STEALTH Antenna Concealment Handbook

8/12/2019 STEALTH Antenna Concealment Handbook

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Out of SightOut of Mind

A N T E N N A C O N C E A L M E N T H A N D B O O K

STEALTH CONCEALMENT SOLUT IONS , INC .


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b | ANTENNA CONCEALMENT COPYRIGHT 2013 STEALTHCONCEALMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

YOURE LOSING MONEYON EVERY CONCEALMENT YOU BUILD.


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COPYRIGHT 2013 STEALTHCONCEALMENT SOLUTIONS, INC. ANTENNA CONCEALMENT | 1

EVERY ANTENNAYOUVE HIDDEN COSTS

20% - 30% MORETHAN IT SHOULD HAVE.

WHY?THE REASONS ARE MANY.

1. Control of design has shifted from people in thewireless business to cities and towns and the well-meaning citizens who sit on zoning boards.

2. People create designs unaware of the most cost-effective materials and methods.

3. Installation relies on outdated methods; wireless movesat the speed of sound, except when it comes to towers.

THE SOLUTION.We believe educated and informed participants inthis process can solve this problem. On the followingpages, we will illustrate how you can get more foryour concealment dollar while avoiding traps thatfrequently confront the typical project.

WOW!hatsalot!

asupervisorycommitteeofindividualswho

ensurestructuresmeetcertainrestrictions

zon ng oar s.


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2 | ANTENNA CONCEALMENT COPYRIGHT 2013 STEALTHCONCEALMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

Remember

theBRICK?!

Thisbookoffersabefore,during,andafterprimer

onconcealment.WecouldbenefitfromSTEALTHs

experience.Theresnoreasontohidefromconcealment.

A BIT OF HISTORY

Concea ment was orn a out 20 years ago. T e n ustrys

rst s tes were ma e o p ywoo . T e s tes wor e w tp ywoo , ut t e water compresse ns e t e woo ma et em a ess-t an- ea opt on. T at nt matter muc ,though, because the networks were pretty unreliable.Impe e s gna wasnt a concern t en; t was coo er to avea p one t an t was to e a e to ma e a ca .

P ywoo was ne unt t wasnt: enter STEALTH . S ow y, utsure y, a t ose woo en concea ments requ re

T at rove t e nee or a proven, RF-transparent pane t atcou rema n re at ve y nv s e w en p ace n ront o anantenna. T at pane a so a to matc ts surroun ngs,meaning transparency and camouflage often borderingon true artwor were ey.

T e ggest evo ut on s t at concea ment s no onger an ce to ave; ts a must ave. Mun c pa t es see qua tyconcea ment. En users un erstan t ey ave opt ons,an are ocuse on gett ng s tes rampe up an serv ng

customers. To ay, were part o a vast networ o es gners,u ers an supp ers con ur ng up concea ments or ust

a out anyt ng t e w re ess n ustry nee s.

retro tt ng.


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PART 1BEFORE THE CONCEALMENT


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COPYRIGHT 2013 STEALTH CONCEALMENT SOLUTIONS, INC. ANTENNA CONCEALMENT | 5

HOW CAN YOUR CONCEALMENT

PARTNER HELP YOU GET TOYES?

Collaborate.Bring your concealment company along on thesearch ring process and listen to the advantages/disadvantagesof potential sites.

Entertain options.Work with them on 2 3 simple sketchesand cost estimates.

Prepare your case.Outline likely objections from the landlordand have solid answers.

Arm yourself. Have written references speaking to yourconcealment partners quality and professionalism.

Listen to your concealment company. Any major concealmentvendor can probably tell you what concealments theyve donein a given zip code. A vendors institutional knowledge is apowerful tool.

Get hitched. Centralizing your concealment relationship withone vendor could save you time and money on futureprojects. Consider it!

Now that youve engaged your concealment partner, set the

meeting. Write an agenda and guide the conversation.Know your goal.

Partnerwithaconcealmentcompanytocomeupwiththemostefficientsolution.

