microwave link at Tuateawa, what is it used for?

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › microwave link at Tuateawa, what is it used for?

fnarg7

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#265382 19-Jan-2020 17:01

Hi,

what is the purpose of this microwave link at 286 Tuateawa Rd on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula?

It has a green Chorus cabinet next to it.

See it here;

https://gis.geek.nz/map/pointtopoint/@-36.6403988,175.5699039,13z

and here;

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-36.6356172,175.5687199,64a,47.8y,0.22t/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1

Looking at it in street view it appears to have a VHF whip on top and two horizontal UHF/VHF poles mounted. (see attached).

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/42f90d709519bc7214609f707625909c.jpg

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/7cd8f453cdbc2635bdfd1ad232d53f6b.jpg

Linux

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#2401692 19-Jan-2020 17:04

Might be a link off to an RBI site

DjShadow

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#2401693 19-Jan-2020 17:07

You can click on the line and it tells you who the license owner is and what the frequency used is

Jase2985

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#2401694 19-Jan-2020 17:21

GIS Geek says its a chorus microwave connection

hio77

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Lizard Networks

#2401698 19-Jan-2020 17:39

the lowband likely was used for voice (and possibly still is being used for it) before fibre was ran up there. apart from that i'd suspect it's intended as a secondary path if there is a fibre cut up there.

wouldn't make sense for their primary backhaul there not being over the fibre.

It is an interesting cabinet as there aren't many like it, but it's not bursting 5Ges all over you or anything.

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Technofreak

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#2401946 20-Jan-2020 08:05

Is multi access radio still in use? If so might be a link for that?

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cyril7

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#2401948 20-Jan-2020 08:20

Are you sure its VHF antennas on top of the mast??, all I can see is a lightning arrestor at the very top and a couple of horizontal stays for the dish directly behind, no sign of a VHF whip or pair or UHF antennas behind.

Cyril

atomeara

324 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2402201 20-Jan-2020 11:30

Looking at the dates (2004 and 2007), it pre-dates the fibre between there and Coromandel which was funded under RBI 1.

As already said it is likely for "legacy" voice / POTS and will be replaced by Baseband IP in the next year or 2 most likely.

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muppet

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#2402281 20-Jan-2020 12:41

Chorus use this as one of their many points to broadcast mind control signals from.

Source: The voice in my head.

fnarg7

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2402737 20-Jan-2020 23:16

Thanks everyone (-oh except you muppet ;-)

Cyril, thank you for your trained eye spotting what was on the pole - ie nothing. I was just going off the photo too, but didn't see any cell antenna, and hadn't even considered it might go straight to copper.

I haven't been there but was planning to go on a holiday there and wondered what cellphone coverage would be and ended up finding the microwave link so wondered what its purpose was. Also wondered what comms methods are used in remote areas like that.

The conclusion seems to be that the microwave link was most likely to supply POTS/voice to the locals, but has been superseded by fibre and is now a back-up of sorts.

If anyone is willing to indulge my curiousity I'd be interested to know;

-could a microwave link like this support the local population for DSL/internet? (ie, is there enough bandwidth in the microwave link?)

-could a microwave link like this support 2G/3G/4G for the local population? (eg add some R/T cabinets and put 700/850MHz antenna on the pole. ignore economics)

-is there a website that shows the major fibre routes in NZ? (I didn't know that they had run fibre from Coromandel to Tuateawa.)

-Kent

atomeara

324 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2402810 21-Jan-2020 09:40

fnarg7:

Thanks everyone (-oh except you muppet ;-)

Cyril, thank you for your trained eye spotting what was on the pole - ie nothing. I was just going off the photo too, but didn't see any cell antenna, and hadn't even considered it might go straight to copper.

I haven't been there but was planning to go on a holiday there and wondered what cellphone coverage would be and ended up finding the microwave link so wondered what its purpose was. Also wondered what comms methods are used in remote areas like that.

The conclusion seems to be that the microwave link was most likely to supply POTS/voice to the locals, but has been superseded by fibre and is now a back-up of sorts.

If anyone is willing to indulge my curiousity I'd be interested to know;

-could a microwave link like this support the local population for DSL/internet? (ie, is there enough bandwidth in the microwave link?)

-could a microwave link like this support 2G/3G/4G for the local population? (eg add some R/T cabinets and put 700/850MHz antenna on the pole. ignore economics)

-is there a website that shows the major fibre routes in NZ? (I didn't know that they had run fibre from Coromandel to Tuateawa.)

-Kent

- They use radio/wireless/microwave links for DSL in some areas, such as Great Barrier Island which has a link back to the hill between Coromandel and Kennedy Bay

- They also use these kind of links to service rural cell sites, such as Opito and the top of the Coromandel.

However you either spend a huge amount of money putting in very fast links with very expensive hardware or you can end up with congestion. Excluding the install costs fibre is always the better option.

There is no public map but here is a snapshot of Chorus fibre in the Coromandel (the only provider with fibre in the Coromandel, excluding some other providers who go via Paeroa / Waihi on a trunk route to Tauranga)

halper86

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#2402912 21-Jan-2020 11:47

Exactly the same as what’s feeding the hut type cabinet near my mates house: https://gis.geek.nz/map/pointtopoint/link/xqxayeyj
and that cabinet is: https://gis.geek.nz/map/chorus/site/ybzpnpgz