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CHAPTER 2
System Setup
the earth, on flat terrain, the maximum distance which can be
reached depends on the height above ground of the antennas of
the transceivers of the Base Station and of the measuring stations.
You can't do much on the remote station side, but you have more
options with the Base Station. Some typical examples of distances
achieved under various conditions are shown in Table 1.
The addIT RTU, however, uses low-power technology and was not
designed to communicate over large distances. The typical "line-
of-sight" distance an addIT can communicate is 800 m (approxi-
mately half a mile). This is valid if the partner device is mounted on
a 3 m mast (9 ft) and the addIT is mounted on a 30 cm mast (1 ft).
The above figures are estimates based on a great deal of experi-
ence with installing this kind of equipment and assume a typical
height of 3 m (9 ft) for the antennas of the remote measuring sta-
tions. Similarly, ideal physical conditions are assumed for the ter-
rain including a flat, open, non-urban environment.
Receiving antenna
height
6 m (18 ft)
10 m (31 ft)
20 m (62 ft)
30 m (92 ft)
Table 1. Communication between Base Station and RTUs A730MD/
A733/A740
What conclusions can be drawn from Table 1? Primarily, you can
see the importance of having the Base Station antenna as high as
possible. To gain antenna height, you have several options:
•
Build a mast directly on the ground; however, a 30 m (100 ft)
mast may not be a practical option.
•
Set up a mast on a tall building (of course, it has to be the
building where you want to have the Base Station).
•
Install the Base Station in a building that is situated on a hill.
Typical distances
achieved
5 km (3 miles)
8 km (5 miles)
16 km (10 miles)
24 km (15 miles)
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