| UNIT 6: MULTI-CELL WIRELESS - LESSON 2: SITE SURVEY Site Survey (continued...) Read the Site Planning information on pages 71 through 74 in the KX-TAW848 Installation Manual. After reviewing the information in the Installation Manual, consider how the information provided compares to installation site including the building materials, obstructions, and square footage. An important piece of information provided in this section is that a single Cell Station can provide a signal strength of 8 (or good) up to a maximum of 40 meters or 131 feet in an area without any obstructions or obstacles. During a Site Survey, you will find that you will need to move both the Portable Station and Cell Station and the recommended Battery Box and Power Supply Adapter in order to determine the coverage area. The movement of the Cell Station versus the Portable Station is usually a good starting point for the survey. For example, let us say that you know that the main office section is the primary area that Portable Station users will need service. It is not uncommon for a call to originate in the employee’s primary workspace, and then depending on the nature of the call, have to become mobile while still in conversation. For example, going to the warehouse, or another department, or to check the facsimile machine, or perhaps going to a mailroom to see if a letter or package has arrived. You should start by locating the Portable Station at the furthest point in the main office section, and then have your partner begin to walk away from you towards another area of your building as the signal strength decreases. When the signal strength indication becomes 7, have your partner slowly move back toward the Portable Station until the signal strength 8 returns and remains constant. The Cell Station has now reached the furthest point that it can provide a good signal strength. The Cell Station can then be moved to various potential installation locations in that immediate area. Be sure that the signal strength remains an 8. Then, the person holding the Portable Station can determine the signal strength 8 perimeter for that Cell Station based on its current position and mark the perimeter accordingly on the floor plan. Many installers also mark the wall or floor at the signal strength 8 perimeter using masking tape or self-sticking note pads. Now continue the Site Survey but this time mark the signal strength perimeter of 3. This is the coverage area that you can expect to have Portable Station service, but within this area you may experience intermittent noise. If the initial location of the Cell Station projects a signal strength of 8 where coverage is not necessary or desirable, and does not provide the necessary signal strength where is it needed, move the Cell Station in the direction that will better cover the desired coverage area. Now once again execute the Site Survey noting and marking how the coverage area has moved. Repeat this process until the Cell Station is providing a signal strength of 8 for the main office section and as much of the rest of the facility as possible. The final location of the Cell Station after this process determines the optimal location for the installation of the first Cell Station. Surprisingly, you may find that in some locations like residential sites and small businesses, under certain circumstances, the entire installation location can be supported be a single Cell Station centrally located. Now if additional Cell Station channels are required, it is easy to install the additional Cell Stations within the same area as the first Cell Station separated by the minimum recommended distance of 15 meters. If a single Cell Station does not provide the necessary signal strength of 8, an additional Cell Station will need to be installed in another location in the facility. To do this, you must execute another Site Survey based on the data attained during the Site Survey placement of the first Cell Station. The goal when defining the location of additional Cell Stations is to overlay the signal strength 8 areas by 5 to 10 meters or 16 to 33 feet. This can be accomplished by taking the Portable Station to the signal strength 8 boundary of the first Cell Station, and move in the direction of the first Cell Station by 16 to 33 feet. This spot should be marked and will be the new boundary 8 location for the second Cell Station to be installed. If you are only using one Cell Station to execute your Site Survey, the Cell Station and Battery Box and Power Supply Adapter used during the first procedure will need to be brought to the location identified as the new signal strength boundary for the second station. The signal strength will return to the maximum signal strength of 12. If you are using a second Cell Station, Battery Box and Power Supply Adapter during the Site Survey mode, the second Cell Station will need to be placed in the Site Survey mode, but the second Cell Station will need to be setup as Cell Station 2. Place the Cell Station in the Site Survey mode by moving the 6th DIP switch on the MODE switch on the back of the Cell Station to the ON position. Also move the 2nd DIP switch on the MODE switch to the ON position. This sets the Cell Station in the Site Survey mode and designates the station as Cell Station number 2. The Portable Station will also have to be set up to monitor Cell Station 2. To change a Portable Station that is set in the Site Survey mode monitoring Cell Station 1, press the Power button on the Portable Station. The display will show the following: To test the signal strength of Cell Station number 2, press the digit 2. The display will then show <<SEARCHING>> flashing for several seconds. When the Portable Station has established communications with the Cell Station, the display will show the following: