Project use, not a coverage map
An enterprise distributed antenna system brief starts from the building, the bands, and the fiber hop, then asks factories to price the same head-end, remote, and donor set. LinkScope Sourcing 30 coordinates those replies. It does not design the riser, predict signal level, or hold the radios.
A campus and a single clinic can share the words distributed antenna and still need different hardware. Each card is a field to lock before quotations are averaged. 47 CFR Part 2 Subpart J is the reference for asking whether an active head-end needs FCC equipment authorization. The rule does not bless a passive splitter.
Write each commercial window, often 700, 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz, and any public-safety slice near 700 or 800 MHz. A line that says broadband cannot be lined up with a line that lists four windows. Channel width, such as 10 MHz or 20 MHz, is a carrier setting the passive path still has to pass.
A remote fed by fiber needs a wavelength and an optical budget, not a coax length. Single-mode fiber at 1310 nm is the usual long campus hop. Multimode can be discussed only when the existing plant and the optics are both multimode and the reach is short. Mixing the two plants is a different purchase.
Ask whether each remote expects Power over Ethernet or a local DC feed. PoE class and watts belong on the line. A head-end rack unit count and its power rating are separate from the remote draw. Do not copy the head-end wattage onto the ceiling radio.
Donor gain is in dBi. Splitter insertion loss and coupler values are in dB. Impedance for these lines is typically 50 ohm. Return loss or a VSWR limit such as 1.5:1 needs the band edge. PIM, when indoor antennas share a riser, is often discussed near -150 dBc at 2 x 43 dBm, and the quote must name the test.
Connector family changes the jumper: 4.3-10, N-type, or a DIN variant. Connector mating cycle matters when jumpers are opened during acceptance. Ingress protection applies to a rooftop donor and does not transfer to a ceiling antenna. A hallway antenna throws energy along the corridor, while a ceiling antenna spreads more evenly around the tile. Name the pattern the floor plate actually needs.
MIMO order is a radio path count. A 2x2 service and a 4x4 service do not share a remote count just because the floor plate is the same. Receiver sensitivity and transmit power, if the active block publishes them, must be tied to the exact model and the stated channel. This site does not publish a universal dBm figure.
A managed head-end can expose alarms and a remote status page when the buyer wants that visibility. An unmanaged passive tree of splitters can be enough when the service is a fixed set of bands and nobody needs a login. The managed path adds configuration and a software question. The unmanaged path removes that overhead and also removes remote visibility. Quote them as alternatives, not as one kit.
An OEM-coded head-end may follow the host vendor support text more closely. A compatible remote may be priced when the buyer accepts a written deviation on alarms and management. New donor panels carry a cleaner PIM file than refurbished panels, which can match the band label and still miss a numeric PIM limit. Condition is a column. It is not a discount story.
Measurement accuracy of a factory PIM or VSWR plot depends on the fixture and on calibration traceability. Ask for the method when the limit is tight. A photograph of a green rack is not evidence. Environmental rating of the donor, mounting (mast, wall, or parapet), and whether lift equipment is excluded all change the delivered cost.
Sourcing scenario: a university buyer asks for an enterprise distributed antenna system across two buildings joined by a parking drive. Background is a basement head-end, ceiling antennas on three floors, and a donor on the nearer roof. Process is to mark the inter-building run as a fiber question, to require single-mode or multimode to be chosen before optics are priced, and to split donor, coax, remotes, and indoor antennas into separate lines. Result is a comparison that does not average a coax-only quote with a fiber-fed quote.
Costs that frequently sit outside the hardware: freight, duty, connectors, weatherproofing, prediction files, permits, commissioning, spares, and a return visit. A sample remote is not the floor quantity. If a factory states a minimum order, copy that count and whether it means remotes or antennas. A budget figure, when offered, needs its currency and whether it covers one remote or the whole campus order. High-end, mid-range, budget, or undecided is a buyer preference, not a verified grade. Related component labels sit on the inquiry list. The spec handoff is where still-open indoor items are recorded.
A floor list, the donor location, and the fiber or coax decision. Design files and an iBwave-style prediction, if wanted, are called out as included or excluded. This desk does not produce that prediction.
Hardware only, hardware plus jumpers, or hardware plus a commissioning visit. Each stage has its own exclusions. A requested timing window is not a promised ship date. Incoming inspection can check connector condition and the datasheet revision, not a coverage walk.
Type bands, MIMO order, fiber or coax hop, remote power method, donor connector, indoor antenna count, quantity, US destination, and requested timing. Mounting and ingress protection for the donor belong in the same note. This strip collects the brief. It does not reserve equipment.
Qualified briefs can include sourcing support of up to 3%.
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