ODU – OutDoor Unit – Contains the transmitter/receiver and usually resides on a tower or pole adjacent to the antenna

OFDM – Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing

Parabolic Antenna – Usually circular, dish-shaped antenna

Patch Antenna – Flat panel antenna, rectangular or square

PoE – Power over Ethernet

Point-to-multi-point – Conveying data between one main point and two or more (multi) points

Point-to-point – Conveying data between two distinct points

Polarity – The “plane” in which the radio wave travel, said to be vertical, horizontal, or circular

Public Safety Band – A band of frequencies in the 4.9 GHz range set aside specifically and solely for use by law enforcement, fire and rescue, and homeland security

QPSK – Quadrature Phase-Shift Key – An RF modulation scheme

RSS – Receive Signal Strength

Self-supporting Tower – An RF broadcast antenna that is totally self-supporting requiring no support cables (guy wires)

TDM – Time Division Multiplexer

Tower – Structure, usually made of steel or aluminum that elevates and supports RF antennas

Transmission Line – Usually a coaxial cable or waveguide used to carry electromagnetic between the radio transmitter/receiver and the antenna

Unlicensed Frequency Bands – RF frequency bands allocated by the FCC in the U.S. for use by anyone with no permits or licenses required

Watts – In RF terminology, the amount of power available to the input of an antenna or in some cases the effective radiated power out of an antenna

Wireless Multiplexer – A broadband wireless bridge with TDM multiplexing (usually T1 or E1) capabilities.