Base station antenna units having arrays spanning multiple antennas that are connected by jumper cables
Base station antenna units include a first and second base station antennas that have respective first and second housings. The first housing includes a top end cap and the second housing includes a bottom end cap. A jumper cable that includes a first connector port is mounted in one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap, and a second connector port that is configured to mate with the first connector port is mounted in the other one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap. A longitudinal axis of the first connector port extends in a vertical direction and a longitudinal axis of the second connector port extends in the vertical direction.
1. A base station antenna unit, comprising:
a first base station antenna that comprises a first housing that includes a first radome and a top end cap;
a second base station antenna that comprises a second housing that includes a second radome and a bottom end cap;
a jumper cable that includes a first connector port that is mounted in one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap, and
a second connector port that is configured to mate with the first connector port, the second connector port mounted in the other one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap,
wherein a first longitudinal axis of the first connector port extends in a vertical direction and a second longitudinal axis of the second connector port extends in the vertical direction.
2. The base station antenna unit of claim 1 , wherein the first and second base station antennas are mounted in a vertically stacked arrangement, and a bottommost surface of the second base station antenna is within 1 inch of a topmost surface of the first base station antenna.
3. The base station antenna unit of claim 1 , wherein the jumper cable comprises a retractable jumper cable.
4. The base station antenna unit of claim 3 , wherein the retractable jumper cable comprises one of a plurality of jumper cables, each of the plurality of retractable jumper cables including a respective cable and a respective first connector port, and the second connector port comprises one of a plurality of second connector ports, and each of the retractable jumper cables is configured to mate with a respective one of the second connector ports.
5. The base station antenna unit of claim 4 , wherein at least two of the first connector ports are mounted in a common connector support that is moveable between a disconnected position and a connected position.
6. The base station antenna unit of claim 4 , wherein the top end cap includes a compartment that has a front wall and a pair of side walls, and wherein the plurality of retractable jumper cables are mounted in the compartment.
7. The base station antenna unit of claim 6 , wherein the second connector ports extend into the compartment when the second base station antenna is vertically stacked on the first base station antenna.
8. The base station antenna unit of claim 1 , wherein the first base station antenna further includes a first radio frequency (“RF”) port and a first array of radiating elements that are coupled to the first RF port and a second RF port and a first portion of a second array of radiating elements that are connected to the second RF port, and wherein the second base station antenna includes a third RF port and a third array of radiating elements that are coupled to the first RF port, and a second portion of the second array of radiating elements.
9. The base station antenna unit of claim 1 , further comprising a first array of first frequency band radiating elements that spans the first base station antenna and the second base station antenna, and a first phase shifter that is connected to each of the first frequency band radiating elements in the first array.
10. A base station antenna assembly, comprising:
a first base station antenna that comprises a first housing that includes a first radome and a top end cap;
a second base station antenna that comprises a second housing that includes a second radome and a bottom end cap;
a plurality of jumper cables that each include a cable and a first connector port, each of the cables extending through one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap;
a moveable connector support, wherein at least two of the first connector ports are mounted on and movable with the connector support, and
a plurality of second connector ports that are configured to mate with respective ones of the first connector ports, the second connector ports mounted in the other one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap.
11. The base station antenna unit of claim 10 , wherein the first and second base station antennas are mounted in a vertically stacked arrangement, and wherein a longitudinal axis of each of the first connector ports extends in a vertical direction and a longitudinal axis of each of the second connector ports extends in the vertical direction.
12. The base station antenna unit of claim 11 , wherein the moveable connector support is attached to one of the first base station antenna and the second base station antenna via at least two of the jumper cables.
13. The base station antenna unit of claim 11 , wherein each of the jumper cables comprises a retractable jumper cable.
14. The base station antenna unit of claim 13 , wherein the bottom end cap includes a compartment, and wherein the plurality of retractable jumper cables are mounted in the compartment.
15. The base station antenna unit of claim 10 , wherein the first base station antenna further includes a first radio frequency (“RF”) port and a first array of radiating elements that are coupled to the first RF port and a second RF port and a first portion of a second array of radiating elements that are connected to the second RF port, and wherein the second base station antenna includes a third RF port and a third array of radiating elements that are coupled to the first RF port, and a second portion of the second array of radiating elements.
16. The base station antenna unit of claim 10 , further comprising:
a first array of first frequency band radiating elements that spans the first base station antenna and the second base station antenna;
a first phase shifter that is connected to each of the first frequency band radiating elements in the first array;
a second array of second frequency band radiating elements that spans the first base station antenna and the second base station antenna; and
a second phase shifter that is connected to each of the second frequency band radiating elements in the second array.
17. The base station antenna unit of claim 16 , further comprising a first diplexer in the first base station antenna and a second diplexer in the second base station antenna, wherein the first diplexer includes a first port that is coupled to the first phase shifter, a second port that is coupled to the second phase shifter, and a common port, and the second diplexer includes a first port that is coupled to at least one of the first frequency band radiating elements in the second base station antenna, a second port that is coupled to at least one of the second frequency band radiating elements in the second base station antenna, and a common port that is coupled to the common port of the first diplexer.
18. A base station antenna unit, comprising:
a first base station antenna;
a second base station antenna that is stacked above the first base station antenna;
a first array of first frequency band radiating elements that spans the first base station antenna and the second base station antenna;
a second array of second frequency band radiating elements that spans the first base station antenna and the second base station antenna;
a first diplexer that has a first frequency selective port that is coupled to a subset of the first frequency band radiating elements of the first array and a second frequency selective port that is coupled to a subset of the second frequency band radiating elements of the second array.
19. The base station antenna unit of claim 18 , further comprising a first phase shifter that is coupled to each of the first frequency band radiating elements in the first array and a second phase shifter that is coupled to each of the second frequency band radiating elements in the second array.
20. The base station antenna unit of claim 19 , further comprising a second diplexer that includes a first frequency selective port that is coupled to the first phase shifter, a second frequency selective port that is coupled to the first phase shifter, and a common port that is coupled to a common port of the first diplexer.
21. The base station antenna unit of claim 20 , wherein the common port of the first diplexer is connected to the common port of the second diplexer by a jumper cable.
22. The base station antenna unit of claim 21 , wherein the jumper cable extends between a top end cap of the first base station antenna and a bottom end cap of the second base station antenna.