AISG SYSTEM FAQs

This Frequently Asked Questions list will provide answers to the most commonly asked questions concerning the implementation of RFSs AISG 2.0 system products. It is divided into functional product blocks.

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General Information Software (NEM-ALD) CNI (Control Network Interface) TMA (Tower Mounted Amplifier) Protocol adapter Cables

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General Information: 1. Q. What components make up this system? A. The system is composed of several blocks, however not all blocks are required - Control Software NEM-ALD-S (Ethernet control) NEM-ALD-A (Serial control) - Controller CNI (Control Network Interface) PA-USB/485-2 (Protocol adapter. AISG Style) PA-1 (Protocol adapter. MODBUS Style) ACU-A20-N AISG 2.0 version ACU-E1 or ACU-E1-E MODBUS versions Multiple styles and configurations ATMAA1412D-1A20 Twin AWS AISG 2.0 version ATMAP1412D-1A20 Dual AWS/PCS AISG 2.0 version ATMPP1412D-1A20 Twin PCS AISG 2.0 version BITA2S-AL20 (DIN F - DIN F, AISG M) AISG 2.0 version BITA2S-1AL20 (DIN F - DIN M, AISG M) AISG 2.0 version BITA2S-2AL20 (DIN M - DIN F, AISG M) AISG 2.0 version BITA2S-3AL20 (DIN F - DIN M, AISG F) AISG 2.0 version

- RET Motors - Cables - TMA

- Bias Tee

2. Q. Can ACUs of different protocols be mixed? A. No. Although the Software can control ACUs running AISG 2.0, AISG1.1 or MODBUS, the different products must reside on separate physical cable runs.

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Software: NEM-ALD-S or NEM-ALD-A 1. Q. What system (PC) requirements do I need to run the AISG 2.0 software? A. Windows XP with Service pack 1 or 2, 2. Q. Will the NEM-ALD software work with the Windows Vista operating system? A. Yes 3. Q. What is the difference between NEM-ALD-A and NEM-ALD-S software? A. The NEM-ALD-A software is used when you wish to control system hardware using the Serial port on the PC. The NEM-ALD-S software is for Ethernet control of the hardware. 4. Q. Where can I get the NEM-ALD Software? A. The software is available from customized RFS Extranet sites (http://myrfs.rfsworld.com/optimizerrt) or from the RFS Applications Engineering department. 5. Q. What control protocols can the software support. A. The NEM-ALD software can support MODBUS, AISG 1.1 and AISG 2.0 control Protocols. 6. Q. What is the user ID and password for the NEM-ALD Software? A. The user ID and password are same, either: admin (Both lowercase) or user_node_b (Both lowercase). 7. Q. What are the IP addresses of the CNI and the PC? A. The Factory installed IP address for the CNI is 192.168.1.100, to directly communicate, the PCs IP address should be set to 192.168.1.101 8. Q. How do I change the CNI IP Address? A. The IP address on the CNI can be set by clicking the Configure button on the RFSLocateIP software, please refer to pg. 15 of the Quick start guide. IP Address : 192.168.1.100 Net Mask : 255.255.255.0 Gateway : 192.168.1.0 9. Q. What IP configuration do I require on my PC to communicate with the CNI? A. To set the appropriate IP address on the PC, please refer to pg. 17 of the Quick start Guide. IP Address : 192.168.1.101 Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway : 192.168.1.0 10. Q. When I try to connect to my CNI or Protocol Adapter using the NEM-ALD-A software I get the error: Error setting up data manager: can not open serial port. What do I do? A. Ensure you have the correct serial port number, you are using CAPITAL letters when you type COM, and there are no spaces. For example if you are using port 1 enter COM1. com1, COM 1, com 1 will fail. Rev 1.5 4/30/2008 3/9

11. Q. How do I set the downtilt on the NEM-ALD-A and NEM-ALD-S software? A. On the NEM-ALD s/w double click on the respective RET you need the down tilt changed, then either move the Electrical Tilt (deg) arrow up or down OR enter the down tilt and hit Set.

