QUICK START GUIDE FOR EQUIPMENT

GROUNDING (INDOOR)

I N S TA L L AT I O N G R O U N D I N G G U I D E L I N E S – B E S T P R A C T I C E S

This presentation is for internal, customer, and partner use only.

January 2011 © Aviat Networks, Inc. 2011. All Rights Reserved.
Data subject to change without notice.

1
Ground Basics – Two Kinds of Ground
Master Ground Bar (MGB)
Single grounding point shall be the MGB:

In turn, connected to tower/site ground

Only point of connection between Isolated Ground

Integrated Ground Isolated ground and Integrated ground ODU, RFU, IDU, etc.
Building steel
Lightning Arrestors
Frames, doors
Battery supply, DC supply
Air conditioning
Master Ground Bar Fuse panels
Cable grounding kit
Battery rack
Cable tray
All DC powered equipment
All other metallic pieces

Halo Ground Rack Ground Bar

Site
ground

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Ground Cable Gauge
Connection Gauge (minimum)
1. Rack Ground Bar (RGB) to Master Ground Bar (MGB) AWG 6/16 mm2

2. Equipment ground to RGB* AWG 12/4 mm2

3. Integrated ground to MGB AWG 6/16 mm2
4. Lightning arrestor pigtail ground cable AWG 6/16 mm2

5. Cable entry plate AWG 6/16 mm2

6. Coax cable kit ground AWG 6/16 mm2

7. ODU ground cable AWG 6/16 mm2

*For NEBs, wire should be AWG6/16mm2
Ground leads should be green or green/yellow, PVC insulated copper stranded wire

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Master Ground Bar (MGB) or Entry-way Ground Bar –
Shelter wall interior

Checklist
 Use only copper bus bars
 Do not stack or piggyback lugs on a ground
bus bar
 Use double lug compression connectors for
any cable connection to the MGB
 Do not solder connections

 Separate integrated ground connections from

isolated ground connections
 Ground cable entry plate to MGB

 Use isolated standoffs when installing MGB

Slotted lugs need to have a flat washer
installed (not star washer)

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Master Ground Bar (MGB) or Entry-way Ground Bar –
Shelter wall interior - Continue

Special Note
In most or many
installations, an entry-
way ground bar will be
used to terminate the
indoor equipment
grounds.

There will be a direct

connection from the
entry-way bar to an
external MGB or
grounded bulkhead.

Entry-way ground bar External MGB mounted

on shelter exterior

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Equipment Rack Ground Bar (RGB)
Checklist
Rack ground wire to MGB: AWG
6/16 mm2, PVC insulated, copper
stranded wire
 Use only copper bus bars

 Clean the bar to remove grease

and other foreign debris before
attaching the lug. Never sand the
bar clean.
 Remove all sharp edges and
burrs
 Use a locknut on each bus bar
clamp bolt
 Do not stack or piggyback lugs
on a ground bus bar

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Indoor Equipment Grounding – rack mounted IDU, INUe, OEM
Checklist
 Individual ground straps for each
IDU/INU or OEM equipment to the Rack
Ground Bar. Do not daisy-chain indoor
equipment grounds.
 Equipment grounds to Rack Ground Bar:
minimum of AWG 12/4mm2
 Ground leads should be green or
green/yellow, PVC insulated copper
stranded wire
 Grounds should run neatly up the side of
Side mounted RGB
the rack, tie-wrapped every 0.3m/1 ft.
 Rack Ground Bar to Master Ground Bar:
minimum of AWG 6/ 16 mm2

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Indoor Equipment Grounding – rack mounted IDU, INUe, OEM
Checklist
Each piece of equipment will have a ground
attachment point.
The attachment point will be in different
locations for different products.

TR6400, TR6500, Megastar & Constellation:

• Single ground point on the rack
TR5000 and Eclipse:
• Ground point on each chassis in a 19in
rack.
Ground cable min: AWG 12/4 mm2
For NEBs compliance, AWG 6 (16 mm2) green
PVC insulated stranded copper wire is required,
together with star washer under the grounding Eclipse IDU, INUe TR 6500
screw.
See Notes below for additional example

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Indoor Equipment Grounding – Top of Rack grounding

Checklist
Top of rack grounding is used when
cabling and waveguides are installed
on overhead cable trays, connecting to
the equipment rack at the top.
Ground cable: minimum of AWG 6/16
mm2
Attach to MGB ground
If the cable(s) enter low, such as with a
raised floor installation, then the rack
ground bar must be installed at the
bottom of the rack, and the radio
equipment installed bottom-up in the
rack.

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Indoor Universal Lightning Arrestor Eclipse (building entry installation)
Checklist
Generally, ULA is installed just inside the
cable entry plate or within the cable tray. The
ULA should not be in ground contact with a
grounded cable. It should only be in ground
contact with the MGB. See slide 13.
 Use min. AWG 6/16 mm2 ground cable
Ground cable should be supported within
0.3m (1 ft.) of the ULA. Cable should be run in
a downward manner from the ULA to the MGB.
 Do not use solder; Use only crimp
connections on ground cable
 Ground cables should be individually routed
to MGB. No daisy chain.

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Indoor Universal Lightning Arrestor Eclipse, cont.
Checklist
Entryway ground plates are in
common use for coax feeders,
especially relevant for Eclipse
Universal lightning arrestors.
Building entry arrestor must be
grounded to the master ground bar
at, or just below, the cable point of
entry.

