Lightning surge protection for 3G/4G/5G Radio Cellular Masts

Ah mobile temporary radio. Nothing like fixed base stations at all really.

The microwave backhaul and gensets makes it simpler, as there are now no external cables coming on to site at all, so there is little scope for network induced transients.

You will not really ever mitigate a direct strike, just make sure the equipment is insured against it, and if there is anything critical that there are spares in stores ready to roll.

You may need policies in place that say that the gensets may not be refuelled  while there is a lightning state, but in reality it is no big deal for containerised units, as you can have extra fuel tanks on ‘tiger loop’, and the run time is so long you can always pick the moment.

Given your antenna array beam angles, I presume these are sector panels, and then the mast is ‘behind’ them and has only a modest effect on rad pattern. The usual is to extend the tower, or at least a spike off the top of it, some way above the antennas, then bond the coax outers to the tower at the bottom  and have electrode(s) there, and include gas discharge devices in the coax, if such things are not already part of the diplexing. Surge protection on the mains side is largely irrelevant as you have total control of that - it is your own genset !!!  And as has been explained above, it will be TNS, so no worries there.

But given the costs and risks, I suggest you ask the equipment providers to review your plans and  advise.

And as an aside be aware that a genset for XX watts cannot take a shock load from nothing to XX without stalling, more like maximum load step of perhaps XX/3 so you may need a larger genset than you realised if a bang-on start is possible.

Mike.

Ah mobile temporary radio. Nothing like fixed base stations at all really.

The microwave backhaul and gensets makes it simpler, as there are now no external cables coming on to site at all, so there is little scope for network induced transients.

You will not really ever mitigate a direct strike, just make sure the equipment is insured against it, and if there is anything critical that there are spares in stores ready to roll.

You may need policies in place that say that the gensets may not be refuelled  while there is a lightning state, but in reality it is no big deal for containerised units, as you can have extra fuel tanks on ‘tiger loop’, and the run time is so long you can always pick the moment.

Given your antenna array beam angles, I presume these are sector panels, and then the mast is ‘behind’ them and has only a modest effect on rad pattern. The usual is to extend the tower, or at least a spike off the top of it, some way above the antennas, then bond the coax outers to the tower at the bottom  and have electrode(s) there, and include gas discharge devices in the coax, if such things are not already part of the diplexing. Surge protection on the mains side is largely irrelevant as you have total control of that - it is your own genset !!!  And as has been explained above, it will be TNS, so no worries there.

But given the costs and risks, I suggest you ask the equipment providers to review your plans and  advise.

And as an aside be aware that a genset for XX watts cannot take a shock load from nothing to XX without stalling, more like maximum load step of perhaps XX/3 so you may need a larger genset than you realised if a bang-on start is possible.

Mike.