advice on possible AF5 link.

[rebelwireless]

so I have a bit of an issue. I have 2 local competitors that are running sectors hot (my math says the full ptp 53dBm) between my head end and my primary backhaul. Both of them are just noisy enough that I'm running the backhaul in 5150-5250 because the noise in UNII3 is just a bit too much for RocketM5's to perform well. One of them has a sector pointed to the head-end and another pointed to the receiving end, both full power. One of them is clearly a novice and has the sectors aimed flat despite being 75m high and trying to service down at a 45deg angle :/

I can get -57 on the link w/ rockets but I'm getting occasional (as in 10% of the time) noise at ~-75 from them, though typically it's -85-90. They are not heavily loaded APs apparently. So I can get good speeds that collapse from the noise once or twice a minute, which I can see clearly on airview.

I don't want to file a complaint, I'd rather let it be and let kharma take care of them.

That said, I'm fairly confident that if I put up an AF5 I'd blow their sectors out. It's a 12mile link and they are on two high rises at the 7 mile mark just at the edge of the beamwidth.

A) any comments about doing the AF5 and being a non-friendly neighbor would be appreciated
B) any comments on whether the AF5 will force a change on their side, ie. will the AF5 make their existing aiming non-functional.

I'm pushing at most 60Mbps (~75 aggregate) across the link but it's RM5 so I have little headroom. I've recently starting boosting service speeds so I'm going to need more and I don't want to spend $8k on an 11Ghz link.

I should add that one of the providers is a bit arrogant and just simply isn't worth trying to negotiate anything with and the other is 'a bad guy' and would do the opposite of try to work with me as he would perceive a weakness.

[sirhc]

My experience with AF5 is limited as I hate them!

However that being said it is my understanding that AF5 causes issues with airMAX but also airMAX kills AF5 as well?

Magician or Josh have FAR more experience with them.

I guess I should load a tag module like UBNT has for things like this!

[rebelwireless]

Chris, what do you use for high capacity backhauls? Right now the $2k for an AF5, along with the 12Mile distance, kind of disqualifies anything over 11Ghz.

[sirhc]

I put my towers closer together, most are less than 4 miles apart.

But when going 10 miles I would used SAF 11 GHz.

[rebelwireless]

I've been looking at the SAF units, but the cost is much higher...

[sirhc]

Much higher then what, the AF5, your comparing apples and oranges?

AF5 is in your bread and butter spectrum, I would not use it because of this.

A licensed link is guaranteed to not be interfered with or interfere with you.

You always pay for what you get but you do not always get what you pay for.

[rebelwireless]

true, but I'm already using up 40Mhz in 5Ghz so AF5 displaces a current link. I am comparing apples to oranges, but out of financial necessity. $2k is doable, $8k isn't.

[sirhc]

Well then there is your answer.
BUT as I said airMAX messes with AF5 so if your having issues with your competitor already with existing airMAX link that mess will still be there.

[lligetfa]

...if your having issues with your competitor already with existing airMAX link that mess will still be there.

If they are uncooperative as you say, it could easily become a war of escalation and there are seldom any winners.

Your only hope may be a tighter beam if they are off-axis or choose a new path to put them off-axis.

[josh]

SAF 11GHz Luminas are good up to 366Mbps FD. The Integras can go a bit higher. Both can do XPIC, so you can double that bandwidth by using two radios on the same dish on different polarities.

Exalt 11GHz have field replaceable diplexers. SAF OTOH has a 5 year warranty. We chose SAF.