BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This application is an international application of United States Provisional

Application Number 61/700,270 filed on September 12, 2013 and is incorporated herein in its entirety.

The present invention relates to an antenna system for transmission and reception of RF communications. More particularly, it relates to an infinitely configurable antenna system for wireless communications, employing networked electronic communications or transmissions, which are communicated to and transmitted by one or a plurality of chosen antenna elements, from a plurality of antenna elements communicating directly with transmission and reception modules in an intelligent antenna system. The configuration eliminates line loss and long runs of thick transmission cables of conventional cell and communications tower configurations. Software running on a computer allows for significantly improved beam steering by designating individual or gangs of antenna elements for transmission and reception.

2. Prior Art

Conventionally, a cellular antenna site or a broadcast and receiving note in a wireless cellular type configuration, employ an elevated structure such as a radio mast or tower. The tower includes a plurality of dipole or similar antennas in a wired communication with transmitters and receivers or combination units referred to as transceivers. Conventionally, the transceiver is high powered and remote from the tower engaged antennas and will send transmission signal along a wire to be radiated from an antenna element. Such transceivers are conventionally located on the ground remote from the tower or building engaged elevated antenna elements.

In a wireless outdoor infrastructure or cellular style wireless system, the antennas may be arranged in an array to provide coverage in a desired terrestrial footprint or pattern around the tower. The footprints are in predetermined areas for communicating with phones, computers, radios, smartphones, transponders, fire alarms, and other digital or analog devices operating on wireless frequencies serviced by a tower within that defined area which is serviced by the antenna elements on the tower.

Typically one transceiver or transmission and reception device, will transmit and receive using a wired communication of broadcast signals to a dipole or similar style antenna in a remote location. The system may elevate the signal strength, to maintain communication with a user with a wireless device in the footprint of the cellular tower. Such antenna sites conventionally have a control room with a plurality of transceivers in operative

communication with a land line or with other communications centers using microwave communication.

Such antenna sites are frequently less that attractive due to the size of the antenna elements. Further, due to the long runs of coaxial or other cable, between the land- positioned transceivers and control room and the tower or elevated antenna elements, RF loss for both transmission and reception is significant. Further, residents around the site become concerned due to both the aesthetics and the stray RF transmission.

As an example where the cellphone or radio device moves, throughout range of the cell site, in a dipole system, the transceiver on the frequency being used by the will maintain communication with the moving user while tracking their movement toward the footprint of another cell. As the user device moves out of the tower footprint, the communicating transceiver will be prompted to send communication to another tower and antenna calculated to be the next position for the user along their moving trajectory. With a plurality of users within the site, multiple transceivers on different frequencies may be performing a plurality of such tasks concurrently.

With the increasing need to accommodate an ever larger plurality of users, at ever broadening frequencies and bands, at ever increasing speeds or bandwidths, and with more and more varied transmission standards for different types of data and voice, the current cell site operation and construction is lacking in efficiency and ease of use and adaptability to the task. The single or limited number of transceivers connected to each single dipole or similar antenna, using long runs of cable, must continuously communicate with new and moving users and is constantly switching, updating, and possibly changing frequencies once one user is handed off to another cell cite and a new handshake with a new user completed.

Further, as noted, in most such cellular sites, the transceiver is not on the tower, but is located in the secure control room at the base or a distance adjacent thereto. The large cables being subject to loss and signal leakage communicate between the antenna element and the transceiver or similar cellular configured broadcasting and receiving device. The grouping of numerous receivers in such rooms or housings adjacent to towers generates heat, and requires multiple coaxial cables be run from the top of the tower housing the antenna elements to the individual transceivers which can cause interference due to line loss and leakage. Further, the transmission room generally gets hot from the multiple large transmitters in the room and must be air conditioned thereby increasing the need for the entire site to be close to the power grid. Generally, so connected, only one antenna element, such as a dipole services a single broadcast and receiving device coupled to it.

Further, such systems are not well adapted to service more than one band, such as cellular phones and data. Neither are such conventional systems easily reconfigured for new frequencies, nor are such conventional towers adapted to engage the best antenna element for the task of communicating with a user, to the transceiver handling the communication. Since most elements are hard-wired to a transceiver or similar device, if a user is on one side of the tower in the tower RF footprint, and the antenna servicing their wireless communication is on the other, throughput can suffer due to rising bit rate errors, and loss of reception sensitivity. Thus, the quality of the call or the communicated data communication degrades since the antenna on the tower may be out of sightline, or simply blocked by others on the tower, or simply having a footprint which is on the fringe of the user.

