R-9110AC
GSM 900 BAND SELECTIVE REPEATER
EQUIPMENT MANUAL
This is an unpublished work the copyright in which vests in Comba International ("Comba"). All rights reserved.
The information contained herein is confidential and the property of Comba and is supplied without liability for errors or omissions. No part
may be reproduced, disclosed or used except as authorised by contract or other written permission. The copyright and the foregoing
restriction on reproduction and use extend to all media in which the information may be embodied.
0.2 CONTENTS
Section Page
2 EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION..............................................................................................13
2.1 GENERAL............................................................................................................................13
2.2 EQUIPMENT LAYOUT ........................................................................................................13
2.3 R-9110AC BLOCK DIAGRAM.............................................................................................14
2.4 MANUFACTURING ENTITIES............................................................................................14
2.5 KIT OF PARTS ....................................................................................................................15
2.6 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .........................................................................................16
2.6.1 ELECTRICAL AND POWER ...............................................................................................16
2.6.2 MECHANICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL ....................................................................................16
2.6.3 OPERATION & MAINTENANCE.........................................................................................17
3 INSTALLATION ...................................................................................................................18
3.1 WARNINGS AND ALERTS .................................................................................................18
3.2 SITE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS................................................................................19
3.2.1 REPEATER INSTALLATION CHECKLIST .........................................................................20
3.2.2 ANTENNA INSTALLATION CONSIDERATION..................................................................20
3.3 INSTALLATION PROCEDURES.........................................................................................21
3.3.1 GOODS INWARDS INSPECTION ......................................................................................21
3.3.2 TOOLS.................................................................................................................................21
3.3.3 PREPARATION ...................................................................................................................21
3.3.4 WALL MOUNTING DETAILS ..............................................................................................22
3.3.5 POLE MOUNTING DETAILS ..............................................................................................23
3.3.6 DRIP-LOOP .........................................................................................................................23
3.3.7 EQUIPMENT CONNECTIONS............................................................................................23
4 COMMISSIONING...............................................................................................................25
4.1 MCU LED INDICATORS .....................................................................................................25
4.2 EQUIPMENT POWER-UP ..................................................................................................25
4.3 OMT .....................................................................................................................................26
4.4 NON-VOLATILE MEMORY .................................................................................................26
4.4.1 OMT SOFTWARE VERSION ..............................................................................................27
4.4.2 OMT SOFTWARE INSTALLATION.....................................................................................27
4.4.3 PREPARATION FOR REMOTE CONNECTION OF OMT USING WIRELESS
MODEM ...............................................................................................................................27
4.4.4 CONNECTING OMT TO EQUIPMENT ...............................................................................28
4.5 LOCAL COMMISSIONING..................................................................................................29
4.5.1 DESCRIPTION OF PARAMETERS ....................................................................................30
4.6 COMMISSIONING PROCEDURES ....................................................................................34
4.7 REMOTE MONITORING USING OMC ...............................................................................36
5 OPERATION........................................................................................................................37
6 MAINTENANCE...................................................................................................................38
7 APPENDICES......................................................................................................................39
7.1 APPENDIX A: TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT FOR INSTALLATION ......................................39
7.2 APPENDIX B: VSWR – RETURN LOSS TABLE ................................................................39
7.3 APPENDIX C: UPLINK ATT AND NOISE LEVEL...............................................................39
7.4 APPENDIX D: RMA (RETURN MATERIAL AUTHORIZATION) FORM .............................40
0.4 HISTORY
Change No. Issue/ENU Details Of Change
Section
All all
0.6 REFERENCES
0.6.1 OMT Installation guide for R-9110AC ENU 1-0-0 prepared by Nicole Au Mar 2005
Abbreviation Definition
ALC Automatic Level Control
ATT Attenuation
BS Base Station
BTS Base Transceiver Station
dB Decibel
dBm Decibels relative to 1 milliwatt
DL Downlink
DT Donor Terminal
DPX Duplexer
EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only
Memory
FS Frequency Selector
GSM Groupe Speciale Mobile or Global Standard for Mobile
Communication
Hz Hertz
ID Identification
LNA Low Noise Amplifier
MCU Main Control Unit
MHz Megahertz
MT Mobile Terminal
MTBF Mean Time Between Failures
NC Normally Closed
NF Noise Figure
NO Normally Open
OMC Operation & Maintenance Center
OMT Operation & Maintenance Terminal
PLL Phase Locked Loop
PSU Power Supply Unit
RF Radio Frequency
SMA Sub-Miniature A Connector (coaxial cable connector
type)
SMS Short Message System
UL Uplink
VAC Volts Alternating Current
VSWR Voltage Standing Wave Radio
Any installation, adjustment, maintenance and repair of the equipment must only be carried out by
trained, authorised personnel. At all times, personnel must comply with any safety notices and
instructions.
