Patent ID: 7277727

Claim:
A system for receiving a communication signal at a tower having an upper portion and a lower portion, the system comprising: a timing source located at the lower portion and configured to generate a stable timing signal, wherein the stable timing signal comprises a global positioning system based timing signal; a transmission medium extending between the upper portion and the lower portion and configured to carry power and the stable timing signal from the lower portion to the upper portion; an inserter located at the lower portion and configured to insert the power and the stable timing signal onto the transmission medium; a stabilized local oscillator located at the upper portion and configured to receive the stable timing signal and to use the stable timing signal as an input to generate a stabilized oscillator signal comprising a frequency that does not drift; an antenna located at the upper portion and configured to receive the communication signal; a block converter configured to use the stabilized oscillator signal to convert a frequency of the communication signal to a stable lower frequency; a fiber optic transmitter located at the upper portion and configured to convert the lower frequency communication signal to an optical signal and to transmit the optical signal over fiber optic cable extending between the upper portion and the lower portion; a fiber optic receiver located at the lower portion and configured to receive the optical signal over the fiber optic cable; a redundant block converter located at the upper portion and configured to use the stabilized oscillator signal to convert the frequency of the communication signal to another stable lower frequency; a redundant fiber optic transmitter located at the upper portion and configured to convert the other lower frequency communication signal to another optical signal and to transmit the other optical signal over another fiber optic cable extending between the upper portion and the lower portion; a redundant fiber optic receiver located at the lower portion and configured to receive the other optical signal over the other fiber optic cable; a filter coupled to the antenna and configured to filter at least one member of a group consisting of emissions and another communication signal from the communication signal, the filter being further configured to transmit the communication signal to either the block converter or the redundant block converter; and a selector located at the lower portion and configured to select for receiving either the optical signal or the other optical signal.