Still further, most elements on such towers are adapted to function on a narrow spread of frequencies, especially the great majority which are dipole style. Consequently, if a cellular or wireless tower needs to add frequencies for different bands, not only do new transceivers need to be hard-wired to new or existing cables running to the elements, in the limited space of the tower, it may not be possible to add the required equipment for the new frequencies.

As such, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved outdoor cellular or wireless communications tower system and method that is more easily adaptable to the fast changing, and wider variety of operating frequencies of modern wireless communications. Such a tower should employ wideband antennas capable of communicating in any of a very wide spread of frequencies, concurrently, rather than conventional limited elements. Such a tower system should position the transceiver device, immediately adjacent to the element from which it broadcasts and receives communications with a user who is in the tower footprint, and thereby eliminate the need for thick shielded cables which leak and also limit available spectrum.

Such a system should have a tower able to employ any antenna in the array on the tower, for transmission and reception of RF for data and voice communications using a connected transceiver capable of broadcasting and receiving the desired frequencies, located adjacent to the antenna element and on the tower thereby eliminating the need for long cable runs and control rooms. Further, such a system should allow transceivers communicating with wireless devices, to communicate through any determined appropriate element on the tower array, and to continually change the element used as the wireless device on the ground or in the air, moves through the tower footprint.

Still further, such an antenna tower system should be adaptable to easily add or change transceivers operating in different bandwidths, and allow fast installation on the tower, and immediate connection of new transceivers to all elements on the tower capable of broadcasting and receiving on the frequencies such a new transceiver operates. This will allow any tower so configured, to be immediately reconfigured to allow communication with devices operating in new radio spectrums not used in the past. Finally, such a system, by placing a plurality of transceivers in the tower, should allow for the data, voice, and other RF communications transmitted, to be generated anywhere in the world, and instantly

communicated to the tower over a network, whereafter the appropriate transceiver for communicating with the antenna element optimum to communicate with the user device on the appropriate frequency is automatically employed by the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The antenna system and method of the device herein disclosed and described provides a solution to these noted shortcomings in prior art of wireless communications sites and towers. The system achieves the above noted goals through the provision of a modular antenna tower or node adapted to easily engage and change the transceivers and their operating bandwidths, as well as the antennas engaged to the system which are wideband and steerable and available to communicate with any wireless device band for voice, media, internet servicing, broadcast television, and the like.

Through the use of modular buss-engageable or plug-in type transceivers, and a novel switching system, and beam steering, any transceiver and paired engaged antenna element at the site or on the tower the system occupies, can be energized to communicate with any stationary or moving user device positioned around the perimeter of the tower or wireless communication site. Further, in addition to the engageable mode of the transceivers, and the unique switching on the buss, the elements themselves may be made modular to allow for engagement of new elements at differing broadband spreads of frequencies.

The system employs a plurality of broadband combination antenna radiating and reception elements, each of which is configured to operate across a broad spectrum of RF for which the antenna site is to operate. The antenna elements may all be the same and function across similar broad spectrums, or they may differ and some are especially well adapted in one broad range of spectrum and others configured for optimum throughput in differing ranges of RF spectrum. There may be multiple adjacent such elements positioned in multiple points around the circumference of the site, to allow for optimum throughput to wireless devices operating in a respective such element frequency range.

Using the unique buss and switching system herein shown in the drawings and described, any communication bound for a user device being transmitted into the buss or system, can be routed to any antenna element of the site adapted to carry the communication. Thus a transceiver or other RF broadcast and reception device, can be engaged to receive the network communicated signal and broadcast on any band desired be it local television, internet, cellular bands such as for smartphones, or operating in the Wi Fi bands to name a few.

Using software enabled means for switching the sytem can be employed to route a received transmission bound for a user device, to any antenna element on the tower or wireless site while communications bound for a user device operating in the cellular phone range, can also have transmissions and received RF communications, routed through the same antenna elements.