Specific hazards are indicated by symbol labels on or near the affected parts of the equipment. The
labels conform to international standards, are triangular in shape, and are coloured black on a yellow
background. An informative text label may accompany the symbol label.
Hazard labelling is supplemented by safety notices in the appropriate equipment manual. These
notices contain additional information on the nature of the hazard and may also specify precautions.
Warning:
These draw the attention of personnel to hazards which may cause death or injury to the operator or
others. Examples of use are cases of high voltage, laser emission, toxic substances, point of high
temperature, etc.
Alert:
These draw the attention of personnel to hazards which may cause damage to the equipment. An
example of use is the case of static electricity hazard.
Caution notices may also be used in the handbook to draw attention to matters that do not constitute
a risk of causing damage to the equipment but where there is a possibility of seriously impairing its
performance, e.g. by mishandling or gross maladjustment. Warnings and Cautions within themain
text do not incorporate labels and may be in shortened form.
The repair of individual units and modules of this equipment is not considered practicable without
factory facilities. It is, therefore, the policy of Comba whereby faulty units or modules are returned to
the local agent for repair.
To enable an efficient, prompt after sales service to be provided for the diagnosis, repair and return
of any faulty equipment, please comply with the following requirements.
Items to be sent for repair should be packaged so as to provide both electrostatic and physical
protection and a Repair Material Authorization (a sample of this form is in appendix D) completed
giving the required information
This request must be included with the item for repair, items for repair should be sent to the nearest
Comba office:
Singapore office
Address: 865 Mountbatten Road #05-43, Katong Shopping Centre, Singapore 449408
Tel: + 65 6345 4908
Fax: + 65 6345 1186
Email: combasg@comba-telecom.com
Sweden Office
Address: Comba Telecom Systems AB, Gustavslundsvagen 147, S- 167 51 Bromma,
Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 25 38 70
Fax: +46 8 25 38 69
Email: info@comba-telecom.se
Whilst every endeavour is made to ensure the accuracy of this and all Comba documents, there is
always the possibility that an inaccuracy or omission could occur.
In order that any amendment/remedial action can be carried out promptly, we would appreciate your
co–operation in filling out and returning a photocopy of this customer reply sheet as soon as
possible.
Customer Information:
Name
Title
Company
Date
Address
Telephone Number
Customer Comments:
Equipment title
ENU 1-0-0
Page number
Paragraph number
Line number
Figure number
Details of inaccuracies
Other comments
End of section
1 GENERAL INFORMATION
R-9110AC system is a GSM 900 MHz band-selective RF repeater. The system is used in outdoor
locations where signal coverage for dead zone is desired (e.g. villages, highways, rural area, etc.)
Band-specific linear amplifier and filtering effectively amplifies the desired BTS carrier and provides
superior out-of-band rejection. Typical units incorporate up to 15MHz, 19MHz and 24.6MHz filter
bandwidth with frequencies programmed to specific requirements of the network. Remote
configuration and surveillance is possible through Comba’s remote control and monitoring system,
via laptop or wireless modem to the OMC. Li-ion battery backup built in enclosure ensures alarm
signals are sent out in the event of power failure, and optional external battery backup ensures
operation in conditions of non-ideal power supply or unstable supply voltages. The R-9110AC
comes in a completely sealed, well-ventilated cast aluminum chassis, suitable for all weather
conditions.
End of section
2 EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION
2.1 GENERAL
The R-9110AC repeater consists of:
z Frequency Selector (FS): can select the demand signal band and reject the other
unwanted signals effectively.
z Power Amplifier (PA): fulfils power amplification in both of uplink and downlink branches.
z Couplers: Located towards the DT and MT connections, these provide coupling signal to
the modem and as a point for testing the DL input and UL output power levels.
z Duplexer (DPX): Located towards the DT and MT connections, their function is to
combine/divide the uplink and downlink signals.
z One Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) is installed in each UL/DL branch. The repeater UL/DL
ATT value corresponds individually to UL/DL LNA gain.
z Main Control Unit (MCU): is used to monitor and control the operation parameters of the
repeater and provides telecommunication interface for remote control, indicator LEDs
(L1~L4) on which display the respective operation status.
z Located on the distribution board (backplane) the following connections: connectivities to
function modules, MCU, RS232 port (D5) for local control.
