Customer:
Neil Munday is a director of and presenter, reporter and engineer on Susy Radio 103.4, a community radio station established in 1996 and broadcasting to listeners between the M25 and North Downs, that is from Merstham, East Surrey, to Crawley, North Sussex, on 103.4MHz FM.
Problem:
Susy Radio 103.4 had previously used a Deltenna 3G/4G WiFi 2.4GHz WiBE unit which, having given 10 years sterling service, is no longer supported and not upgradeable to 5G or 5GHz. Whilst the 5G network is not fully deployed in the United Kingdom, it was felt that an upgrade in readiness was appropriate.
After making enquiries, searching the internet and contacting Teltonika Networks directly in Lithuania, a referral was made to local supplier Lamonde Automation Ltd in Crawley. A clear quotation was received by email, at a price that could not be ignored, particularly as personal funds had been set aside to facilitate the upgrade.
After a couple of telephone calls, the quotation was swapped with a purchase order, and a box was hand-delivered and received with thanks.
Solution:
Specifically, the products ordered were a Teltonika RUTX50 router providing 3G/LTE/5G WAN plus 2.4g and 5.0g wireless LAN with a compatible antenna, which is in fact a QuWireless QuSpot AX50S rebadged, into which the router is installed completely to make a single unit for installation.
To help with Outside Broadcast Connectivity issues, an Unlimited Data 5G SIM was already available to install into the router. Boxes were opened and first opinions of the router were:
- Ergonomic design
- Solid construction
- Ease of connection
- Included UK power supply
This last was particularly useful for initial setup and testing, after which the assembled unit would be powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE) via an injector ordered at the same time.
With the assistance of Susy Radio’s Director of Engineering Peter Symonds, assembly of the replacement solution began. Connectivity where the Outside Broadcast Unit is stored is not particularly reliable or strong on 5G via iPhone and the original 4G equipment struggled to connect at all, offering instead the dreaded buffering whirly circle.
Attaching the antennae, inserting the SIM and then powering up using the separate power supply, connection was easy from a laptop connected to the wireless network broadcast by the router. Connecting the Outside Broadcast computer by wired network allowed the router to download an update. The setup screens were intuitive and various names, passwords and other settings were configured, saved and backed up.
We were able to see all the signal strengths in the router’s interface and, due to the 5G network connection, both the firmware and settings updates were delivered very quickly. Once all testing had been completed, the setup was disassembled and all of the desktop antennas were removed, together with the separate power supply.
Unboxing the antenna and accessing the instructions online, the router was installed inside of the housing, connecting all of the antenna cables, the earth strap and the ethernet cable into LAN1 to receive power alongside data via the PoE Injector.
A second set of hands proved useful to get the cables and the router in place within the antenna housing.
The antenna cover is then attached along with the bracket for pole mounting and the ethernet cable via the IP67 rated connector underneath.
A final test was done on the bench to check everything was still working and then field testing on the mast eight metres in the air above the Outside Broadcast Unit!
A good hour of connectivity testing under broadcast load left us delighted with the result.
Benefits:
Both the router and the antenna came with excellent instructions, requiring very little verification or interpretation, which enabled us to progress from an idea of what we needed to replacing aged equipment that couldn’t be upgraded to a future-proofed and elegant solution.
Having both the router and antenna in a single weather-proof enclosure, securely mounted on a single broadcast mast, reduces the time taken to setup on arrival at site and strike before leaving. This leaves more time to do the bit that we love, broadcasting.
The improved 5G and 5GHz broadband and wireless network connectivity has vastly improved the reliability and clarity of our Outside Broadcast Unit capabilities.
Outcome:
The Susy Radio Outside Broadcast Unit was first used in Reigate where, as part of our giving back to the community, we were speaking to students and staff at a local college, offering the supervised opportunity for them to broadcast on a live show.
All has gone well in the past few weeks, which has included further testing and broadcasting via net links as well as radio frequency. It is every bit the “plug and play” solution that we had hoped it would be from the initial research and design.
Susy Radio would like to thank Lamonde Automation and Teltonika Products for the unprecedented level of support given to our community radio station, not least in learning that staff are also listeners!