Additionally, using a means to ascertain and predict positioning of wireless devices communicating with the system, packets or other RF transmissions, from a transceiver communicating with a particular wireless device, can be rerouted to different respective antenna elements on the tower or site, predicted to be closest to, or yield the best throughput with the moving wireless device. A computing device running software adapted to the task, makes such predictive changes in the antenna elements to yield the best communication from the transceiver handling it. Software is also employed to monitor the quality of

communications such as the bit error rate, reception sensitivity, and other qualifiers, and to choose the correct antenna or antennas to maximize throughput to and from users.

The data, voice, video, or other electronic communication to be wirelessly transmitted to and from the wireless signal employment devices in the footprint of the system herein, are communicated to the tower or site via networked communication using conventional communications standards such as CAT 5 cabling and communications thereover. As a consequence, the shielded cables conventionally employed to route broadcast energy to the antenna elements in the tower, from ground based transceivers or transmitters, which are routed up poles from remote transmitters, are eliminated. Instead, using communication identifiers in the network communication packets or data streams to be transmitted, the system herein is able to determine which communication over the network is to be transmitted to which receiving wireless device, and concurrently ascertain which transceiver to use, and additionally which antenna element to connect to the transceiver chosen, to get the best throughput.

For example, a text message sent to a particular cellular phone, would carry an identifier which can be ascertained by the system employing the proper software to do so. The identifier would provide the information as to which wireless device in communication with the system, is to receive the message. The system again using software adapted to the task, would concurrently ascertain the frequency the destination device is operating on, its position in the footprint, and route the message to the appropriate transceiver operating on the right frequency. The transceiver will then be connected to its antenna element ascertained to yield the best throughput with the destination device for the message, and an RF

communication is sent to that destination device. Should the antenna element chosen as best be momentarily busy, a delay is automatically inserted by the system for the minimal amount of time not to collide the transmission with another from the same antenna element.

Any received communication for a wireless device communicating with the system, can be routed to any antenna element capable of radiating and receiving RF in the proper frequency range to communicate with the intended wireless device. That routing changes in real time as the destination for the RF communication moves.

The transceivers are engageable with the system through an easy plug-in engagement, or using a slot or cooperating fitting and buss engagement. In a buss engagement each transceiver will have its own identifier and listen to the buss and only react when a communication passes through the buss with the correct leading identifier for the respective transceiver.

The RF radiator and reception elements can also be engaged in a like manner using plug-in or cooperative electronic engagement of the elements, however it is preferred that connections be engaged in a manner to minimize or eliminate RF leakage and interference with adjacent components and elements. Coaxial or other connectors may be used, or hard wiring to points on the buss where the energy for the RF transmission from receivers is routed, switched, and delayed in case of collisions. To those skilled in the art, the attached drawings depict the system and operating mode, however it is anticipated that numerous ways to make the required connections will be perceived upon a reading of this specification by one skilled in the art. Any configuration using the buss switching to route

communications through locally positioned transceivers, receivers, and transmitters, and the desired antenna element on the tower or site, is anticipated within the scope of this filing.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is an object of the invention to provide a highly adaptive wireless antenna communications tower or site for communications with any device employed in any frequency or spectrum authorized for such devices.

It is a further object to provide such an antenna system, which allows for each replacement of RF transmitters, receivers, or transceivers, for changes in radio spectrums, or other reasons. It is a further object of this invention, to provide such a system having a plurality of antenna elements located about a perimeter and/or in different positions on the wireless communications site, and allow communications bound for user devices in the site footprint, to be routed to any such antenna element and through an engaged transceiver, transmitter, or receiver, on the same tower or wireless site.

It is a further object, to eliminate large cabling requirements required by conventional wireless sites having transmitters remote to the area adjacent to the antenna elements.

Another object of the invention is the employment of a buss for replacing the antenna elements with others from a group of different configurations.

It is a further object of the invention, to employ a network configuration for communication of incoming and outgoing electronic signals, such as an ethernet based system.

It is a further object of the invention to employ software controlled electronic switching using transmission identifiers, or data packet identifiers, and software to route any communication from or to a transceiver and thereafter from or to any antenna on the tower or site based on the identifier.

It is another object to employ this switching ability used for routing to antennas, to also track and change the employed antenna for any communicating device as it moves.

