Site Readiness Checklist: Power, Grounding, Backhaul, and Safety

A ground station can have excellent RF equipment and still perform poorly if the site is not ready. Site readiness is the practical work of making sure the facility can power the station reliably, protect equipment from electrical and environmental stress, move data on time, and keep people safe while operating and maintaining the system. This checklist-style guide focuses on what teams typically verify before installation, before commissioning, and before going live.

Table of contents

1. What Site Readiness Means for Ground Stations
2. Power Planning: Utility, UPS, and Generators
3. Grounding and Bonding: Practical Basics
4. Lightning and Surge Protection
5. Backhaul and Network Readiness
6. Site Safety, Access, and Work Permits
7. Environmental and Weather Readiness
8. Physical Security and Asset Protection
9. Commissioning Readiness and Go-Live Gates
10. A Simple Printable Checklist
11. Glossary: Site Readiness Terms

What Site Readiness Means for Ground Stations

Site readiness is the set of conditions that must be true for a ground station to be installed and operated safely and reliably. It covers “boring” details that quietly determine uptime: clean power, correct grounding, stable backhaul, safe working conditions, and a physical environment that won’t destroy equipment.

A good readiness effort usually answers:

• Can the site support the electrical load with margin, including startup surges and future growth?
• Are grounding and bonding designed to protect both people and equipment?
• Is there a backhaul path with enough bandwidth, low enough latency, and the right redundancy?
• Can installers and operators work safely, with clear access and procedures?

Power Planning: Utility, UPS, and Generators

Power issues are one of the most common causes of outages and equipment damage. Ground stations often include sensitive receivers and timing equipment that do not tolerate unstable power. The goal is not only “enough watts,” but stable voltage, clean waveforms, and predictable failover.

Utility power checks

• Capacity: confirm the site can supply peak load with headroom for growth.
• Voltage and phase: verify the station’s required voltage, phase, and frequency match the site supply.
• Quality: identify frequent brownouts, sags, harmonics, or unstable frequency.
• Maintenance window coordination: understand planned outages and how you will be notified.

UPS sizing and topology

A UPS is not just a battery. It is the bridge that keeps systems alive long enough for generators to start or for safe shutdown. The most common mistake is undersizing the UPS or protecting the wrong loads.

• Critical loads first: control systems, networking, timing, storage, and monitoring.
• Runtime: plan for realistic generator start time plus additional buffer.
• Power path clarity: document which outlets and racks are on UPS versus raw utility.
• Testing: perform real transfer tests, not just theoretical calculations.

Generator readiness

• Automatic transfer: verify transfer switches and startup logic function correctly.
• Fuel strategy: confirm fuel availability and refueling procedures for extended outages.
• Load testing: test under realistic load, not idle.
• Cold start behavior: verify performance in the lowest expected temperatures.

Power readiness is complete only when you can demonstrate stable operation during an intentional transfer test from utility to UPS to generator and back.

Grounding and Bonding: Practical Basics

Grounding and bonding protect people, reduce equipment damage, and improve RF performance by controlling unwanted currents and voltage differences. The goal is to make sure all conductive parts of the station share a predictable electrical reference and that fault currents have a safe path to earth.

What to verify on site

• Single grounding approach: identify the site’s grounding design and ensure station grounding integrates cleanly.
• Bonding of racks and enclosures: racks, cabinets, and equipment frames bonded to the grounding system.
• Antenna and pedestal bonding: the antenna structure bonded according to the site grounding plan.
• Cable shields and entry points: consistent bonding practices at building entry and at equipment racks.
• No “mystery grounds”: avoid ad hoc ground wires that create loops and unpredictable currents.

If the site has separate buildings or long cable runs, pay special attention to potential differences in ground potential. Those differences can damage equipment and create intermittent faults that are hard to diagnose.

Lightning and Surge Protection

Even if your site is not in a high-strike region, surge protection is still important. Lightning does not need a direct hit to cause damage. Nearby strikes can induce large voltages in cables and structures. The goal is to route energy away from sensitive electronics and prevent surges from entering on power or signal lines.

Practical protections to confirm

• Surge protection devices: installed on incoming power and sized for the environment.
• Proper earthing: surge devices bonded to the grounding system with short, low-impedance paths.
• Cable entry management: organized entry points with shielding and bonding practices.
• Lightning protection system: if present, confirm it is maintained and integrated with station grounding.
• Inspection routine: surge devices can degrade; plan periodic checks and replacements.

In many sites, the best indicator of surge readiness is evidence: documented installation, maintenance history, and tests that confirm grounding continuity.

Backhaul and Network Readiness

Backhaul is how station data and control traffic reach mission systems. If backhaul is unstable, pass execution can fail even when RF is perfect. Readiness means having enough capacity, predictable performance, and clear failover behavior.

Capacity and performance checks

• Bandwidth: confirm sustained throughput meets downlink and delivery needs, not just burst speed.
• Latency and jitter: especially important for interactive operations and some real-time flows.
• Packet loss: persistent loss can break transfers and cause timeouts in automation.
• Traffic separation: isolate mission data transfers from control and monitoring traffic where possible.

Redundancy and failover

If your RTO depends on connectivity, you likely need redundancy. Redundancy is only useful if failover is tested and behaves predictably.

• Secondary path: a second ISP, alternate route, or different last-mile technology.
• Automatic failover: documented behavior for how routes shift and how long it takes.
• Recovery behavior: confirm systems return to normal after the primary path is restored.
• Operational visibility: alarms that clearly show which path is active.

