Tower & Ground-Mounted Amplifiers

FAQ

1. What is a TMA? Answer:

A TMA is a tower mounted amplifier. The main function of a TMA is to improve uplink gain at a cell site.

2. What is uplink? Answer:

Uplink is the transmission of the radio signal from the mobile handset to the cellular base station.

3. What is the gain? Why is it important? Answer:

The gain is increase in power or amplitude of the radio signal. Improving (or increasing) the uplink gain allows the cell site to hear the mobile device at a longer range. This allows the mobile handset to operate at a lower power, and the battery will last longer. There are other advantages to data rates and call quality with gain increase.

4. What is a GMA? Answer:

A GMA is a ground mounted amplifier. ADCs GMA provides the same benefit to your cell site as a TMA, but is located at the base of the tower.

5. Why do I need a TMA or GMA? Answer:

TMAs and GMAs improve network performance. They decrease failed call attempts, decrease dropped calls, increase minutes of use, increase data rates, expand coverage, and focus capacity.

6. My BTS supplier says I dont need a TMA or GMA. Why? Answer:

A BTS supplier will say the cell is link balanced. The reality is that the noise figure of a base station is not adequate to provide a balanced cell. Filtering is often sacrificed by the OEM to keep the cost and physical size of the base station down. By adding a TMA or GMA to your cell site, you will get greater performance from your base station.

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Tower & Ground-Mounted Amplifiers

FAQ

7. What are the specs I should be concerned with? Answer:

Tower and ground mounted amplifiers are sometimes considered commodity products. Aside from performance and quality metrics, reliability, ease of installation, service and commercial terms are often primary considerations when choosing a solution. The most important specifications are: Noise Figure. Noise figure (NF) is defined as an expression of noise generated by a device. The lower the NF, the better. Most base stations have a NF of 4-4.5dB. ADCs TMAs and GMAs have noise figures of 1-1.4 dB. Filtering & out-of-band rejection. Good filtering allows the cell site to focus on and amplify the signal(s) of interest.

8. Im concerned about active equipment on my towers. Whats your performance? Answer:

Refer to the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and return rate statistics on the spec sheet. To minimize acts of nature failures, ADCs TMAs have built-in lightning protection and welded aluminum housing.

9. What is the size of your TMA? How does it compare with other solutions? Why does it matter? Answer:
Refer to the spec sheet for weights & dimensions. Relative to the competion, ADCs product is comparable on dimensions and slightly heavier. The weight increase is typically based on using an aluminum housing versus plastic. ADCs filter is larger, but its performance is better than market average.

10. How are the units powered? Answer:

The TMAs are powered by a power distribution unit (PDU) connected to the base station feeder cable. The GMAs are directly connected to the PDU. The PDU gets power from the base station.

11. When does it make sense to use a GMA instead of a TMA? Answer:
A GMA may be the best choice if there is concern about placing active electronics on the top of a tower, if the tower lease terms are prohibitive (based on cost, loading, time taken to renegotiate lease terms, or to attain the permits required). Or, if access to a tower crew is limited or cost prohibitive.

12. What are the benefits of a GMA? Answer:

GMAs offer a lower total cost of ownership and are quicker to install and easier to maintain.

13. Why are ADCs products better than other products? Answer:
Quality. Each product is shipped with a full production test record. Every TMA & GMA in our portfolio has industry-leading filter performance. ADC has sold TMAs globally for 13 years.

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+1 -952-938-8080

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Tower & Ground-Mounted Amplifiers

FAQ

14. Why would I want to use a TMA in CDMA or LTE networks? Answer:
In CDMA networks with downlink-limited sites (with limited traffic), TMAs & GMAs offer coverage improvements. With uplink limited sites, TMAs & GMAs improve capacity within a fixed-coverage area. In an LTE network, a TMA or GMA will improve signal-to-noise (s/n) performance and ultimately improve data throughput.

15. If I am looking for a new product or spec how do I find it? Answer:
Visit www.adc.com/wireless ClearGain product page.

16. How will deploying TMAs and GMAs improve my business case (ROI calculation)? Answer:
The benefits of TMAs & GMAs include fewer dropped calls, longer battery life, and fewer failed call attempts. The cell site coverage area is also increased, growing your addressable customer base. All these benefits offer more minutes of use and less subsciber churn.

17. How will I integrate the TMA or GMA into my existing BSS; are there any parameters or settings that I need to change or optimize to maximize the cell site performance? Answer:
There are base station configuration settings that will need minor adjustments when a TMA or GMA is installed, such as gain. ADC offers assistance with training and crafting methods of procedure (MOP).

18. How do I monitor the performance and status of the TMA or GMA; are there external alarms, etc.? Answer:
The power distribution unit (PDU) has on-site visual alarms (LEDs) and a relay contact closure to interface alarms with the base station.

19. Does the power feed to the TMA interfere with my remote electrical down tilt system? Answer:
No, if used with the recommended powering equipment (a smart bias-T).

20. When is it worthwhile investing in a TMA or GMA based on the feeder cable loss of my antenna system? Answer:
TMAs and GMAs are worthwhile investments regardless of cable loss. ADC engineers can assist with this analysis. We have an online tool that will predict the performance benefits of both TMAs and GMAs at your cell site.

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+ 1-952-938-8080

1-800-366-3891

Website: www.adc.com
From North America, Call Toll Free: 1-800-366-3891 Outside of North America: +1-952-938-8080 Fax: +1-952-917-3237 For a listing of ADCs global sales office locations, please refer to our website.
ADC Telecommunications, Inc., P.O. Box 1101, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA 55440-1101 Specifications published here are current as of the date of publication of this document. Because we are continuously improving our products, ADC reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice. At any time, you may verify product specifications by contacting our headquarters office in Minneapolis. ADC Telecommunications, Inc. views its patent portfolio as an important corporate asset and vigorously enforces its patents. Products or features contained herein may be covered by one or more U.S. or foreign patents. An Equal Opportunity Employer 109049AE 3/10 Original 2010 ADC Telecommunications, Inc. All Rights Reserved