It is a further object of the invention to employ software running on a processor and adapted to the task of beam steering based on monitorable criteria such as bitrate error and reception sensitivity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES

Figure 1 shows an example of the wireless communications system device herein used to communicate with a stationary user employing any wireless device such as a phone or pad computer, and a moving user employing any wireless such wireless device.

Figure 2 continues the example of figure 1 showing the moving user device, and the change of the antenna element communicating signals from the transceiver being used to communicate with the user's device and new positions.

Figure 3 depicts the transmission and receiving module having a transmitter and a receiver thereon, with appropriate switching, attenuators and amplifiers.

Figure 4 shows the transmission and receiving module of figure 3, in operative engagement between a signal time delay component and the broadcast and receiving element. Figure 5 depicts the adome RF architecture of the system.

Figure 6 depicts an overhead view of the system and the routing of networked packets or communications from or through the appropriate transceiver and antenna element for communication to or from the intended user device on the determined RF band.

Figure 7 shows a transmit/receive module such as a transceiver operatively engaged to receive communications from, and send communications to a receiver on an RF band for which it is adapted.

Figure 8 shows one example of an engagement of an antenna element in a modular and replaceable fashion to the system.

Figure 9 shows another example of an engagement of an antenna element in a modular and replaceable fashion to the system.

Figure 10 depicts the device of the system herein in a vertical orientation pole mounted with a wideband notch antenna engaged in the connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred mode of the device as in FIG 1 , there is seen a diagram representation of the device 10 having a cental data processor running software configured to operate to the task of buss switching and incoming electronic signal routing shown as computer 100. It is this software controlled switching of the broadcast and reception modules along with the employment of a plurality of such modules in differing positions in a circular array thereof, which provides a significant gain in the art.

Of course other, or multiple processing means that employ software and electronic switching of electronic signals, to route and direct electronic signal traffic to and from any of the antenna elements 40 from and to a networked connection, is anticipated within the scope of this invention. Software configured to operate and provide a sampling bit error rate, receiving sensitivity, discerned directional movement of the terrestrial broadcasting and/or receiving client, and other criteria will cause the system to adjust the antenna element 110 or 40, and the transceiver component 120, to employ one or a plurality of the transceiver components in order to steer the beam broadcast and received, and to adjust the beamwidth to maximize throughput from received user transmissions and system transmission to the user, who is communicating with the system.

In accordance with one preferred mode of the present invention and providing a significant advancement over prior art, each antenna element shown as 110 or 40 configured to receive and transmit RF energy, is operatively coupled in its respective individual position on the formed circular array, with its own transceiver component 120. This is opposed to the conventional cell site antenna, wherein a single or limited number of transceivers, through coaxial cable which is generally thick and prone to signal leakage, must constantly communicate with a plurality of antennas in an inefficient manner.

To aid in further portraying the intent and scope of the present invention the following example is given. In use for communicating with a wireless device of a stationary user 300 such as a mobile phone, or pad computer, the user may be located within the range of the cell site being employed to receive and transmit a signal 150 from a first element or antenna 112 having its own transceiver unit 122. Having its own transceiver unit 122 the antenna 112 communicating with the stationary user 300 can effectively and efficiently continue communications as such while the user is situated and maximize throughput. This is because all initial electronic communications may be communicated using network communications, such as over a Category 5, (CAT 5) cable to the transceiver unit, which then amplifies and transmits the communication using RF to the user 300. This eliminates the need for large radio transmitters located

Concurrently, a second moving user 200 wireless device such as a mobile phone, pad computer, or other wireless component, operating within a moving automobile may be positioned to most effectively send and receive combined signals 152 from the first antenna 112 and predictively a second antenna 114, also having its own transceiver unit 124.

Employing software adapted to the task or tracking and routing the electronic

communications, the computer 100 will determine that the user 200 is moving in a first direction or trajectory 202 and after a determined time period can determine the best antenna to employ for maximum throughput given the projected location of the user 200.

Shown in FIG 2, the user 200 has moved from its first position to a new position along the first direction 202 and the computer 100 has prompted to switch to yet a third antenna element 116 and operatively engaged transceiver 126 coupled with a additional antenna 116 that is calculated by the system as best for electronic throughput to optimized bandwidth, within the range of the new location and signal 154 of the user 200. In another preferred mode, such a structure shown in the figures may be employed in a modular construction having a plurality stacked upon each other. In this manner a plurality of positioned antennas or a row of antennas may be employed to listen for incoming signals and determining if the signal is from an authorized user. Other antennas may then provide the most efficient transmission/reception communication by determining which antenna or combination of antennas is closest to the user. Also, if the user is moving, then the remaining antennas can be used during the movement of the user throughout the range of the site.