ALC
M-ATT
DL Band Selective
LNA1 Module PA1
Downlink
Donor Mobile
Ant Ant
DT MT
ALC
M-ATT
UL Band Selective
PA2 Module LNA2
Mobile
Uplink
Wireless
Modem
External
Power
OMT
OMC
End of section
3 INSTALLATION
3.1 WARNINGS AND ALERTS
There may be situations, particularly workplace environments near high- powered RF sources,
where recommended limits for safe exposure of human beings to RF energy could be exceeded. In
such cases, restrictive measures or actions may be necessary to ensure the safe use of RF energy.
High voltage
The equipment have been designed and constructed as to prevent as far as reasonably practicable
danger. Any work activity on or near equipment involving installation, operation or maintenance must
be as far as reasonably free from danger.
Where there is a risk of damage to electrical systems involving adverse weather, extreme
temperatures, wet, corrosive or dirty conditions, flammable or explosive atmospheres than the
system must be suitably installed to prevent danger.
Protective Earthing
Equipment provided for the purpose of protecting individuals from electrical risk must be suitable for
the purpose and properly maintained and used.
Handling Percautions
This covers a range of activities including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, moving, holding
or restraining an object, animal or person. It also covers activities which require the use of force or
effort such as pulling a lever, or operating power tools.
ESD
Observe standard precautions for handling ESD-sensitive devices. Assume that all solid-state
electronic devices are ESD-sensitive. Ensure use of a grounded wriststrap or equivalent while
working with ESD-sensitive devices. Transport, store, and handle ESD-sensitive devices in static-
safe environments.
The repeater is designed to be waterproof, rainproof, and with snow protection. Temporary
protection should be taken when the equipment chassis is opened for installation or maintenance in
an outdoor environment. The equipment must not be opened for installation or maintenance in bad
weather (e.g. gale, storm rainfall, extreme temperatures and high humidity)
Installation location
Mounting surface shall be suitable to support weight pf the equipment: for R-9110AC, this is about
37 kg (82 lb.).
Environmental
Humidity has an effect on the reliability of the equipment. It is recommended to install the equipment
in location having stable temperature and un-restricted air-flow.
R-9110AC equipment has been designed to operate in the ambient air temperature range of -40°to
+55℃/-40°to 131℉ (class I) or -25°to +55℃/-13°to 131℉ (class II) at <95% relative humidity.
Should the direct day light temperature exceeds 40°C (104°F), then barrier device should be
installed in to protect the equipment to limit sunlight exposure.
Powering
The power supply unit (PSU) provides power to all modules within the chassis. The PSU accepts
155~285VAC/50Hz. It is recommended that the PSU operate on a dedicated AC circuit breaker or
fused circuit.
In order to avoid electromagnetic interference, select the R-9110AC mounting location to minimize
interference from electromagnetic sources such as: large electricity powered equipment.
Grounding requirement
Verify the equipment has been well grounded, this includes antennas and all cables connected.
Ensure lightning protection for the antennas is properly grounded.
Cable routing
Four cables entries to the equipment: Two co-axial, mains-power and 1x RS-232
Manual handling
During transportation and installation, take necessary handling precautions to avoid potential
physical injury to the installation personnel and the equipment.
AC power supply at each installation Power cord length is 2m (6.5 ft), use a dedicated
location: 155~285VAC 50Hz AC breaker or fuse circuit, and with good access to
an earthing point.
EMC and interference Do not locate near large transformers or motors
that may cause electromagnetic interference.
Maintain distance from chassis to DT, MT Reduce of signal loss in feeder cable
antennas
Suitable operating environment -40° to 55°C(-40° to 131°F) (class I) -25°to 55°C (-
13° to 131°F) (class II) Maximum 95% relative
humidity.
3.3.2 TOOLS
See appendix 7.1 for a full list of tools required for installation.
3.3.3 PREPARATION
Repeater:
z Mounting surface or pole capable of support chassis’ weight: < 37 kg (82 lb.)
z Power outlet within 2m / 6.5 ft.
z Terminate unused antenna ports with a 50 ohm terminator.
z Earthing point/Safety ground within 2m / 6.5 ft.
Antenna:
z Antenna installation is covered by their respective manuals. Take normal precautions when
preparing and handling feeder cables to ensure they are not damaged.
3.3.6 DRIP-LOOP
Comba recommends that every horizontal cable entry to the equipment forms a 'U' before its entry to
the equipment. Any accumulated water on the cable will drip down at the bottom of the loop and will
not climb up to the equipment.
