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The surges and spikes in power occurring on data lines as a result of lightning strikes either directly or as strikes nearby to the lines themselves can produce corrupted data as well wreck complete destruction of communications awards.  This is why unwanted energy must be diverted through the use of surge protectors which have been designed specifically for these purposes.  Data surge protection is crucial in order to maintain critical information as well as important records used in the ongoing daily business.  Surge protection devices must be compact in size yet offer surge capacities which are very robust.  Surge protection solutions that are found within technologically advanced industries are one of the primary methods of protecting both the equipment involved in the process as well as the satisfaction of the customer base.  For example, cellular users care little about natural events like lightning strikes which will produce damage and limit connectivity.  Their only concern is a lack of ability to connect to the network or communication slowdowns which will deliver long download times or buffer in on streaming services.  The unhappy customer will move to the nearest competitor almost without thinking, since they believe that anything shy of 100% connectivity and strong signals is inferior.  As a result of maintaining both equipment used in the process as well as the customer base in a happy state, some competitors outperform others.  Those that invested in the most technologically advanced surge protection devices are generally the winners.

RF signal protection is the industry terminology for the devices which assist in maintaining of an ongoing uninterrupted signal between the base station unit and the remote radio heads at the top of a cell tower.  The ongoing communication between these two systems is crucial when it comes to keeping the signal strong and ongoing.  Lightning strikes to either the power lines which supply electricity to these components or to the data lines which allow communications between them create issues with regard to both equipment damage as well as data loss.  Both of these factors contribute to negative customer experiences and can cost carriers significant customer loss and profits.  Data lines are directly connected to the equipment in the cell tower system.  This means that these connectivity lines absolutely must be shielded from transients in order to maintain the communication levels customers demand. Signal protection devices will shield the radio frequencies involved in this process from an interruption while also protecting against electromagnetic pulse issues provided by those same lightning strikes.  The equipment involved in the process can be not only better protected but potentially used for far longer periods in the field before maintenance for replacement will be necessary, significantly impacting the bottom line of the owner. Signal protection devices for radio frequencies help to build stronger networks and happier customers every day.  The integration of these surge protection devices and systems is crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage.

Just a few years ago it would be unthinkable to not use your computer for the majority of your daily life.  Only two decades ago your cell phone was just a novelty that allowed you to receive and make phone calls without having to be connected to a cord, but few could ever envisioned what would ultimately become a total dominance of the internet space by cellular phones.  This has led to a near total replacement of that connected computer sitting on your desk with your mobile phone.  It has evolved from being able to create clearer calls and better connectivity through an upgrade of the equipment involved in the process, to actually transmitting larger packets of data across the network.  Once the possibility of this was realized, the integration of internet connections was the next logical step.  Once people were able to make calls, connect to the internet and stream video to a variety of platforms, the cellular phone has seemingly all of a sudden become the way that people remain productive in innumerable ways.  It also creates the issue of a total reliance upon that connection in order to have so many aspects of life remain functional.  If a mobile phone cannot connect to the towers around it, life almost stops completely as far as productivity goes.  Most people do not have a backup wireline phone to rely upon, and fewer every year have another source of internet connectivity.  If the phone goes down, so does the ability to access the network, resulting in almost no ability to do the things that are necessary to do throughout the day.  As a result of the magnitude of this issue, cellular providers have invested heavily in devices that are intended to protect the integrity of their connected networks, and investing in industrial surge protection devices for their towers and equipment in the field has become the norm.

Because of the general makeup of a cellular tower, they are magnets for lightning strikes.  Being the tallest structure in a region is necessary in order to provide uninterrupted signals to the users on the ground, but this physical characteristic also makes the tower the prime target for lightning strikes.  The materials with which the tower is constructed also plays a role in the attraction of lightning.  The damage as a result of a lightning strike to the tower itself is seen as not only the damage that occurs at the strike point but also the damage that occurs as a result of both network outages and equipment overload.  Lightning strikes produce a massive power surge which will damage the circuitry of the equipment which is used at the top of the tower to send and receive signals as well as the bottom of the tower which houses critical network equipment.  Equipment at these positions are connected through both power lines as well as data transfer cables, which provide a perfect pathway for the electrical surge to travel and damage that equipment.  Only through investment into the most robust surge protection devices, those that can take a lightning surge and not fail, are cellular providers able to keep your calls connected and your internet connection functional.

