FBR-ACS-TX216Antenna combiner and amplifier

Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 User Manual Page 1 of 6 File Name: ACSMAN.DOC Date: 04/20/99 Reply Antenna Combining System (ACS) The Reply ® ACS simplifies large installations by extending system range and reducing the number of required antennas. In most cases the ACS will provide 2X to 4X range improvement without any change in the required antenna placement. When even more range is needed the ACS simplifies antenna placement. The ACS is designed for high reliability. It uses hi-rel and military grade components, thermal management, and amplifier protection circuitry. This manual describes the system and how to get the best performance. 1.0 Connecting the ACS System Hooking up the ACS is much simpler than using a separate antenna set for each interface. An ACS consists of: 1. Two powered receive antennas 2. An extended range transmit antenna 3. A receive antenna amplifier/splitter unit 4. A transmit antenna combiner unit The ACS supports up to 8 channels of Reply® and Reply DL® interface units. 1.1 Transmit Combiner Connections Transmit Combiner connections are diagrammed in Figure 1. Figure 1. Connecting to the Transmit Combiner TX TX TX TX TX IN TX Out Single TX Antenna (24 Inch Long) 24 V DC Power Up to 8 TX Connections from Reply® or Reply DL® Interface Units ACS Transmit Combiner Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 User Manual Page 2 of 6 File Name: ACSMAN.DOC Date: 04/20/99 The Transmit Combiner accepts transmitter connections from up to 8 Reply ® interfaces and performs an arithmetic summation of each signal to provide a single output with less then 0.1 % distortion. This output is applied to the range- extending Transmit Antenna (24 in long). Since there is only one Transmit Antenna, it is easy to locate in an advantaged arrangement (see Section 2). 1.2 Receive Amplifier/Splitter Connections Receiver Amplifier/Splitter connections are diagrammed in Figure 2. Figure 2. Connecting to the Receive Amplifier/Splitter The Receive Amplifier/Splitter accepts connections from 2 powered antennas and splits the RF signals for application to up to 8 Reply ® interfaces. The powered Receive Antennas have an indicator lamp to verify continuity between antenna and ACS. Since there are only 2 Receive Antennas, they are easily located in an advantaged arrangement (see Section 2). 15 V DC Power Up to 16 RX Connections from up to 8 Reply® or Reply DL® Interface Units ACS Receive Amplifier/Splitter Left RX Out Right RX Out RX RX RX RX RX RX RX RX ACS Powered Receive Antennas With Power Indicator Right RX In Left RX In Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 User Manual Page 3 of 6 File Name: ACSMAN.DOC Date: 04/20/99 The Receive Antennas and Amplifier/Splitter are designed for compatibility. Together they provide: • Interference rejection • Greatly increased range (with or without advantaged antenna locations; see Section 2) • Tolerance to very long cables (that may have high loss) 2.0 System Arrangement and Range This Section discusses the factors that effect system range and how to optimize range. 2.1 Range Factors The Reply ® and Reply DL® systems are designed to operate within legal transmit power limits. The legal limits are established to allow co-existence of many types of radio systems. However, when the transmit power is limited the system’s useful range may only be extended by: 1. Improving the receiver sensitivity or 2. Reducing the path loss between transmitted and receiver The ACS provides improved receiver sensitivity and facilitates lower path loss by making it easier to set the interface (base) antennas in advantaged locations. 2.2 Advantaged Antenna Locations There are several useful ‘rules of thumb’ for evaluating a proposed antenna location: Rule 1: Path loss increases by only a factor of 4 each time the range is doubled as long as there is a direct, unobstructed line-of-sight path between the keypad and interface antenna. This is called a Line-of-Sight (LOS) link. A LOS link is the best that you can achieve and the ACS will give better than 1000 foot* range in an LOS arrangement. Rule2: Path loss increases by a factor of about 10 each time the range is doubled if there are a lot of obstructions between the keypad and interface. This is called a complex environment. Depending on how complex, the ACS will give 100 to 300 foot range. Rule 3: Path loss decreases by a factor of 4 each time the interface (base) antenna height is doubled. This applies until a LOS path is achieved, then there is no more improvement. Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 User Manual Page 4 of 6 File Name: ACSMAN.DOC Date: 04/20/99 Rule 4: Cable loss increase is insignificant compared to the potential improvement when antenna height is increased. For all practical purposes, your antenna can never be too high. Rule 5: The two (diversity) receive antennas should be at least 3 feet apart. In fact, some locations benefit from even wider spacing if a LOS path is established from at least one of the antennas to all points in the room. * Note: Reply keypads built after March 1999 have roughly 2X the range compared to pre- 3/99 units. The above ranges are based on post-3/99 units. These rules lead to some conclusions: a) Smaller rooms (25 to 50 ft range) can get by with antennas set just about anywhere. See Figure 3 b) To cover medium size rooms raise the antennas up. The 6 to 8 ft level should cover to about 100 ft, depending on how complex the environmenmt is. See Figure 4. c) For very large rooms the antennas should be on booms (like a MIC stand) or set in the catwalk, etc. See Figure 5. Figure 3 – ACS used in a Small Room Possible Reply Equipment Location Seating Area Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 User Manual Page 5 of 6 File Name: ACSMAN.DOC Date: 04/20/99 Possible Reply Equipment Location Right RX Antenna Antennas should be elevated to 6-8 ft Left RX Antenna TX Antenna Figure 4 – ACS Used in a Medium Sized Room Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 User Manual Pa…