Especiallyimpactful

ifthesitein

questionissimilar

tooneyouve

alreadymanaged

INSIDE INSIGHTCities all over the United States are hiring consultants to write concealment

ordinance language. This has the potential to drive costs higher. Its already too

late in some parts of the country, but if you follow the simple guidelines in this

handbook, you can be a proactive part of the dialogue and control costs.


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KEY LESSONS LEARNED1. Bring a concealment expert into your site selection

process from the start. A good vendor is a partner asinterested in your long-term success as theirs.

2. Determine the advantages/disadvantages for eachpotential concealment site.

3. Based on this upfront work, create 2-3 options usingexisting drawings, photo simulations and/or samples fromthe site in question or a similar, existing site.

4. Know, in advance, what types of concealments are good -fast track, low hassle - candidates, in the eyes of the otherparty (be that the building owner, local government orwhomever).

5. Standardize the concealment selection purchase processwhile its still a relatively small portion of the site budget.

6. Centralize the purchase of concealment products to sharedesigns and material costs across several projects.

Takecontr

ol!

Ownthe

aesthetics!

Drivethe

decision!

Videotestimonialsthatincorpora

te

boththesiteandresidentsare

especiallyimpactful.

Approachyourfirstmeetingarmedwithdrawings,photosimulations,samplesandexamplesofexistinginstalledsites.


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PART 2I HAVE TO BUILD WHAT?


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This sounds good, but is usually not.Its good when someonewith more than 20 years of experience is behind it; not somuch when a newbie conjured it up. The difference goesbeyond aesthetics. Design integrity, durability, build-ability,

RF transparency, the ability to gain municipal approval onthe first attempt and a host of other factors matter. Andexperience is key to navigating them all.

Adding concealment after the site has been chosen carriesa host of challenges. Pre-determined designs are moreexpensive to quote, fabricate and install. Why? Pictureyourself designing a car, sending the drawing to a factory,and expecting the cheapest possible price for your one-of-a-kind wheels. Thats not cost saving, its a cost snowball, and

you lose all benefits from the experience and connections ofyour vendor.

So, what drives up costs during this phase? Typically, apre-selected concealment arrives on site in pieces. The localcontractor, who built a carport yesterday, struggles to makesense of the drawings. Busy people, they underbid the joband are now in a hurry to get it done. They skipped the pre-construction team calls. The clock ticks and, at some critical

point around the 11th hour, they call the designers for help.

Now the meter is really running and everyone is scramblingto meet the deadline. Soon, everyone is pointing fingers in adesperate attempt to avoid back-charges on a project that wasalready quoted close to the bone.

TOO OFTEN,THE PROJECT ARRIVES AT THE CONCEALMENTCOMPANY ALREADY DESIGNED.

INSIDE INSIGHT

It may not be possible to have a concealment provider do the design, but you can

still benefit from their experience. Make sure your architecture and engineering

firm gets input from a concealment company to maximize the design.

RF transparency,

describesamaterial

thatisableto

let signalspass

throughwith

minimald loss


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IT DOESNT HAVETO BE THIS WAY!HOW TO MAKE THE DURING PHASE WORK

Customer calls a meeting with all the involved parties,previewing potential sites.

The team discusses the best options for each, and

approaches customer with their ranked choices.

The customer makes their choice, and seeks a generaldesign approach complete with concealment.

A frank conversation is had between carrier, contractorsand concealment partners about ideal options, costs,maintenance and more.

An option is chosen, priced, and goes to the designdepartment.

Customer demands that their installation team meetat least once with the concealment designers beforedelivery.

Sound like a lot of communicating?Bingo, but all that pre-thinking means engineering costs are reduced, knowledgeis shared, projects are completed faster and mistakes are

minimized. In fact, just the initial meeting alone has beenproven to cut project costs by 20% to 30%, and cut projectcompletion time in half.