Lightning Strikes To Solar Panels

While solar generated power is one of the most innovative and potentially earth changing technologies to ever be developed, it does have costs associated with it.  Many people do not understand the costs, due to the fact that the sunshine that ultimately is used as a fuel source to produce the power is free.  The comparisons to fossil fuel production methods using oil and coal as fuel sources can be made with regard to the final product that is produced, but ultimately the processes are quite different and have different expenses.  Within the fossil fuel space, the main cost is the fuel source itself, but within the green energy space the main costs are operating expenses, or the maintenance and replacement of equipment. (more…)

Lightning Protection For Wind Turbines

Green energy technology is a phrase used to describe several different industries that generate consumable electricity using a variety of methods. The unifying element across these different production methods is the use of a clean and renewable fuel source in order to turn the turbines necessary to create power. Within the fossil fuel industry, this same process is completed by burning a fuel source such as coal, oil or wood in order to turn the turbines that produce the electricity, but in the green energy space there is no need to burn fuel. This creates the same effect without pollution or damage to the environment in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, and also without the necessity to mine or harvest the fuel source. With green energy technology the fuel source, including wind, solar or water, is harnessed and converted into electricity. These fuel sources are also available without cost, positioning green energy technology as being the obvious logical choice for anyone desiring a cleaner environment. While global warming and the actual amounts of damage caused to the environment by fossil fuel production is understood in the scientific community, some still debate the causes of the excessive greenhouse gases causing climate change. However, there is no denying that green energy technology does produce a cleaner process, and in doing so poses a definite threat to the fossil fuel industry profits because of its potential for also producing a less expensive product. (more…)

Surge Protection Devices

Raycap is a leading designer and manufacturer of surge protection devices.  The devices that are produced are designed for industrial applications, but can easily be implemented into home systems as well, protecting against the damaging electrical surges produced by lightning strikes, switching errors, transformer malfunctions or a bevy of other sources.  The Strikesorb technology produced by Raycap often exceed the standards that are placed on typical surge protection components, integrating more robust housings, more advanced components and an “always on” design that needs no replacing or resetting after it has performed its duty.  This provides a constant protection to equipment and systems, even after a surge instance that would require conventional surge protection technology to sacrifice itself in order to protect, yet leaving the formerly protected equipment vulnerable to future surges.  Blocking additional surges after the initial incident are critical in effective protection of equipment, and only Raycap devices are most capable at it. (more…)

Street Cabinets For Telecommunications And Other Industries

Raycap is one of the world’s leaders in the development and manufacture of surge protection devices.  These devices are designed to have a single purpose, to cut the flow of overvoltage to equipment beyond the point of their install.  The devices are designed to be the premier products available in the surge protection market, not only surpassing the levels of protection offered by competitors but also going above and beyond to offer unique characteristics that provide value to users.  Raycap designs its products to not only protect investments, but also to provide protection of function, keeping systems online or restoring them to functionality in less time than competing devices.  This commitment to not only a higher standard of performance, but to the highest standard available, is what has driven Raycap technological research since its inception.  That same commitment to protection is seen in other devices that may not have the technological level that the surge protection devices do, but that are equally important.  This same degree of commitment to producing the best possible enclosures for street level equipment is seen in the Raycap line of “outdoor active cabinets.” (more…)

Street Cabinets And The Protection Of Critical Components

Within the telecommunications industry, an issue that is continually being addressed with improvements is the protection of field equipment.  There is a necessity for the placement of significant amounts of high tech equipment within settings that are exposed to potential harm and damage.  Both natural and un-natural damage is a risk to exposed equipment, which can be vandalized as easily as being destroyed by weather.  In order to provide the greatest level of protection available, the “street cabinet” or “outdoor active cabinet” was developed.  These aluminum enclosures are designed to provide the maximum amount of protection available while at the same time allowing for ventilation in order to prevent internal overheating issues.  These enclosures are constructed of aluminum alloys, reducing the possibility for corrosion while also reducing electrical conductivity, creating a balance between strength and critical limitations of materials.  In addition to strength and security, street cabinets are also modular and are able to be designed and configured for any number of customer needs. (more…)

RF Protection From Raycap

RF Protection is an industry term that describes surge protective devices that are installed with the task of shielding radio frequencies. This type of technology is generally integrated into and near telecommunications equipment in order to protect RF and coaxial data or signal lines.  Raycap’s concentration within this space is the design of products that will assist service for areas where RF equipment must remain up and working, protecting against surges and spikes that will result in damage to communications equipment.  While the vulnerability of power lines to electrical surges is well known, less widespread is the understanding that data and communications lines are equally susceptible.  Lightning strikes to connected data lines can just as easily knock out communications capabilities between components as well as networks, as well as potentially destroy data storage components, leading to massive losses of stored data.