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CNI: (CNI-P2A20) 1. Q. How do I control the CNI? A. The two methods of controlling the CNI are: - Ethernet, using the Ethernet crossover cable included with the CNI, and the NEM-ALD-S software. The cable is connected between the Ethernet connection of the controller (BTS or PC) and the Ethernet connection on the CNI - Serial, using the optional CA050-11 control cable, and the NEM-ALD-A software. The cable is connected between the RS-232 connection of the controller PC) and the PC connection on the CNI 2. Q. Does the CNI have a fuse? A. There are no user serviceable parts in the CNI. 3. Q. What are the lights on the CNI for? A. The CNI has 5 indicator lights. - The Vin light indicates the status of DC input power, ON power is correct, off power is not correct. - The CNI OK indicates the current status / mode of the CNI, Green means OK, Red indicates an out of service fault, and Green Flashing indicates Firmware Boot Loading mode. - The three Alarm Output lights indicate the status of each of the three CNI output Ports, Green is OK, Red is Fault and cycling Orange indicates BUS Scanning in progress. NOTE: If the CNI is in Serial control Mode, All three alarm lights Flash Green On and Off 4. Q. What are the connectors on the CNI all used for, and do they need to be connected? A. The CNI has a total of 8 connector ports on the Faceplate. - Ethernet - Required only if the CNI is to be controlled via an Ethernet connection, use the supplied Ethernet Crossover Cable model ET020-7 - PC - Required only if the CNI is to be controlled via a serial connection, use the CNI PC port cable model CA050-11 - PPP - (Point to Point Protocol) This is a alternate (to Ethernet) high speed protocol method to communicate between the CNI and a controller. A CNI cannot support Ethernet and PPP simultaneously. If required use CA050-5 or CA050-8 cable. - Alarm Required only if local relay closure type alarming is required to the BTS. Use External Alarm cable model CA020-4. This is a summed alarm providing a single closure for any combination of alarm conditions. - Output 1, Output 2, Output 3 - These are the main connection points to all attached AISG cabling and hardware in the system. Any AISG Control / Power cable may be attached to any port. - DC Input - Screw terminal type input to apply DC power (20 - 60 Volt) from the BTS frame supply to the CNI. Use supplied CA020-3 cable.

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5. Q. How do I power the CNI? A. The CNI is designed to operate on a DC supply in the range of 20-60 volts. - The CNI is supplied with a three-wire power cable model CA020-3, open on both ends. The Red wire is for the positive voltage rail, the Green wire is ground, and the Black wire is the negative voltage rail.

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TMA: (ATMAA1412D-1A20, ATMAP1412D-1A20, ATMPP1412D-1A20) 1. Q. What are the different TMA models for? A. The three models are all two channel TMAs, two amplifiers in one radome. - The ATMAA1412D-1A20 has two AWS band (1710-1755) amplifiers. - The ATMAP1412D-1A20 has one AWS band (1710-1755) amplifier and one PCS band (1850-1910) amplifier. - The ATMPP1412D-1A20 has two PCS band (1850-1910) amplifiers. 2. Q. Can I mount the TMA on its side? A. Any mounting orientation (except up side down) is acceptable for the TMA. 3. Q. If I am only using a portion of the TMA, what should I do with the unused connectors? A. All unused RF connectors should be appropriately weather sealed to prevent water ingress. RFS model 716F-SEAL can be used for this. If unused, the AISG output connector on the bottom of the unit should also be appropriately sealed. This can be accomplished using and RFS AISG-CAP (available in kits of 20 p/n AISG-CAP-20M) 4. Q. Do I need to provide power to each BTS input connector? A. Yes, If a port is not powered it will indicate an alarm condition and the LNA will not be powered on. 5. Q. How do I identify which BTS port needs to be connected to the CNI (or Node-B) for AISG operation? A. - On the ATMAA1412D-1A20 (Twin) TMA the port is identified as AWS BTS 1 (AISG) - On the ATMAP1412D-1A20 (Dual) TMA the port is identified as AWS BTS - On the ATMPP1412D-1A20 (Twin) TMA the port is identified as PCS BTS 1 6. Q. Do I need to use Smart bias tees on both BTS inputs for the TMAs? A. No. The Bias voltage on the non-AISG input (see question 5), if required, may be supplied by any appropriate bias source (10-30 VDC), However the Bias voltage on the AISG input must be provided through the Smart Bias Tee (or AISG compliant Node B BST) if AISG functionality is needed. 7. Q. On the ATM series TMAs, do we need to power up both sides to have best possible sweep? Are the return loss specs on one side affected if the other side is not power up? A. NO, Its not necessary to have both sides of the TMA powered up to have best RF sweep. The RL on one side is not affected by the other side.

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Protocol Adapter 1. Q. What software do I need to use if I am going to use a Protocol Adapter? A. Both the PA-1 and the PA-USB/485-2 protocol adapters both use the NEM-ALD-A software. The PA-USB/485-2 protocol adapter also requires the appropriate drivers to be installed. 2. Q. Can I use the PA-1 Protocol adapter in the AISG system? A. Yes, the legacy PA-1 can be used to control the AISG RET devices (ACUs) in 3 specific configurations. Special adapter cables will be required. See the PA-1 Usage with AISG2.0 support document for full details.

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Cables: 1. Q. I see that the AISG control cables are all Male to Female, Does it matter which way I run the cables? A. All cables should be run such that no power could appear on a male connector. In other words, the main home run cable should be run so that the Male connector of the cable is at the bottom, to connect to the Female output of the Protocol adapter or CNI, and the Female connector of the cable is at the top to connect to the Male connector on a ACU (RET Motor). 2. Q. How do I know how long a power / data cable is? A. The Power / Control cables are labelled CAxxx-7, where the xxx is the cable length in 0.1 meter steps. For example a CA003-7 is 0.3 meters long, a CA050-7 is 5 meters long.

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