Item Description
1 Lightning Surge arrestor
2 Ground wire
2a Preferred path for ULA ground wire
Source: Eclipse Manual, “Installing
3 Wall gland Lightning Surge Arrestors”:
4 Internal master ground bar
5 External ground bar
6 Cable ground kit ULA Part number: type 179-530062-002
7 ODU cable
8 Indoor unit to arrestor jumper cable (replaces the square style BGXZ and
9 Equipment rack MHT arrestors)
10 Site ground system
Approved ULA : Polyphaser, Scitel

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Indoor Universal Lightning Arrestor Eclipse (bulkhead grounded installation)
Checklist
Install the ULA using the O-ring, star
washer and nut provided. Check O-ring is
correctly located in the groove.
Installation point is on the entryway plate
using bulkhead mounting.
Copper plate entry way is grounded to site
ground system
Weatherproof the external N connector
assembly using mastic and vinyl tape.
Item Description
If the ULA is mounted to an un-grounded 1 Lightning Surge arrestor
Source: Eclipse Manual, “Installing
entryway plate, then a ULA ground wire to 2 Rubber seal
3 Copper entryway plate Lightning Surge Arrestors” for grounded
MGB is required. 4 Star washer and nut copper plate entryway
5 Mastic weatherproofing
6 Cable ground kit
7 Jumper cable
ULA Part number: type 179-530062-002
8 Rack ground wire (replaces the square style BGXZ and
9 Equipment rack MHT arrestors)
10 Site ground system

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Indoor Lightning Arrestors (StarMAX 16e) DIN mounted
Checklist
 48v DC lightning arrestors
protect power source located in the
shelter.
 Use one DC Surge Protector per
one 16e Power cable kit
 Mounted on standard 35 mm
DIN rail, which installs onto a
standard 19 inch rack
 Multiple surge arrestors can be
installed on one DIN rail

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Indoor Lightning Arrestors (Cable tray mounted)
Checklist
 Lightning Arrestors should be
mounted on cable tray within 3 ft.
(1m.) inside cable entryway
 Use min. AWG 6/16 mm2 ground
cable. DO NOT GROUND TO
CABLE TRAY.
 Use isolators when mounted on
cable tray indoors
 Use shrink wrap to protect
exposed copper cable at connector
 Bulkhead-mounted lightning
arrestors are normally grounded to
entry way plate
Note: Old style lightning arrestors are shown above. Eclipse currently uses
Universal Lightning Arrestor (coaxial, in-line). See Slides 8,9.

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Halo Ground (Shelter inside)
Checklist
 Halo ground should be
mounted at the highest point
inside the shelter, encircling
the interior, finally
connecting to Master
Ground Bar or Entry-way
ground bar as shown.
NOTE: Only one end of the
Halo ground connects to the
MGB. This prevents creating
a ground loop.
 Connect Integrated
ground to Halo ground
(cable trays, building steel,
door, metal conduit, etc.)
Use min. AWG 6/16 mm2
copper cable

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Halo Ground (Shelter inside), cont.
Checklist
 Connect Integrated
ground to Halo ground
(cable trays, building steel,
door, metal conduit, metal
boxes, etc.)
Use min. AWG 6/16 mm2
copper cable

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Cable and Compression Lugs

Checklist •Single Lug •Double Lug

Use only copper or tin plated copper connectors or

lugs

Insert wire to the full depth of the compression lug

Ensure that the wire is fully inserted into the crimp;
ensure/show there is no insulation under the crimp

Compression must not extend into the tang area of

the lug
Use a thin coat of anti-corrosive compound on the Most common ground wire sizes and # of crimps required
per lug/wire size:
wire and in the connector before making the crimp
Only use correct lug size for wire. Do not remove
strands from conductor to make fit.
Only use proper crimpers with the right die. Do not
use pliers or other such tools

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10 Things to Check Before You Leave the Site
Checklist - Indoor
 All nuts and bolts on equipment rack are
secure
 All cables are labeled and wraps are tight,
dressed
 Blank panels are installed on the unit and
rack for proper airflow
 Check all waveguide pressurization levels
are proper
 All labels and warning signs are installed
properly – fuses, cables, units, Orderwire
address, tech support contact info, radio
name, IP address
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 Check all cable connections are tight, all WG
screws/nuts are tight
 Remove all test equipment, and test loopback
settings
 Check all equipment LEDs are green
 Remove all trash, debris. Collect all tools. Lock
the door.
 Check, measure to master ground point (1 Ω
max, preferably less than 0.5 Ω)
 Lightning arrestor
 Coaxial cable ground, waveguide ground
 Rack Ground Bar to Master Ground Bar
 Equipment to RGB
 RFU (IRU) ground
 All integrated grounds
Additional Resources

1. Eclipse User Manual

2. Aviat Networks Best Practices Guide - July 2010
3. Installation Instructions for Universal Lightning Arrestor (Aviat
Networks, July 2010)
4. WIMAX BS Install Manual Rev 4.2.2 Dec 2010
5. Lightning Protection and Grounding Solutions for
Communications Sites, by Ken Rand, Polyphaser Corporation.
6. Motorola Standards and Guidelines for Communication Sites
(R56 manual), 2005.

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