The technology that has been developed by Raycap to provide cellular surge protection for RF equipment protects against electromagnetic pulses and electrical surge transients.  Strikes can produce a steep rise in electric fields within micro-seconds, generating extremely high voltage pulses to antennas and to other unprotected equipment.  These events produce not only physical damage, but will also damage customer satisfaction, an element that is critical to the modern telecommunications business.  Outages and disruptions create unhappy customers that switch networks, and they do not care about the reasons for the disruptions.  The fallout from a lightning strike to power lines, data lines or directly to equipment itself can result in massive losses in the form of equipment replacement costs, but also customer revenue.

Raycap specializes in electrical protection in the telecommunications field.  Even a single lightning strike to an unprotected system can cause losses that will put a strain on a business, making the protection of communications systems paramount.  For this reason, Raycap has developed specialized products that are integrated at critical points within the system in a redundant manner, ensuring that no strike will produce the levels of damage or prolonged outage that would be seen if other methods are trusted.  Quite simply, Raycap manufactures the world’s most technologically advanced and physically robust surge protection and connectivity devices available to the telecommunications market  in order to  keep communications systems in place and functioning.  Raycap takes this effort so seriously because we understand that not only your business is relying on us, but also your customers.  A lack of connectivity during emergency situations can be the difference between life and death, and because of this we understand that it is not just a cellular phone in your customer’s hand, but a tool that can make all of the difference in a critical situation.  We are constantly researching ways to improve our SPDs even further, and push the connectivity level to as close to 100% as possible.  We strive to make your business better for both you and your customers, and promise to provide the best protection on the market both now and in the future.

FTTA PTTA Solutions

Raycap is well known globally as a manufacturer of surge protection devices for numerous industries, including the highly specialized telecommunications industry.  Within this specialization is RRH protection (remote radio head) which is essentially the exposed equipment that is housed atop cellular towers and other structures, designed to communicate with the base band unit (BBU) network in order to provide connectivity for individuals within range of that network.  This equipment has been recognized as being vulnerable to damage from a number of weather-related sources, most importantly lightning strikes to the tower or structure.  These strikes create immediate damage at the strike point, but also bring with them surge oriented damage to equipment that is in the vicinity of the strike.  Strikes to the structure are often times coupled into power and communications lines which connect the RRH and BBU, as well as associated equipment midstream.  The lightning surge event that transpires is nearly always of a great enough magnitude to destroy circuitry in all components, and is only able for equipment to be protected by the integration of industrial surge protection devices at critical points.  Using Raycap’s unique Class 1 MOV surge protection technology in the FTTA (Fibre to the antenna) and PTTA (Power to the antenna) connectivity architectures, DC power is effectively protected against lightning surges and fiber-optic cable is better distributed at distributed base station (DBS) or RRH architectures. (more…)

Protect The Turbines

The alternative energy industry consists of different areas that make up the bulk of what is considered “renewable energy”.  These are wind, solar and hydroelectric power, with wind and solar showing the most promise of greater adoption and expansion in the future.  The push towards renewable energy sources is not necessarily grounded in the protection of the environment, although that does play a major role in public support.  In reality, the move toward renewable sources of energy is about sustainable resources for the future, and cost. To be completely beholden to oil or coal as the primary fuel sources of a nation’s electricity puts that nation’s coming generations in a tenuous position for the future.  With regard to fossil fuels, countries are generally reliant upon trade agreements with oil producing countries, and the desire for energy independence combined with the potential for the ability to produce energy cheaper, leverages public support for renewable energy as oil prices increase.  People have begun to call for technological advances that provide cleaner and cheaper power, and are looking to the wind and solar industries to provide these solutions. (more…)