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Basic System Components > Front-end unit

Site Selection

What general principles and guidelines must be observed during site selection? Note that in the standard version, the transmitter´s antenna is (invisibly) integrated in the RED Cube´s cabinet. In selecting a proper site, the following aspects must be given equal importance:

• a coarse assignment of coordinates derived from the network´s grid structure and potentially harmonized with seismological aspects
• the placement of the sensor with proper coupling to the ground
• the use of sites that are available free of charge (preferably public owned)
• the exhibition of a low profile in order to prevent accidental destruction, theft, and vandalism
• sufficient proximity to a line power outlet
• or equivalently: the placement of a solar panel with maximum exposure to sunlight
• the avoidance of larger (metallic) objects that could obscure radio waves
• unrestricted access to the instrument for installation and maintenance

Some of these points involve conflicting requirements--so, compromises will be necessary here and there.

Likewise, the vertical height of the installation needs to be discussed. The following issues must be considered:

• Staying close to the seismic sensor--which must normally be fixed at ground level--would be convenient in terms of cabling. However, at such a low elevation, radio propagation would suffer a lot from the unfavorable position of the transmitter.
• Additionally, the highly valuable system would not be protected adequately at a low elevation--it could easily be hit accidentally or suffer from all kinds of man-made activity, dogs, cats, or rodents.
• Last, but not least, how many curious children would engage their toolboxes to have a closer look at the interior? (This author would have been one of the first ...)

Given these considerations, we recommend the following positions for the RED Cube:

• outdoors, properly fixed to a wall at a height of 4 to 6 m above ground level, or
• an equivalent indoor position, attached to any outside wall on the second floor

In terms of the radio link, both options are expected to provide similar performance.

Several operational advantages could be gained by using outdoor positions for the RED Cube. Placed on the front side of public buildings, the unit could be accessed for parameter settings or the downloading of raw data through the IrDA communication port at any time of day (without special coordination efforts). By employing a special wide-range transceiver, the IrDA connection could easily be achieved from ground level.

RED Cubes mounted outdoors at the historic buildings fo the UCB campus could easily be read through IrDA communictations "just walking by"

An elegant way of car-borne data collection would be the stop-and-go version: Imagine your handheld computer being connected to the RED Cube right through the windshield, while you relax in the driver´s seat.

Whenever a maintenance operation is necessary, the recommended outdoor mounting height would still be easily accessible with a portable ladder of convenient size and weight.