Figure 3 depicts the transmission and receiving module 20 operating as the transceiver coupled to a given antenna element 40. As shown, the transmission and receiving module 20 has an RF transmitter with a high powered amplifier 21 to generate an RF at the appropriate frequency, which is communicated to the element, when the software closes both switches 25 to route the incoming low power electronic signal 39, such as from a Ethernet cable communicating with an ethernet card or transceiver operatively engaged upon, or to, the transmission and receiving module 20. This allows an ethernet system on the ground, to send electronic signals for element transmission, using ethernet protocol, whereafter it is converted by the ethernet card to a low power signal 39 for communication to the

transmission and reception module and to the antenna element designated. Designations can be provided by tagging or adding identifiers to the information communicated to the ethernet card, which will cause element switching, and/or combining. Reception is handled in reverse, wherein the switches 25 close to place the low noise amplifier signal and a receiver thereon adapted to the frequency rang3 in line with the signal being communicated from the antenna element. The use of such transmit and receiver modules 20, allows an incoming signal to be communicated in the proper electronic format, in low power, and just adjacent to the point of transmission, have it amplified.

The reverse is true when the transmit and receive module 20 is switched to receive mode. The incoming low power RF signal, is routed directly to a low noise amplifier 23, whereafter it can be communicated back through the network such as ethernet, or other means. In all preferred modes of the system herein, the transmission and receiving module 20 is situated adjacent to or as close as possible to the antenna element 40 thereby eliminating long coaxial lines conventionally used for remote transmission devices. Loss and leakages associated with such conventional antenna lines is virtually eliminated.

Figure 4 shows the transmission and receiving module 20 of figure 3, in operative engagement between a software controlled signal time delay component, which delays transmission or reception signals when a collision is sensed or to avoid determined collisions of electronic signals. Such time delays allow an adjacent element or plurality of elements to transmit or receive while the adjacent transmit and receive module 20 waits momentarily for completion.

Also shown in figure 4, are the computer and software controlled combiners and other components. A two to one combiner 33 groups transmit and receive modules 20 and elements 40 along two pathways, to allow for increased signal gain, or beam forming by using two antenna elements 40 to broadcast and/or receive. The multiplexer can also use a four to one combiner 35 for increased RF gain or for steering the outgoing RF signal by using four elements 40. Also shown is an eight to one combiner 26 which as can be discerned, employs all eight elements 40 and their pathways through transmit and receive modules 20 and delay 31, to increase signal gain of received RF, or further focus or steer the broadcast RF beam or coverage.

The software running on the noted computer or microprocessor can employ conventional switching to control the various components such as the ganging or combining of elements operation depending upon the need for the system to increase signal reception gain, or focus the RF beam. The use of combiners may be momentary, or be ongoing, and the software is configured to control the switching and combiners to achieve the desired input or output from the system. In operation the software would correlate each switch 25, time delay 31, combiner 33, and other components requiring switching to operate the system, with an identifier, or electronic address such as a MACID, which will allow the software to energize and de-energize the appropriate component, and open and close the appropriate switch 25 to perform the above noted functions of individual or combined use of elements for transmission and reception of RF signals.

Figure 5 depicts the system herein configured to operate as a Radome RF architecture. In this mode of the system, the RF signals may be generated by any number of RF

transmitters which receive low power incoming electronic signals in the proper format for the intended electronic communication. The radios or transceivers may operating at differing RF frequencies for the communication to the intended electronic component. For instance one or a plurality may operate in cellular phone CDMA or GSM frequencies, and one or a plurality of radios may concurrently operate to transmit on television or UHF or other frequencies within the operating realm of a wide band antenna element.

Using an array of wideband elements, with element multiplexers operatively engaged, and controlled by software running on a computer in communication therewith, each of the antenna elements in the array, can be used to transmit any of the frequencies generated by the communicating radios. In this mode the antenna elements can thus transmit and receive on multiple frequencies which are computer software controlled through control of the embedded radio multiple control processor and controlling time delays to allow RF communications on differing frequencies to clear or finish before starting the next.