Ground connection
The chassis must be grounded securely. Connect a copper wire (resistance <2.5 Ω) to the
grounding terminal on the equipment chassis, and connect the other end to a protective ground (i.e.
building earth point). An internationally acceptable coloring code of the ground connection wire is
green/yellow.
The repeater accepts single phase 220V AC 50Hz power. The recommected AC connection is rated
at AC 220V, 10A and has three connections to include earth. This connection is labelled ‘AC in’
External batteries provides DC voltage at 24V 100Ah to the equipment. Comba recommends
sealed lead-acid batteries to be used. DC connection is made with wires constructed on-site,
wires of AVR 1.2mm2 are used, select red for ‘+’ and black for the ‘-‘ connection.
Take red and black wires from the terminals within the chassis; feed them through the cable
gland to the battery pack. This connection is labeled “DC in”.
24V is derived by two 12v battery cells connected in series, connect the red and black wires to
the battery terminals securely and tightening the cable gland.
RF signal connection
The lithium-ion battery-pack provides back-up supply to the MCU board; an in-line connector
close to the battery pack is ‘disconnected’ before shipping. During installation, re-connect the in-
line connector to ensure proper function of the MCU.
This cable is supplied with the equipment, it connects between the serial port of the PC to the ‘D5’
on the distribution board within the chassis. Note: temporary break the the Li-ion battery connection
before making the OMT connection.
End of section
4 COMMISSIONING
4.1 MCU LED INDICATORS
Four diagnostic LED are located on the distribution board, each indicates the status of a particular
function:
Note: Faulty MCU is indicated by LED (L2, L3 or L4) flashing at any other rate than 1 flash/sec. MCU
will have to be replaced.
4.3 OMT
The equipment can be monitored and controlled by one or two means.
OMT software is based on Windows operation system, and is designed for monitoring and
maintaining of Comba repeaters and boosters.
For R-9110AC repeater, the OMT software can accomplish the following functions:
Repeater configuration
Repeater number
Device number
SMS center number
Alarm dial-up number
OMC inquiry number
Remote communication mode
Operating parameters
Master ATT
Assistant ATT
PA soft on/off
Oscillation elimination on/off
Output power
Gain
Channel field
Alarm thresholds
After installing OMT software on the PC, connection to the equipment can be done directly or
remotely.
The power cable and data wire has already been connected to the wireless modem, customer only
need to insert the SIM card into the wireless modem.
1. Connect the local PC to the equipment by the RS232 cable supplied, one end connects to the
‘D5’ connector within the equipment, the other to the serial port of PC.
2. Power-up the equipment, and it will go through the initialization process (duration about
60~120s).
3. After initialization, select ‘Choose Connection Type’ -> “Local connection” -> ‘OK’
4. Select ‘Com-Setting’ -> ‘Serial Port Setting’ to enter communication port configuration.
Note, the default settings are: baud rate (9600), check bit (None), data bits (8 bits), and stop bit (1
digit).
The aboves enable communication between OMT and the equipment. The OMT main-window will
appear automatically, and is followed by a pop-up message ‘Online OK’
In the event of connection failure, a connection prompt will appear on the screen, proceed to verify
the following and re-try the connection:
The ‘R-9110AC band Selective Repeater’ window will appear, and ‘Online OK!’ message will
appear.
The following parameters are located on the left of the main screen, these include: Site ID, SMS and
data link parameters, all of enables communication with the OMC located in a Network Operation
Centre.
SITE ID The identification of each site to the OMC (see section ‘Remote
Monitoring using OMC’)
SMS REPORT ALARM Specifies the SMS centre the system dial when alarms are to be
sent as SMS.
The ‘OMC report number’ specifies a number the MCU to dial for
alarm reporting.
DATALINK REPORT In the datalink mode, alarms can be sent over the PSTN to a
ALARM maximum of four numbers.
Note 1: Only one communication mode is available at one time. Green indicates active and red
indicates disable.
Note 2: If the alarm message has been acknowledged using OMT, then it would not be reported
again.
4.5.1.2 RF PARAMETERS
In the unlikely events of false alarms being reported or software appear to run abnormally, the
customer has the option to reset the equipment. Observing the read-only fields should indicate
equipment reset had completed.
The Alarm list for the R-9110AC is shown below, these are enabled/disabled with OMT/OMC by
placing a ‘tick’ in the adjacent box against the required alarm condition and select ‘Set’:
On the OMT/OMC screen, the alarm is colour coded to indicate its status:
As and when the designated Alarm occurs, it will be visible on OMT and/or reported to OMC.