Security basics that affect readiness

• Network segmentation: separate management, operations, and delivery paths.
• Remote access controls: a controlled entry point with strong authentication.
• Logging: capture authentication events and network changes for troubleshooting and audits.

Site Safety, Access, and Work Permits

A ground station site is an industrial environment: moving machinery, high voltage, lifting operations, and working at heights. Safety readiness is not only a compliance exercise; it prevents avoidable downtime and protects people.

Access and site control

• Site access process: who can enter, how access is approved, and how it is logged.
• Escort requirements: whether visitors and contractors need escorts and how that is scheduled.
• Emergency contacts and procedures: clear instructions for emergencies and evacuations.
• Signage: hazard labeling for electrical rooms, restricted areas, and mechanical movement zones.

Work permits and procedures

• Lockout/tagout: procedures for working on electrical systems safely.
• Working at heights: fall protection requirements and training.
• Lifting plans: crane or hoist plans for antennas and heavy equipment moves.
• RF exposure controls: procedures that prevent unsafe exposure during transmit operations.

Safety readiness should include practical rehearsals. Teams should know how to stop transmission, secure moving equipment, and respond to an emergency without guessing.

Environmental and Weather Readiness

Ground stations live outdoors and operate across seasons. Environmental readiness means the station can keep working without constant manual intervention, and maintenance can be performed safely in local conditions.

Environmental checks

• Wind loading: confirm antenna survival ratings and operational limits, plus safe stow procedures.
• Ice and snow: plan for accumulation, access, and any de-icing strategy if needed.
• Temperature extremes: confirm HVAC and equipment ratings for both hot and cold conditions.
• Dust and salt: consider filtration, corrosion protection, and inspection intervals.
• Drainage and flooding: verify water management around foundations and cable entry points.

Environmental readiness is strongest when the station has clear “operational envelopes” documented: when it can operate normally, when it should operate in a reduced mode, and when it should stop for safety.

Physical Security and Asset Protection

Physical security supports both safety and system integrity. It reduces the risk of theft, tampering, and accidental damage, especially at remote or lightly staffed sites.

Practical physical security controls

• Perimeter controls: fencing, gates, and clear boundaries.
• Controlled equipment rooms: locked racks or rooms with access logs.
• Surveillance and lighting: visibility around critical equipment areas.
• Tamper awareness: seals or inspection routines to detect unexpected access.
• Asset inventory: a list of installed equipment, spares, and serial tracking where appropriate.

Physical readiness is not only about preventing malicious actions. It also helps ensure that incident investigations can trust what is on site and what has changed.

Commissioning Readiness and Go-Live Gates

Commissioning is where readiness gaps become visible. A good practice is to define “go-live gates” that must be met before a station is declared operational. These gates prevent the common problem of going live with hidden weaknesses that later create repeated outages.

Typical go-live gates

• Power transfer test passed: utility-to-UPS-to-generator and back, with critical loads stable.
• Grounding verified: documented bonding and continuity checks completed.
• Backhaul proven: sustained throughput tests and failover tests completed.
• Safety procedures ready: emergency actions, work permits, and access policies documented.
• Operational monitoring active: alarms configured and test alarms verified.
• Spare parts and tools staged: critical spares available and accessible.
• Runbooks prepared: basic outage and recovery runbooks available to operators.

If a gate fails, it should trigger a corrective plan rather than a workaround. Readiness is about reducing future downtime, not just completing installation.

A Simple Printable Checklist

Use this as a quick scannable list. It does not replace detailed engineering documentation, but it helps teams verify that the essentials are covered.

Power

• Utility capacity and voltage/phase confirmed with margin.
• UPS sized for critical loads and tested under load.
• Generator startup and transfer tested; fuel plan defined.
• Clear labeling of critical circuits and power paths.

Grounding and surge protection

• Racks, cabinets, and antenna structures bonded consistently.
• Cable entry points and shields bonded per site plan.
• Surge protection installed on power and verified for correct bonding.
• Inspection and maintenance plan for surge devices in place.

Backhaul and network

• Sustained throughput meets operational needs.
• Latency, jitter, and packet loss measured and within acceptable limits.
• Redundant path available if required; failover tested.
• Segmentation and remote access controls implemented.

Safety and access

• Site access process documented and workable for operators and contractors.
• Emergency procedures visible and understood.
• Lockout/tagout and work-at-height procedures defined where applicable.
• Clear transmit safety procedures and RF exposure controls.

Environment and physical protection

• HVAC and equipment ratings match local extremes.
• Wind/ice/snow plans defined, including stow procedures.
• Drainage and water management verified near critical areas.
• Physical security controls and inspection routines in place.

Glossary: Site Readiness Terms

UPS

Uninterruptible power supply that provides short-term power during utility interruptions and stabilizes power quality.

Bonding

Electrical connection between conductive parts to ensure they share a common reference and safely carry fault currents.

Grounding

Connecting systems to earth to provide a reference and a safe path for fault currents and surges.

Backhaul

The network connection that carries control traffic and mission data between the ground station and mission systems.

Failover

Switching to a backup system or path when the primary one fails.

Operational envelope

The defined conditions under which a system can operate safely and reliably, such as wind limits or temperature ranges.

Commissioning

The process of testing and validating a system on site to confirm it meets requirements before operational use.