Industry Forums > Wireless Service Providers > [Tech Ops] Motorola R56 Document

[Tech Ops] Motorola R56 Document

good, it was a PITA to email out!

Tell me about it

reply to AMD Phreak

reply to AMD Phreak
As of fall last year they are working on an update.

they review several times a year though, and much of the information contained within is not only based of standards and science, but actual field experiences.

in MY experience complying with R56 makes a HUGE difference in the ability to safely divert the strike energy. some of the stuff may sound redundant or sound like it was taken from other standards without research, but i can tell you that it is there because as of the date it was written it is the best method around. i personally know several field TECHS that contribute to R56 revisions, not some engineer who sits behind a desk and tries to justify there job. when they find something works or does not work, they pass the info along and the manual gets updated accordingly.

if it is good enough to protect multi million dollar cell and public safety sites, it is more than good enough to protect another type wireless site that costs a fraction of that. is it costly to implement, sure it is. but preventing just 1 strike can often pay for the cost of implementation. i've seen a Rohn 80 tower glow orange for 2 minutes after a hard direct strike and have zero damage to any equipment installed to R56 standards. i was actually IN the equipment shack when the strike happened, the only way i knew it was the guy outside came in to see if i was ok and he said come look at the tower.

whether you choose to follow R56 standards is up to you. heck i know a guy that intentional cut loose every ground inside his building, including the grounds for electrical outlets/conduits, the only ground was the tower iteself, and he never took a strike again. was it luck, or was he on to something, i don't know and i ain't risking MY stuff to find out!
--
Lack of Preparation on YOUR Part does NOT Constitute an Emergency on Mine!

reply to lutful
The book was written to provide guidance. I have found some things are elaborated on somewhat while others are just stated as "do this, and if you want more information, look to X standard".

I don't see much of an issue with the method in which they are conveying the concepts and how-to's.

After all, the document is written for technicians to reference. Not everyone has a PhD in this stuff, and as such you have to make it simple enough for joe shmoe to follow.
--
"No job is so important, and no service is so urgent that we cannot take the time to perform our work safely."
-- AT&T, Your World, Destroyed.
--Safety One Tower Rescue Certified
--LLigetfa:"Wimax is like teenage sex. Everyone talks about doing it."

reply to davidg

reply to AMD Phreak

That diagram is a bit different than the standard comm shelter.

By the time one has reached the point of that diagram it is assumed that the communications gear has been installed in accordance with the prior recommendations. That diagram is further up the food chain, so to speak. We do not single plate anything (maybe I am misunderstanding your definition/description of single plate?).

There ARE exceptions made however, such as at comm sites where there are POE radios, RF cables, CCTV POE, CCTV 24VAC, IF+Power, etc where they must all run in though the main entry window, but then they are all bonded at the EGB and MGB respectively (in the best manner possible). Even in these instances I will often use secondary SPD's to protect between equipment, most notably for example between the output of a DSx microwave system, and a MUX which is connected to other equipment.

EDIT TO ADD:

Telco and Optical always has its own entry point. This is how the shelters are built by the mfg's. In these cases we install a SSGB and bond it back to the MGB.

I won't argue any of the information in that drawing or the section of the guidelines from where it came.
--
"No job is so important, and no service is so urgent that we cannot take the time to perform our work safely."
-- AT&T, Your World, Destroyed.
--Safety One Tower Rescue Certified
--LLigetfa:"Wimax is like teenage sex. Everyone talks about doing it."

I won't argue the point you made. I agree with the fact that bonding shall be done with the smallest distance possible.

The fact remains that we still are not to run all cables (telco, rf, power, etc) through the same entry.

Those entrances are specific for RF cable entries, and the book although not directly stating, insinuates as such.

reply to AMD Phreak
I do not recall seeing any defined 'rules', but the book is a guideline (written by EE's, Electricians, Technicians, and others) so I am sure they have their reasons, even though they do not point to anything specific.

reply to AMD Phreak