Steps to improve and maintain microwave radio performance in winter
The lowest temperature ever recorded in the UK was at Braemar in Scotland at minus 27 C. While these extreme temperatures are not expected this winter it’s certainly a good time to review cold and winter weather preparedness if you are responsible for a radio network, particularly if its being used for critical national infrastructure. Microwave propagation is not impacted by cold air temperature and this technology is used widely in cold regions in North America and Europe ( although thermal ducting can present an issue on rare occasions, this phenomenon is not addressed here).
What specific steps can we take to improve and maintain radio performance in cold weather ?
First we are probably going to want to consider antenna heating where the antenna is located in an exposed area. This usually comes in the form of a pad fixed to the back of the dish controlled by means of a thermostat. This alleviates a common problem in exposed locations where the wind blows snow directly into the antenna and it freezes impacting received signal strength. It’s common to see a slow degradation in radio performance followed by a sharp improvement as the heater does its work and the ice melts and falls from the antenna
In addition to this as part of our routine maintenance activities we will also want to apply hydrophobic paint to the surface of the dish. This can be very effective in preventing the formation of ice on the surface of the antenna by repelling water.
Other routine maintenance steps are also important. This includes physical inspection of the antenna and associated feeders and waveguide where split mount is being used. Its also a good idea to sweep the feeder cables using appropriate test equipment to make sure that water ingress is not an issue and to inspect all connectors for signs of corrosion.
If we are operating in really exposed locations its also a good idea to select an antenna that is rated for very high wind strength, salt water and also to fit bracing arms where required
Finally remote monitoring is of huge benefit during cold and poor weather so that radio performance can be regularly checked over time. Where there are no options for connectivity to the remote site an LTE cellular router with multi-vendor SIM is a good and reliable option to provide monitoring data and also means of management
If you have an interest in designing, installing and commissioning into service Microwave radio networks in harsh environments ( which also includes offshore) then its a good idea to speak to a company with solid expertise and credentials such as MMX. Reach out to our sales team here for help get in touch