The RPT-9000
Q: What is the RPT-9000 ?
A: The RPT-9000 is a cellular repeater for CDMA, GSM and AMPs. From
up to 95km/60 miles away the RPT-9000 takes the cellular signal from
a cell tower and repeats it to a new area with limited or no
reception.
Q: What makes the RPT-9000 different
from other cellular repeaters ?
A: The RPT-9000 does not have to be close to the originating
cellular signal like other products. It can be up to 95km/60 miles
away. In addition, typical cellular repeaters only repeat the signal
a short distance while the RPT-9000 can repeat the signal similar to
how cell towers perform.
-Many repeaters limit the number of calls
due to how they operate while the RPT-9000 can repeat as many calls
as the originating tower can handle.
-Many repeaters are designed to
bring the signal into specific places like warehouses, small
buildings or one house while the RPT-9000 is designed to service
areas like valleys, hills, and underground tunnels and parking lots.
-The RPT-9000 has a built in gain of 95db before antennas, several
competitors claim 80-85db but fail to mention they include antennas.
-The RPT-9000 has adjustable gain to work in unison with the
cellular providers tower, the competitors have fixed gains that can
interfere with a cell tower. The RPT-9000 has a 2 year warranty with 1 day turn around service,
the competitors only give 1 year or less and require up to 3 months
for repairs.
Q: What type of cellular service can the
RPT-9000 repeat and extend ?
A: The RPT-9000 is transparent to the type of service or information
within the service. It only cares about the frequency. This means
the unit will pass CDMA, GSM or AMPs transparently. The RPT-9000
passes the voice, data or video to the cell phones transparently.
Q: Does the Cellular Carrier have to be
notified when using the RPT-9000 ?
A: No, you are not required to notify the cellular carrier,
but most installations notify them as a courtesy. They let cellular
carrier know they have adjustable gain which will be adjusted to not
interfere with cell users local to the cell tower. They may also
provide contact in case the timing method in the cellular tower
needs to be extended for longer distance applications.
Q: What frequency does the RPT-9000
repeat ?
A: The unit currently repeats the most popular cellular frequencies in
North America. These are 850 and 1900 Mhz (FCC certified). Worldwide frequencies of 900 and
1800 Mhz are currently available, but not FCC certified. The 2100
Mhz frequency is currently in development.
Q: Will the RPT-9000 repeat cellular
data services ?
A: Yes, since the RPT-9000 only cares about the frequency and not
the type of service, it will pass all the features that are provided
to your cell phone.
Q: How many antennas does the RPT-9000
require ?
A: The RPT-9000 requires at least (2) antennas. One antenna is
called the DONOR ANTENNA and used to pick up the cell tower signal.
The second antenna is called the FILL ANTENNA and utilized to take
the repeated signal and provide to the users. In some cases, a RF
combiner is utilized to allow an additional antenna for greater
coverage, picking up cell towers in different directions or wider
coverage to users.
Q: What type of cabling is used from the
RPT-9000 to the Antennas ?
A: Depending on the required length of the cables, we use 1/2 inch
to 2-1/4 Heliax Cable. This provides low loss between the RPT-9000
and Antennas.
Q: Can the RPT-9000 pass both CDMA and
GSM at the same time ?
A: Yes, the unit only cares about the frequency and not the type of
service. In fact, if the cellular towers you are trying to extend
are in the same path, you will extend both types of service.
Q: Can the RPT-9000 be configured for a
certain frequency or channel in the cellular band chosen ?
A: Yes, the RPT-9000 is available in either complete band or
selective bandwidth options. This allows you to pass all
services/channels or limit just your service and block all others.
Q: Can the RPT-9000 support IDEN
(Nextel) ?
A: At present the IDEN frequency is 800 Mhz. Our current band pass
filters are slightly above this range. We plan to have this
available in Q2, 2010.
Q: Can you support tunnels and caves ?
A: Yes, there are several ways to address tunnels and caves. If the
tunnel or cave is straight, we can shoot the antenna directly into
it. If it is curved at some point, we can either use (2)
systems with one at each end, provide a rf splitter and put small
dome antennas throughout or we can use leaky fiber with our
FPT-5000.
Q: Can the RPT support one way
communication ?
A: Yes, the unit could be configured for one way communication
requirements.
Q: Where is the RPT-9000 mounted ?
A: Typically the RPT-9000 is mounted at the base of a tower or the
shed/housing. This allows the unit to be configured, serviced or
maintained with safety and ease. The unit could be mounted at the
middle or top of tower if desired since the unit has a hardened,
sealed NEMA housing.
Please see the following example of an actual
customer
RPT-9000 Layout drawing.
Q: Does the RPT-9000 have complicated
programming and setup ?
A: No, the RPT-9000 is extremely simple to setup and operate. The
unit uses simple toggle switches and LED indicators for installation
and maintenance. There are NO interfaces for a computer and NO
command line programming involved.
Q: How do I align the Antennas on the
RPT-9000 when the cell tower is far away ?
A: The RPT-9000 has visual LED indicators that indicate the
reception of the cellular signal. Antennas are simply moved in the
direction of the cell tower and the LED indicators will guide you.
If the LED indicators completely light up, you simply use the
attenuation switches to bring the signal down to proper levels.
Q: What type of power does the RPT-9000
use ?
A: The unit can support either 90-230vac or 24vdc power. Many units
are installed with solar power battery systems or with 48DC to AC
power inverters. The units use no more than 50 watts of power.
Q: Can the RPT-9000 use a Solar Power
system?
A: Yes, we have a Solar Battery system that allows the RPT-9000 to
operate on Solar Power and provide backup battery power for up to 10
days depending on the configuration.
Please see the
Solar Power Specification sheet.
Q: What temperatures can the RPT-9000
support ?
A: The RPT-9000 is located throughout the world from the frozen oil
fields of Canada to the hot plains of Africa. The unit can withstand
-40c to 60C temperatures. This is military grade temperature
characteristics.
Q: Is there protection for the Amplifier ?
A: The unit has built in protection from over amplification, loose
connections, incorrect antennas, signal reflection and other issues
that can cause the amplifier to saturate. This includes SWR (Standing Wave Ratio).
Q: How do stop oscillation and feedback ?
A: We utilize the positioning of antennas and
attenuation control to eliminate this problem. The use of quality
antennas like AMP/Antel or Tiltek are suggested. The antennas should
be placed around 70 feet (21m) apart from each other. It does not
matter if it is vertical or horizontal spacing.
Q: What is the warranty of the RPT-9000
?
A: The unit comes with a 2 year manufacturer warranty on the
hardware. This includes defective parts. The unit must be sent in
for repair depot service. The repair time is 1 day. If it is
received in the morning, it will go out repaired the same day.