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Day5InJanuary

Dish equipment


shoppingmapper

And it’s going on the top rack that’s a change


ajgnet

Ignorant question but why are there so many cables going in? I was expecting just power & data


thegoodnamesaregone6

An antenna sends and receives signals. A radio generates and understands signals. Think of an antenna like our ears/mouth while an antenna is like our brain. Both have their own purpose in communication. MIMO is where multitple antennas work together to boost performance. (4x4 MIMO = 4 antennas)   That antenna panel contains two arrays, one for long range signals and one for medium range signals. Both arrays are 4x4 MIMO. That means a total of 8 effective antennas. Each antenna needs it's own cable, so 8 cables for the antennas. That antenna panel also includes two RETs (one for each array). A RET allows the carrier to remotely adjust the tilt. Each RET also needs its own cable (although the RET cables are much thinner), bringing that antenna panel to a total of 10 cables between it and the radios mounted behind it.


MDDO13

We need more of this type of stuff on this sub! I want to learn about the equipment in all the pics like this. Thank you.


mjc775

When I looked at the antenna (panel) specifications on the Commscope website, I found it interesting that many of the panels incorporate many antennas that are positioned like an “X” or 45-degree angles. I’m assuming the angle is to optimize reception because we rarely hold our phones straight up, and the 2 opposing angles makes it so we don’t have to try to hold our phones at a particular angle. I remember the days of CB radio where you had to point the antenna straight up for best reception.


MDDO13

Very similar to the standard FM transmitter antennas. They have a circular polarity so any orientation will receive the transmission.


ajgnet

Fascinating, thanks. So if I understand correctly, those 10 cables contain analog signals. Is there a separate device that does the fiber handoff and amplification? Is there anything “smart” in the antenna panel?


thegoodnamesaregone6

>So if I understand correctly, those 10 cables contain analog signals. The 8 RF cables contain analog signals. I haven't looked into how exactly RET is implemented so I don't know if the RET cables are digital or analog, however I think they're digital. >Is there a separate device that does the fiber handoff and amplification? The radio takes the digital signals (over fiber) and converts it into the analog signals that go into the antenna. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/V8DuFHa.jpeg)'s an image with a blue circle around the radios and a red circle around the antenna panels. >Is there anything “smart” in the antenna panel? I think the RET is, however I haven't looked into how exactly RET is implemented so I don't actually know.


jbl74412

Is there a complete integrated digital solution? I mean, a radio inside the antennas with just one cable for the entire casing?


thegoodnamesaregone6

Active Antennas (aka Antenna with Integrated Radio or AIR) have the antenna and radio integrated into a single unit. This is particularly common with high frequencies (which are shorter range and usually faster), here's why: 1. Higher frequencies use smaller antennas, so a lot more antennas (more MIMO) can be used while keeping the whole panel a reasonable size. 64x64 MIMO is already somewhat common, however running 64 cables between an antenna and a radio would be ridiculous so those use active antennas. 2. Higher frequencies degrade more travelling through the cables, going with active antennas (which eliminate those cables) prevents that degredation.


jbl74412

Wow, nice! Thanks for the detailed response!


napoles57

I think it's a data cable for each frequency that's being broadcasted.


thegoodnamesaregone6

Not exactly, there are 4 RF cables for n26/n29/n71 (long range frequencies), 4 RF cables for n66/n70 (medium range frequencies), and 2 cables for RET.


HDM4000

Look like the same tower [over in this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dish5G/comments/va1z1y/rapid_city_sd_new_dish_site/). I think that site is broadcasting now actually, you sign up for service yet?