 --> 00:11:50,580 an AC to DC power supply with universal wall adapter system, and a USB cable for power and data connectivity. 115 00:11:55,289 --> 00:11:58,309 VIAVI carries a variety of optional accessories for the RF vision. 116 00:11:58,710 --> 00:12:02,110 Some that are particularly valuable for microwave applications are 117 00:12:02,110 --> 00:12:09,009 the lip clamp, which attaches to the top lip of some dish-style antennas where there is not room for the standard clamp, 118 00:12:10,269 --> 00:12:15,289 the extended lip clamp, a variation of the lip clamp that accommodates larger clamp depth, 119 00:12:15,289 --> 00:12:24,409 the extended lip clamp with L-back plate that registers to the top of the antenna's lip to make the attachment quick and secure, 120 00:12:24,889 --> 00:12:34,100 and a set of extended straps for the universal strap clamp to allow use on dishes up to 12 feet in diameter. 121 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,200 So in summary, here's what we've covered today. 122 00:12:41,379 --> 00:12:48,480 The RF Vision quickly and easily aligns antennas in a point-to-point link prior to installing and powering the antenna radios. 123 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:55,879 The fastest method to align both antennas on a link is to use two RF Visions simultaneously, 124 00:12:56,460 --> 00:12:59,159 though a single unit can be used if you have the time. 125 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:07,879 The RF Vision quickly points microwave antennas onto the main lobe of the opposite antenna in a link. 126 00:13:09,899 --> 00:13:13,700 Subsequent fine-tuning of the alignment to top-dead center of the main lobe 127 00:13:13,700 --> 00:13:20,559 normally requires powering the antenna radios and the use of a digital voltmeter to optimize received signal strength. 128 00:13:25,590 --> 00:13:27,149 So that's all we have today. 129 00:13:27,269 --> 00:13:29,250 Thank you very much for spending time with us. 130 00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:33,370 We hope that you found that this information was both helpful and useful. 131 00:13:34,009 --> 00:13:37,330 If you'd like to know more about VIAVI's RF Vision Antenna Alignment Tool 132 00:13:37,330 --> 00:13:42,049 or other VIAVI tools to help you with your RF, fiber, and coax testing needs, 133 00:13:42,750 --> 00:13:46,350 please reach out to your nearest VIAVI sales representative or authorized dealer 134 00:13:46,350 --> 00:13:51,049 or contact us at www.viavisolutions.com. 135 00:13:51,049 --> 00:13:55,929 And to all you bold and brave tower climbers, have a great day up there in the clouds.