Nortel Modular Ics Companion Installer Guide

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P0992639 01 Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide
Note:  Up to 60 portables can be installed on a Norstar wireless 
system. Each portable telephone must be registered to a 
DN before it can be used. By default, no Companion 
portables are assigned to the DNs.
The range of portable extensions available for wireless 
registration is 637 to 696. This means that the digit 6 is 
not available as a destination code. 
Installing external antennas and lightning surge 
arrestors
When installing external antennas and lightning surge 
arrestors:
The antenna should always be mounted vertically. Refer to 
the figure Installed antenna and lightning surge arrestor 
(USA) on page 37.
Use #8, 12 mm to 50 mm (
1/2-in. to 2 in.) screws to mount 
the antenna bracket and lightning surge arrestor bracket to 
the wall.
Always ensure that the antenna is clear of any adjacent 
obstruction, particularly metal. If more than one external 
antenna is used at a cell center, space them at least 
1 m (40 in.) apart to avoid radio interference problems.
When running the coaxial cable inside or outside, do not 
kink, stretch, or crush the cable. This will seriously affect 
its performance. The minimum recommended bending 
radius is 200 mm (8 in.).
The coaxial cable length must not exceed 10 m.
Use RG-58AU coaxial cables to connect the antennas to 
the base stations. 
						

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Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide P0992639 01
Depending on site requirements, a proprietary extension 
cable can be attached between the lightning surge arrestor 
and the antenna or between the lightning surge arrestor and 
the base station. The total cable length should always be 
kept as short as possible and the recommended extension 
cable used only if absolutely necessary.
You must install a lightning surge arrestor for each outdoor 
external antenna.
FCC requirements.
In the United States, the FCC requires that only 
certified antennas be connected to Companion 
base stations.
Do not install the external antenna or the lightning 
surge arrestor during an electrical storm.
Always turn off the base station power before 
connecting the coaxial cable of an outdoor external 
antenna.
Always install the lightning surge arrestor at the cable 
entry point into the building.
Connect the lightning surge arrestor to ground before 
connecting the coaxial cable. 
						

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P0992639 01 Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide
Installing external antenna and lightning surge arrestor 
procedures for the United States of America
Installed antenna and lightning surge arrestor (USA)
To ensure only recommended antennas are used:
the external antenna connectors on the base station are 
special proprietary BNC connectors
antennas are supplied with cables already attached and 
terminated with special proprietary BNC plugs to join with 
the connector on the base station
cables are not supplied with exterior antennas
Wall
Back to back
proprietary
BNC connectors
Lightning surge arrestor
 with mounting bracket
to Base Station or proprietary extension cableMounting bracket Antenna 
						

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Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide P0992639 01
Planning for an outdoor external antenna (USA)
When planning to install an outdoor external antenna:
Locate the antenna on the external wall of the building.
Keep the outdoor external antenna as close as possible to 
the base station serving it. The base station itself must be 
indoors. The recommended mounting height is  13 ft to 
16 ft above ground.
Always install a lightning surge arrestor between an 
outdoor antenna and a base station. 
Installing an outdoor external antenna (USA)
To install an outdoor external antenna, follow these steps:
1. Drill a hole for the coaxial cable.
2. Install conduit for the antenna cable according to local 
building and wiring codes.
3. Screw the antenna bracket to the wall so that the antenna is 
positioned vertically on the exterior wall of the building.
4. Loosen the nut on the antenna. 
5. Slide the antenna into the slot of the bracket and tighten the 
nut.
6. Feed the coaxial cable through the wall to the lightning 
surge arrestor on the interior wall.  
						

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P0992639 01 Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide
Antenna with antenna bracket (USA)
Installing a lightning surge arrestor (USA)
Install the lightning surge arrestor to protect the Companion 
components from electrical surges.
To install a lightning surge arrestor, follow these steps:
1. Mount the lightning surge arrestor on the interior wall as 
close as possible to the entry point of the coaxial cable 
from the outdoor external antenna. 
						