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Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 Confidentiality Request Page 1 of 1 File Name: ACSREQ.DOC Date: 04/20/99 April 9, 1999 Federal Communications Commission 7435 Oakland Mills Rd. Columbia, MD 21046 Dear Sir or Madam: On the advice of our patent attorney, we would like to have the following exhibits of our application FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 held confidential pursuant to Section .457(d) of the Rules: Schematics Block diagrams If you have any questions, please call me at 616-820-8281 or fax to 616-820-8300. We look forward to your prompt action on this application. Sincerely, Warren Guthrie Advanced Technology Manager Fleetwood Group, Inc. FLEETWOOD

Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 Application Statement Page 1 of 1 File Name: ACSAPP.DOC Date: 04/20/99 April 9, 1999 Federal Communications Commission 7435 Oakland Mills Rd. Columbia, MD 21046 Dear Examiner: This application is for approval of a device manufactured by Fleetwood Group, Inc. to reduce the need for multiple antennas when a number of Fleetwood Reply® Response Systems are used at a single location. The device called an ACS (which stands for Antenna Combining System) and the FCC ID for the product is FBR-ACS-TX216. The Fleetwood Reply® Response Systems allow a number of participants using Reply® Response Keypads to send key press information to base units which employ FCC approved transmitters in the 216-220 MHz range to provide addressing information to the keypads. When multiple systems are used at the same location, normally each system is required to have its own transmitting antenna. This product allows multiple (up to 8) transmitters to be combined to one antenna simplifying setup. The design is set for unity gain on each channel so the output power of the ACS (Antenna Combiner System) is the same for each channel as it would be if it were to be connected to its individual antenna. The product has been tested by Elite Electronic Engineering Company to confirm compliance with FCC regulations and complete test data and documentation is included with the application. Sincerely, Warren Guthrie Advanced Technology Manager Fleetwood Group Inc. FLEETWOOD

Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 External Photos Page 1 of 1 File Name: ACSEXT.DOC Date: 04/20/99

E - No.: Title: Part No.: Material / Color: Drw'n:Scale: Date:Chk'd: Date:Overall Size: Sheet:of Electronics Division Fleetwood Group, Inc. P.O. Box 1259; Holland, MI 49422-1259 11832 James St; Holland, MI 49424 Phone: 616 396-1142 / Fax: 616 820-8300 SERIAL NUMBER Reply® ACS Fleetwood Group, Inc. Holland, MI *mmyy-xxxx* MMYY-XXXX-0Z-A FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 FCC Rule 90.217 Type Accepted Operation subject to these conditions: 1) This device may not cause harmful interference. 2) This device must accept interference that causes faulty operation. U.S. Patent No. Re. 35,449 & No. 5,724,357 BNC Antenna: 13" Black Text on White Gloss 60# Stock 1.3" x 4.0" Label 0.1" Corner Radius Antenna Combiner System 1:1 EA4/15/99 1 1 Reply® ACS Label FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 HD4/15/99 ACS CASE BOTTOM (Not to scale) File Name: ACSLBL.PDF

Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 Internal Photos Page 1 of 1 File Name: ACSINT.DOC Date: 04/20/99

Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 Operational Description Page 1 of 1 File Name: ACSDESC.DOC Date: 04/20/99 Reply Antenna Combining System (ACS) Theory of Operation The ACS The ACS combines signals from up to 8 transmitters in the band from 216 to 219 MHz. See Figure 1. It supplies 0 dB of gain from any input to the single output. The amplifier is a very low distortion modular unit with 22 dB of gain; just enough to offset other losses. Harmonics are controlled by using two low-pass filters. The unit is powered through an external power supply. The ACS uses forced air cooling. 216 - 219 MHz Transmit Combiner 3/2/99 Rev - A J10 J2 Tx J3 Tx J4 Tx J5 Tx J6 Tx J7 Tx J8 Tx J9 Tx U12 250MHz LP U14 G=22dB U10 Combiner/Splitter G= -10dB +24Vdc + C10 10uF J1 Tx R1 2.7K 1/4W POWER CR1 U11 5dB Pad U13 5dB Pad + C11 10uF 3,5 1,2,4Common Ground Outside Ring INOUT +24 V1 +24 V2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 COM FAN GNDGND Red Black Red Black U15 250MHz LP U16 18 CFM U18 2dB Pad

ELITE ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING INC 1516 CENTRE CIRCLE DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS 60515-1082 ELITE PROJECT: 27495DATES TESTED: February 19, 1999 TEST PERSONNEL: Daniel E. Crowder TEST SPECIFICATION: Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Part 90 ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 MEASUREMENT OF RF INTERFERENCE FOR A TRANSMITTER COMBINER S/N 1 FOR: FLEETWOOD GROUP, INC. Holland, MI PURCHASE ORDER NO: P2661 Report By: Daniel E. Crowder Approved By: Raymond J. Klouda Registered Professional Engineer of Illinois - 44894 ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA AND SUMMARY OF TESTS DESCRIPTION OF TEST ITEM: Transmitter Combiner for up to 8 Channels MODEL NO: Combiner SERIAL NO: 1 FCC ID: MANUFACTURER: Fleetwood Group, Inc. APPLICABLE SPECIFICATIONS: FCC Parts 2 and 90 QUANTITY OF ITEMS TESTED: One (1) TEST PERFORMED BY: ELITE ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING INC Downers Grove, Illinois 60515 DATES TESTED: February 19, 1999 PERSONNEL (OPERATORS, OBSERVERS, AND CO-ORDINATORS): CUSTOMER: Warren Guthrie ELITE ELECTRONIC: Daniel E. Crowder ELITE JOB NO.: 27495 ABSTRACT: The 8 channel transmitter combiner complies with the technical requirements in FCC PART 90.217. See test results and data pages for more details. ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 TABLE OF CONTENTS PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. 1.0 INTRODUCTION1 1.1 DESCRIPTION OF TEST ITEM1 1.2 PURPOSE1 1.3 DEVIATIONS, ADDITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS1 1.4 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS1 1.5 SUBCONTRACTOR IDENTIFICATION2 2.0 TEST ITEM SETUP AND OPERATION2 2.1 SETUP2 2.2 MODULATION2 2.3 FREQUENCY SELECTION2 3.0 TEST EQUIPMENT2 4.0 REQUIREMENTS, PROCEDURES AND RESULTS2 4.1 OCCUPIED BANDWIDTH MEASUREMENTS2 4.1.1 REQUIREMENTS2 4.1.2 PROCEDURES2 4.1.3 RESULTS3 4.2 SPURIOUS EMISSIONS AND INTERMODULATION PRODUCTS AT ANTENNA TERMINAL3 4.2.1 REQUIREMENTS3 4.2.2 PROCEDURES3 4.2.3 RESULTS4 4.3 FIELD STRENGTH OF SPURIOUS EMISSIONS4 4.3 1 REQUIREMENTS4 4.3.2 PROCEDURES4 4.3.3 RESULTS RADIATED TEST6 5.0 CONCLUSION6 6.0 CERTIFICATION6 TABLE I - EQUIPMENT LIST12 ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 1 MEASUREMENT OF RF INTERFERENCE FROM A TRANSMITTER COMBINER 1.0 INTRODUCTION: 1.1 DESCRIPTION OF TEST ITEM: This report present the results of the radio interference measurements performed on an 8 channel transmitter combiner, Serial No. 1, (hereinafter referred to as the test item). The test item is used to combine the outputs of up to eight separate transmitters. It allows the use of a single antenna in place of the eight that would normally be required. The combiner has no gain. It includes bandpass filtering. The nominal output is 20mW per channel. The test were performed for Fleetwood Group Inc. of Holland, MI. 1.2 PURPOSE: The test series was performed to determine if the test item meets the occupied bandwidth, intermodulation products and spurious emissions requirements of the FCC Part 90.217. 