INSIDE INSIGHT

Post all your engineering packages in a shared folder and let all Construction

Managers access it. Engineering can be re-used at a fraction of the cost of

recreating a similar package.

proven to cut pro ect costs y 20% to 30%, an cut pro ect

. In act, ust t e n t a meet ng a one as een

comp et on t me n a .

thatcouldaddupto

substantialsavings!!!


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KEY LESSONS LEARNED1. Designs locked in stone before reaching the concealment

company cost more, almost without exception.

2. A holistic approach to a carriers concealment needs willdrive down cost at every phase of the concealment project.

3. Concealment companies have more design experience:

use it.

4. Exploit similarity in design across regions to reduceengineering and fabrication costs.

5. Ask concealment companies which products they canbuild the best, easiest and most cost efficiently. Look foropportunities to deploy that design across the company.

6. Get testimonials from all parties involved to grease the

approval skids.

7. Trouble will likely occur on site. Have numbers and contactinformation ready. Also, have your fabrication drawingson hand when calling from the site. This will speed thesolution along.

Thisisasetofplansthatshowshowaconcealmentstructureisconstructed.Itincludesmeasurementsneededtomanufactureandconstruct,detaileddimensionsofeachpartandabill ofmaterials.

a r cat on raw ngs

INSIDE INSIGHT

Ask your concealment vendor for any photos they might have.

It can be an important addition to your project archive.


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PART 3AFTER CONCEALMENT


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Abandoned, the concealment is left to the elements until,generally, something goes wrong.

Absent proactive involvement by the landlord, thecarrier or a designee, theres little thought given to themaintenance of the site and its concealment. This isanother expensive problem.

Concealments and the towers they conceal needmaintenance. They must adapt to changing technologies.They must remain structurally sound so as not to createproblems in their surrounding areas. Yet little to no thoughtis given to the long, healthy life of a site.

The better approach is to pre-plan and pre-budget regularinspections. Some sites benefit from quarterly visits; othersless, and some even more. Your regions weather will drivethe optimal schedule.

Each inspection should be conducted in a rigorous anddetailed manner. Take photos and make notes. Damagedor worn parts should be replaced or repaired. Connections

should be tested for strength. But dont expect concealmentsto meet the standards youd apply to permanent buildings:those are fake bricks and tree branches, after all. And the keyis to use RF-transparent materials, which are automaticallyless resilient than traditional building materials.

Twenty years ago, there were so few sites that nobody hadto worry much about them. Some of those original towersremain, and as they age, its certain they will degrade.

90% OF THE TIMEAFTER A JOB IS COMPLETED, HIGH FIVESABOUND, ELVIS LEAVES THE BUILDING, AND

EVERYBODY FORGETS THE SITE.

Andweallknow

MurphysLaw!!!

T e etter approac s to pre-p an an pre- u get regu arnspect ons.


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HOW TO GET TO

HAPPILY EVER AFTER Pick a partner you can trust and set up a schedule for

regular inspections.

Stay in touch with your original contractor or retain alarger concealment company to maintain the site.

Categorize your concealed sites from oldest to youngest,

and categorize them into sites with the greatest risk,based on age and proximity to people and property.

On new installations, invite your concealment companyto conduct a final approval of the installation.

Expect your site to be well engineered and to last a goodwhile. But remember these arent traditional materialsand will require routine reviews.

KEY LESSONS LEARNED1. Reactive replacement and repair processes are recipes

for trouble.

2. Concealment company sign-off is a great way to finisha project.

3. Set a specific schedule for inspecting your sites.

4. Keep good records. Photographs, videos and drawingswith any approved changes are useful project artifactsto keep.

Wevelostcount

ofthenewtowers

weveseenthat

werentinstalledas

engineeredandwere

doomedfromDay1.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE?

Concealment is simple. Its not easy, but it doesnt have to be hard,either. You can seriously reduce the time, frustration, annoyance, andcost that concealment too often conjures. Come on stop hidingfrom concealment!


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800.755.0689 | 6549 FAIN BLVD. | N. CHARLESTON | SC | 29406 | stealthconcealment.com

STEALTH Antenna Concealment Handbook

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