Site Summit MESH Node – On the Horizon
Working Wednesday was productive tonight (9/6/2017) as a gang of us engineered an installation plan, built a Cat5e cable, set the down-angle tilt, upgraded AREDN firmware in the Ubiquiti M3 radio, and configured the 120-degree sector 3.4 GHz node for installation at Site Summit. Dave Heimke (AL7LO) and Mike O’Keefe (KL7MD) intend to make a trip to the site this weekend if all goes as planned.
The work should include an upgrade to the DC power system feeding the KL7ION repeater, and installation of the new MESH hardware. Our hope is that this node will not only serve north Anchorage and the State EOC on Fort Richardson, but will also be available for connection from a site or sites in the MatSu Valley as well as the Eagle River area. The coverage map generated using “Radio Mobile” looked promising. Time will tell.
The node will be installed on one of the available 3” mounting posts on the roof of the building and pointed so that it’s boresite is approximately 295 degrees true north. This should give the desired coverage area. Further, due to the elevation of the site, we are planning to set the node to have a 5 degree down tilt so that it doesn’t overshoot the target served areas!
Will keep you posted.
73,
Kent, KL5T