1.3 DEVIATIONS, ADDITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS: There were no deviations, additions to, or exclusions from the test specification during this test series. 1.4 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS: The following documents of the exact issue designated form part of this document to the extent specified herein: -Federal Communications Commission "Code of Federal Regulations", Title 47, Part 90 - Federal Communications Commission "Code of Federal Regulations", Title 47, Part 2 - ANSI C63.4-1992, "American National Standard for Methods of Measurement of Radio-Noise Emissions from Low-Voltage ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 2 Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Range of 9 Khz to 40 Ghz" 1.5 SUBCONTRACTOR IDENTIFICATION: This series of tests was performed by the Elite Electronic Engineering Inc. of Downers Grove, Illinois. 2.0 TEST ITEM SETUP AND OPERATION: 2.1 SETUP: The test item was powered with 115 VAC. Up to four input signals were supplied from four separate Fleetwood transmitters These transmitter were set to 216.0, 217.0, 219.0, and 219.5 Mhz. Their outputs are not adjustable. 2.2 MODULATION: The test signals was FSK modulated per normal operation. 2.3 FREQUENCY SELECTION: The transmitters were set to 216.0, 217.0, 219.0 and 219.5 MHz. The frequencies were selected to cover the band edges and so that the intermodulation products would lie in band. 3.0 TEST EQUIPMENT: A list of the test equipment used can be found on Table I. All equipment was calibrated per the instruction manuals supplied by the manufacturer. 4.0 REQUIREMENTS, PROCEDURES AND RESULTS: 4.1 OCCUPIED BANDWIDTH MEASUREMENTS: 4.1.1 REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Paragraph 90.217, for equipment designed to operate with a 25 kHz channel bandwidth, the sum of the bandwidth occupied by the emitted signal plus the ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 3 bandwidth required for frequency stability shall be adjusted so that any emission appearing on a frequency 40 kHz or more removed from the assigned frequency is attenuated at least 30 dB below the unmodulated carrier. 4.1.2 PROCEDURES: (a)The test item was setup as described in para. 2.0. (b) With the transmitter at 219.0 MHz operating, the output of the combiner was measured and recorded using the spectrum analyzer. A measurement bandwidth of 300 Hz was selected. The span was set to 100 kHz. (c)The input signal to the combiner was also measured and recorded. 4.1.3 RESULTS: The plots of the occupied bandwidth measured are presented on data pages A1 through A2. The limits, shown on the plots, are referenced to the power measured from the unmodulated carrier. The output power measured 13.2 dBm. As can be seen from the data, the test item output met the occupied bandwidth requirements with the input from the Fleetwood transmitter. The input signal was presented for reference. 4.2 SPURIOUS EMISSIONS AND INTERMODULATION PRODUCTS AT ANTENNA TERMINAL: 4.2.1 REQUIREMENTS: This test determines whether the test item produces excessive spurious emissions or intermodulation products. In accordance with paragraph FCC 90.217, the spurious emissions ENGINEERING TEST REPORT NO. 21477 4 and intermodulation p…

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Fleetwood Group Inc. FCC ID: FBR-ACS-TX216 Test Setup Photo Page 1 of 1 File Name: ACSSET.DOC Date: 04/20/99