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Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide P0992639 01
Lightning surge arrestor and bracket (USA)
Before you connect the ground lead to the lightning surge 
arrestor, attach it to an approved ground. 
Tip - The recommended wire gauge is 6 AWG. Connect 
the ground lead to the building ground. Do not connect to 
a ground rod or series of ground rods. If you cannot 
connect the ground lead to the building ground, connect 
it to the steel frame of the building. The connection 
should be no more than  6 to 1 0ft.
You can also connect the ground lead to the 120 V ac 
conduit (which is connected to the building ground), but 
this is not a preferred installation. 
						

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P0992639 01 Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide
2. Route and connect the coaxial cable from the outdoor 
external antenna to the lightning surge arrestor.
3. Route and connect the coaxial cable from the lightning 
surge arrestor to the appropriate base station connector.
Installing external antenna and lightning surge arrestor 
procedures for Canada
There are three types of external antennas: 
indoor directional
indoor omni-directional
outdoor omni-directional
There are separate installation procedures for each type. You 
must also install a lightning surge protector for each outdoor 
external antenna installed.
The following are requirements for installing external 
antennas:
If you are installing an external antenna on a metal surface 
greater than 1 8cm in diameter, position the antenna 
perpendicular to the surface. 
When running the co-axial cable inside or outside, do not 
to kink, stretch, or crush the cable. This will seriously 
affect its performance. The minimum recommended 
bending radius is 20 mm.
Always ensure that the antenna is clear of any adjacent 
obstruction, particularly metal. If more than one external 
Tip - The connector between the antenna and the 
lightning surge arrestor and between the lightning surge 
arrestor and the base station is a proprietary BNC 
connector and requires alignment before a connection 
can be made.  
						

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Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide P0992639 01
antenna is used at a cell center, they should be spaced at 
least 0.5 m from each other to avoid radio interference 
problems.
Use RG-58/U co-axial cables to connect the antennas to 
the base stations.
Installing an indoor directional external antenna (Canada) 
The indoor directional external antenna comes with its own 
back plate for mounting. The recommended mounting height 
on a wall is halfway between the floor and the ceiling.
For some applications you can mount the antenna on the 
ceiling, for example, in a stairwell .
Indoor directional external antenna (Canada)
Only passive antennas are allowed to be connected 
to the Companion base stations.
The co-axial cable connecting the external antenna to a 
Companion base station must have an impedance of 50 
ohms. 
						

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P0992639 01 Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide
1. Mount the antenna using four screws.
2. To prevent undue stress on the co-axial cable, secure it to 
the mounting surface.
3. Connect the antenna to the appropriate base station radio.
Note:  The co-axial cable length must not exceed 10 m.
Installing an indoor omni-directional external antenna 
(Canada)
When installing an indoor omni-directional external antenna:
Use the bracket supplied to mount the antenna on a wall or 
ceiling. 
Note:  Use of a bracket other than the one supplied may not 
provide the necessary clearance between the floor or 
wall and the antenna.
Install the bracket so that the external antenna is vertical. 
The recommended mounting height on a wall is half way 
between the floor and the ceiling.  
						

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Modular ICS Companion Installer Guide P0992639 01
Installing an indoor omni-directional external antenna (Canada)
1. Insert the antenna in the bracket so that the antenna is 
vertical.
2. Mount the bracket to the wall or ceiling using two screws.
3. To prevent undue cable stress on the co-axial cable, secure 
it to the mounting surface with a clamp.
4. Connect the external antenna to the appropriate  base 
station radio.
Note:  The length of the co-axial cable must not exceed 10 m.
30 mm
Ceiling mount 
installation
Wall mount 
installation
30 mm
Cable 
clamp
Cable
clamp
Co-axial
cable
Co-axial
cable
30 mm
C0-axial
cable
Ceiling mount
installation
Cable
clamp
Wall mount
installation
C0-axial
cable
Cable
clamp
30 mm