This 6 dB Bolton coupler (or taps) is a handy little accessory used in larger projects – generally by professionals – to lay down antennas along a long cable run.
A Bolton Coupler (also called a Tap) is a wideband cellular accessory. Taps can be used to split the amplified signal for multiple inside antennas with minimum signal loss. They are designed to be used in setups where a smaller amount of signal is desired in one area and a larger amount in another – in other words, they are useful for dropping antennas at various intervals during a long cable run.
We offer three types of coupler: -6dB, -10dB, and –15dB. These are utilized in different ways.
This is a -6dB coupler. -6dB couplers have –6dB of loss at the point of the antenna drop, but also has –2.15dB insertion loss. This means it is very good for the end of long cable runs, or for passive DAS systems with shorter cable runs.
-10dB couplers have –10dB of loss at the point of the antenna drop but has only –0.98dB insertion loss. This means it’s better used earlier in a cable run than a –6dB coupler, and for any active or hybrid DAS system.
-15dB couplers have –15dB of loss at the point of the antenna drop but has even less insertion loss at –0.14dB. Your link budget for the overall cable run will only be marginally impacted by this coupler, but the –15dB of loss it gives to the antenna is more than other couplers.
Our couplers balance loss at the point of antenna drop with insertion loss to continue the run, so choose the variety of tap which is most helpful for optimizing your system.