If OMC does not acknowledging after a time-out of three minutes, the same alarm will be reported to
OMC.
After each the time-out, the un-acknowledged alarm will be reported again with a total of with five
attempts.
Should the alarm is acknowledged within the time-out period, the alarm is acknowledged, and
reported stops.
Alarm is cleared after the necessary diagnosis and rectification has been carried out, the on-scree
colour indicator for the designator should turn to green.
Every twenty-four hours, the equipment will be resetted automatically, any alarm messages held
within the equipment would be cleared.
For every five dial-up attempts, the equipment will be resetted automatically, any alarm messages
held within the equipment would be cleared.
Should the ‘Soft on/off’ function is ‘ON’, then the no alarm will be generated for the following
conditions: Power down, power failed, chassis lock and over temp alarms.
This deals with the firmware held on the MCU, download is initiated by selecting ‘Download’.
Firmware update is carried out when a new version is released, the current formware is at releae
“V4.9.07”.
OMT software are designed to be backward compatible, to view the OMT software version, select
‘Help’ → ‘About System’ in the OMT software main window.
The MCU firmware has its own version number. This version number is shown on the upper right of
the ‘equipment configuration’ window.
Click ‘Exit’ sub-menu under ‘System’ command of OMT main window, select ‘Yes’, the OMT
software will stop executing.
8. Test DL output power and z Set the DL ATT to the optimal level to avoid saturating
adjust DL ATT level the DL PA or to satisfy designing requirement.
9. Test coverage area field z Use test-handset to verify field intensity within the
intensity and adjust mobile coverage area. If needed, re-align the mobile antenna to
antenna . achieve the coverage as per customer requirement.
z Note 1: If during operation, the equipment gain could
not be set to maximum or the output power is not high
enough due to influence of donor antenna and mobile
antenna isolation, the value of ‘I’ should be re-
calculated. If the output power has been high enough
and ALC is enables, then adjust gain for the downlink
branch to achieve ALC to operate within 4~7 dB.
z Note 2: Output power may be variable due to TDMA
technology employed in GSM devices. Take the
maximum value when reading parameters.
10. Verify uplink gain and z Adjust uplink gain and carryout test-call. Set the uplink
ensure test-call is proper gain slightly lower than downlink gain. Then carryout
and there’re no interfering test call in the coverage area while adjusting uplink gain
BS if required. Note: If the repeater locates near the BTS
and the test-call performance is poor, this may be due
to uplink noise interfere the BTS. Customers can
calculate whether the repeater uplink noise interfere the
BTS according to the table in appendix C.
z Verify again there’s no unacceptable interference to
BTS and Isolation meets the need after test-call.
Table 13: Commissioning procedures
In order for OMC to communicate to each equipment, an unique equipment identification must be
referred to, and it is entered using OMT after local commission has been completed. The identifier is
known as ‘Site ID’, and is an alpha-numeric string composed of of six characters.
z Enter the unique ‘Site ID’ value into the ‘Site Address’ field and select ‘Set’
End of section
5 OPERATION
Following installation and commissioning, occasional operation tasks to handling alarms may be
required:
End of section
6 MAINTENANCE
The R-9110AC repeater offers trouble free operation and generally does not need maintenance.
Periodic inspection of the repeater equipment(s) is recommended, the recommended tasks includes:
z Inspect and record operation status and output power of the repeater from OMC or OMT.
z Verify the direction and position of antennas. Re-align if necessary.
z Make sure the cable gland and sealing on the RF cable connectors are not damaged.
z Verify lightning and grounding protection are in good condition.
z For both Li-ion and the optional equipment back-up battery, verify their state. Deeply
discharged battery shall be return to Comba for replacement.
A simple procedure to check Li-ion battery: after operating for 24-hours, switch off AC
power supply. Measure and if the voltage of Li-on battery drops below 16V within one
hour, the Li-on battery has been over-discharged.
A simple procedure to check the back-up battery: after operating for 24-hours, switch off
AC power. Measure and if the voltage of backup battery drops below 23.5V within one
hour, the backup battery has been over-discharged.
7 APPENDICES
7.1 APPENDIX A: TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT FOR INSTALLATION
Description
Slotted screwdriver
Phillips screwdriver
Adjustable spanner (up to 20mm opening)
Electrically operated drill and masonry drill bits
Anti-static wrist strap
Allen key
0 0 -21
-10 0 -30
-20 0 -37
-30~-40 0 -40
-30~-40 -10 -47
-30~-40 -20 -50
End of section
End of Document