Communication Sites

The communication site, usually referred to as the base station, is a critical
component in any wireless system. A communication site is a physical
location where there is radio equipment that is intended for either receiving,
transmitting, or both. With the advent of multiple technology platforms
and the need to collocate wireless services on a single structure,
there is normally more than one technology and service operator located at
any one location. For the design engineer involved with either designing a
greenfield or collocation, there is almost an infinite amount of different
types of communication site configurations and perturbations that can be
considered.
This chapter will cover some of the more salient issues associated with a
wireless communication site and the implications that should be considered
for installing 2.5G and 3G equipment. Therefore the focus of attention will
be directed toward the radio frequency (RF) engineer and the issues associated
with the design phase. The particulars associated with the operation
and construction concerns that are an integral part of the communication
sites design criteria will not be covered here because it is outside the scope
of this book.