Thus this mode of the system operates as with the prior noted mode of figures 1-4, and adds RF multiplexing and multiple frequencies along with switching for signal gain, beamwidth, and enhancing transmission and reception from stationary or moving users, using computer software configured to switch the appropriate antenna elements singularly or in combination to accomplish the desired RF output or reception and the signal is

communicated to a radio multiplexer. The differing frequency RF signals may be

communicated to and from, differently positioned elements using an embedded radio multiplexor control processor. In this fashion the RF signals communicated from the elements can be focused for beam width, or can be employed to use single wideband elements, to broadcast multiple frequencies at different times depending on the control of the delay.

Figure 6 graphically depicts an overhead view of the system operated by computer software and buss enabled routing of networked electronic communications or packets from the network and to the determined appropriate transmit and receive module 20 operating on the appropriate frequencies to communicate with a user wireless device, through the electronically coupled antenna element 40 determined to yield the best communication with the intended user wireless device. The electronic communications to and from that wireless device of the user may be rerouted by the system in real time, to use any of the antenna elements 40 and engaged transmission and receive modules 20 engaged thereto for maximum throughput and optimum clarity and reduction in errors.

Additionally, using software adapted to the task, the system can employ a plurality of antenna elements 40 and connected transmission and receive modules 20 to receive networked communications and transmit them, and receive user device communications and communicate them to the network. Further using a plurality of such antenna elements 40 and transmission and receive modules 20 the system can operate to provide real time beam steering of the transmitted and received RF signal if desired.

In Figure 7 there is shown a transmit/receive module 20 such as a transceiver, which is operatively engaged in a socket 41 or buss type engagement, operatively in a manner to receive communications from, and send communications to a receiver operating on an RF band for which it is adapted. The transmit/receive module 20 can be removably engaged or hardwired and can be in any configuration adapted to operatively engage with the antenna element employed for the RF frequency of operation. As noted, communications to and from the transmit/receive module are sent via network communications so as to allow for the close proximity of the transmit/receive module 20 to the antenna element 40 of the proper configuration for the RF frequency intended. In this fashion transceivers for any RF operating band such as Wi Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, television, or other bands may be all engaged to the same antenna site and the communications to be carried on a respective band are communicated to and from the proper transceiver providing the transmit/receive module 20 for the RF band for the communication.

Packets of data for voice, text, television, or other communications may be sent over a traditional time-division multiplex-based network or a more powerful collaborative IP communications network, or in a similar fashion. This eliminates the need for large transmitters a distance from the antenna elements as the communications in a network fashion are communicated to the system through a computer in the antenna site, or directly to the transmit/receive module which is adapted to receive the communication and transmit it appropriately.

Figure 8 shows one example of an engagement of an antenna element 40 in a modular and replaceable fashion to the system herein. While the antennas may also be hardwired, the engagement to sockets 41 or a buss communicating with one or a plurality of the transmit received modules 20 allows for minimal wiring for minimal distances from the radiating antenna element 40 and the transceiver. Figure 9 shows another example of an engagement of an antenna element 40 in a modular and replaceable fashion to the system. In all modes, a computer running software adapted to the task of routing various incoming and outgoing communications to and from the proper transmit/receive module 20 operating on the proper RF frequency may be employed, or the incoming signals may be addressed to the proper transmit/receive module 20 and processed thereon for transmission and reception. As noted any number of different transmit/receive modules 20 operating on any number of RF frequencies may all be included in a single tower site, and the incoming and outgoing communications are routed to and from the correct transmit/receive module for the proper frequency.

Figure 10 depicts the antenna element 40 of the system herein in a vertical orientation engaged in the appropriate buss, socket, or connector, such as a pole mounted cellular system antenna. Multiple sockets 41 or busses may be positioned on the same pole for addition of multiple antenna elements 40 such as the wide band notch antenna element 40 shown in figure 10. Electrical power to run the components noted herein which would also be p9ole mounted adjacent to or proximate to the antenna element 40, such as the RF radios or TR Module 20 and element multiplexer 30 and/or ethernet communication component can be provided by cable or wire to the local grid or by batteries and solar cells or combinations thereof.

While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations and substitutions are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.