ESICS: Bracket Properties

Helping the user select the best MAFI Bracket is the ultimate goal of this calculator therefore the bracket properties section is a very important input section of the Bracket Checker calculator. This section starts by asking the user the type of bracket they would like to choose by prompting them to a selector as shown in Figure 6. At the right side of the selector, the utilization checks help the user decide which bracket best suits their system. Once the user is happy with their selection they can preview the bracket image and also its properties in the bracket properties table. The default value of the number of brackets selected for the bracket checker is two brackets however if the design is failing for the bracket of choice the user can add more brackets by changing the number of brackets. It is not recommended to select higher than 6 brackets and it is not possible to select more than this number. With the exception of the 311X series, each additional bracket arm will add a weight capacity equal to the bracket arm capacity + 80kg. A pair of bracket arms has a built-in capacity for a 160kg rigger, but more than one rigger is not expected to be present, so the spare capacity is used for increasing the permitted equipment load.

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**Figure 6. Bracket Type Selector **

The orientation and the direction of the bracket are two other important inputs that help with the calculation of the forces on the brackets, Therefore careful consideration shall be given to these values. Figure 7 demonstrates the orientation of an offset bracket when the bracket is located 100 degrees clockwise from True North. Note If using a symmetric bracket, consider the Antenna 1 arm as the bracket orientation vector.

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Figure 7. Orientation of Bracket

The direction of the brackets could be a tricky concept to comprehend. The user has to imagine the direction of the offset pole as it is rotating anticlockwise (A) or clockwise (B) around the parent pole. Figure 8 demonstrates an example of the direction of the bracket. Note that this input plays a very critical role in determining the coordinates of the antennas and equipment.

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Figure. 8. Example Direction of Bracekt

The Offset distance of poles is also important information that should be carefully selected. As seen in Figure 9 the offset distance is the horizontal distance between the parent pole and the offset pole and it could vary depending on the location of the hook which is holding the offset pole.

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Figure 9. Offset Distance of Offset Bracket

Bracket-on-a-Bracket

The bracket-on-a-bracket feature of the bracket checker allows the user to design an arrangement with a symmetric bracket being held by an inner bracket as seen in Figure 11.

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Figure 11. Example Bracket-on-a-Bracket System

To activate this feature the user has to select a symmetrical bracket in the bracket selector. Once a symmetrical bracket is selected this toggle shown in Figure 12 is prompted to the user asking them whether they would like to design a bracket-on-a-bracket system. As the bracket-on-a-bracket arrangement is selected, another set of bracket properties inputs is visible to the user that will define the properties of the inner bracket.

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Figure 12. Bracket-on-a-Bracket Toggle

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