Radio frequency subscriber drop units having printed circuit boards with ground plane layers and/or housings with ground walls

1. A passive radio frequency (“RF”) subscriber drop unit, comprising:

a housing having a top wall and a plurality of sidewalls that define an open interior;

a female coaxial input port that extends from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing;

a female coaxial output port that extends from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing;

a printed circuit board mounted in the open interior of the housing; and

a ground wall that projects downwardly from an interior face of the top wall, the ground wall extending between the sidewalls, wherein the ground wall is electrically connected to a conductive ground plane of the printed circuit board.

2. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 1 , wherein the ground wall connects two of the sidewalls of the housing to each other.

3. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board includes a dielectric layer, a wiring layer that includes conductive wirings that comprise at least part of a communications path between the input port and the output port that is on a first face of the dielectric layer, and a ground plane layer, that includes the conductive ground plane, that is on a second face of the dielectric layer.

4. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 3 , wherein the conductive ground plane is a first conductive ground plane, the printed circuit board further comprising a second conductive ground plane that is part of the first face.

5. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 1 , wherein the female coaxial input port passes from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing through a first sidewall of the sidewalls of the housing.

6. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 5 , wherein the female coaxial output port passes from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing through a second sidewall of the sidewalls of the housing.

7. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of posts that extend downwardly from the interior face of the top wall of the housing into the open interior of the housing, and wherein the printed circuit board is mounted on the plurality of posts.

8. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 7 , wherein the printed circuit board includes a plurality of apertures receiving the plurality of posts.

9. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of posts are inserted into the plurality of apertures and connected thereto by solder.

10. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 8 , wherein a first post of the plurality of posts includes an internal hollow and a screw engaged within the internal hollow, with the screw of the first post extending through a respective one of the plurality of apertures.

11. A passive radio frequency (“RF”) subscriber drop unit, comprising:

a housing having a top wall and a plurality of sidewalls that define an open interior;

a female coaxial input port that extends from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing;

a female coaxial output port that extends from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing; and

a printed circuit board mounted on a plurality of posts that extend downwardly from an interior face of the top wall of the housing into the open interior of the housing, wherein at least one of the plurality of posts is electrically connected to a conductive ground plane of the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board includes a dielectric layer, a wiring layer that includes conductive wirings that comprise at least part of a communications path between the input port and the output port that is on a first face of the dielectric layer, and a ground plane layer, that includes the conductive ground plane, that is on a second face of the dielectric layer, and wherein the conductive ground plane is a first conductive ground plane, the printed circuit board further comprising a second conductive ground plane that is part of the first face.

12. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 11 , wherein the female coaxial input port passes from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing through a first sidewall of the sidewalls of the housing, and wherein the female coaxial output port passes from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing through a second sidewall of the sidewalls of the housing.

13. A passive radio frequency (“RF”) subscriber drop unit, comprising:

a housing having a top wall and a plurality of sidewalls that define an open interior;

a female coaxial input port that extends from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing;

a female coaxial output port that extends from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing; and

a printed circuit board mounted on a plurality of posts that extend downwardly from an interior face of the top wall of the housing into the open interior of the housing, wherein at least one of the plurality of posts is electrically connected to a conductive ground plane of the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board includes a plurality of apertures receiving the plurality of posts.

14. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of posts are inserted into the plurality of apertures and connected thereto by solder.

15. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 13 , wherein a first post of the plurality of posts includes an internal hollow and a screw engaged within the internal hollow, with the screw of the first post extending through a respective one of the plurality of apertures.

16. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 13 , wherein the printed circuit board includes a dielectric layer, a wiring layer that includes conductive wirings that comprise at least part of a communications path between the input port and the output port that is on a first face of the dielectric layer, and a ground plane layer, that includes the conductive ground plane, that is on a second face of the dielectric layer, and wherein the conductive ground plane is a first conductive ground plane, the printed circuit board further comprising a second conductive ground plane that is part of the first face.

17. A passive radio frequency (“RF”) subscriber drop unit, comprising:

a housing having a female coaxial input port and a female coaxial output port;

a printed circuit board mounted in an open interior of the housing, the printed circuit board including a dielectric layer, a wiring layer that includes conductive wirings that comprise at least part of a communications path between the input port and the output port that is on a first face of the dielectric layer, and a ground plane layer that includes a conductive ground plane that is on a second face of the dielectric layer; and

at least one of:

a ledge extending from an inner surface of at least a first side wall of the housing, the ledge being electrically connected to the ground plane; and

at least one projection extending from an inner surface of the housing, wherein the at least one projection is electrically connected to the ground plane.

18. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 17 , wherein the female coaxial input port passes from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing through a first sidewall of the housing, and wherein the female coaxial output port passes from outside of the housing to the open interior of the housing through a second sidewall of the housing.

19. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 17 , wherein the ledge extends from an inner surface of at least a first side wall of the housing, and the ledge is electrically connected to the ground plane.

20. The passive RF subscriber drop unit of claim 19 , wherein the conductive ground plane is a first conductive ground plane, the printed circuit board further comprising a second conductive ground plane that is part of the first face.