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Siklu Alignment

Alignment Process

Under Construction

Video: How to use Link Budget Calculator

Video: Siklu Etherhaul Antenna Alignment

Coarse Alignment

Coarse alignment should be done after mounting the antenna.

Video: Coarse Alignment

Fine Alignment

The Siklu radiation pattern has multiple "lobes," a bit like two concentric donuts (side lobes) around the center target (main lobe).  These are effectively "lumps" in signal strength emitted by the antenna.  Like a mountain top there are many local peaks, but only one true highest point. 

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Video: Aligning Large Form-Factor Radios

To align the Siklu: 

  • sweep through all these lobes in pitch and yaw
  • record the signal strength values
  • determine the maximum signal strength nearest the expected RSSI according to link budget calculator
  • finally align the antenna at this maximum position and bolt it permanently in place

Alignment Tool

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A system of digital output multimeter and logging software can aid in the alignment process.  This software creates a Grafana graph of the signal strength / lobes, removing the need to manually record with pen and paper.

Video: Using a Digital Multi-Meter to Perform Fine Alignment

Software: 
Hardware

TP4000zc multimeter (Ask Andy to borrow the meter + cables)

See Also:

Siklu, before its aquisition by Ceragon in December 2023,  had a very helpful technical support staff.  Since then, a lot of the Siklu documentation has disappeared from the website, only a support email is provided.  Luckily the Siklu YouTube channel still exists, we still have some guides squirreled away in this Master Drive Folder.  Notably: