The simple maintenance of earth station antenna helps to minimize the antenna failure probability and extend the antenna life. For the proper functioning of the antenna, it is required to maintain the antenna on the regular basis.
An appropriate maintenance planning of Earth Stations Antennas is a type of commercial insurance. Always check the completion of the whole structure. Try to check the electrical performance to reduce the occurrence of antenna failure. To maintain the antenna, you need to follow the below mentioned steps:
1. Surface Maintenance
It is required to check the complete paint surface and electroplating surface regularly. You can use a metal wire brush or abrasive paper to rub the rust spot on the electroplating surface. Always coat a layer of zinc-rich coating which does not require the complete clearance of the rust.
2. Antenna Fasteners
The users must tighten the loose nuts and replace the lost, rust and corrosive components because nuts, bolts, and rivets are usually affected by the atmospheric effect.
3. Ground
The antenna and bracket must be grounded to prevent the lightning strikes. Try to check if the mechanics of the grounding system and no mechanical connection are connected or not.
4. Cable and connector
Intermediate facility link cable helps to transmit the signal between the antenna and computer room. Inspect if these cables are damaged or not. If you find anything wrong with insertion loss, then check whether the cables need to be replaced or be repaired.
5. Shutdown Maintenance
Whether the antenna stops working or not, some maintenance is always required on the regular basis, just to check the functioning of the antenna.
Always keep a maintenance record. When you start installing the antenna, leave a record with date and photos. Thus, this article can help you to know how you can maintain the earth station antenna in a proper way.
