I recently purchased two Mikrotik mANTBox ax 15s outdoor wifi antennas, to expand the wireless coverage on the job site. One of the antenna, out of the box, came with a rattling noise.
I ordered the units before I went on holidays, believing when I returned in three weeks, I could start the install. Well add an additional two weeks after my return to the delivery and you soon discover why project schedules are rarely realized after first contact.
On hearing the rattling noise after unpacking the unit, I did a quick inspection to find no physical damage. With the project already behind schedule what to do? After some soul sucking solution thinking consternation, I chose to ignore the rattle and proceed with the project. Anyone worth their salt could argue my choice was wrong for a number of reasons.
Thinking I could ignore the issue didn't make for a restful nights sleep. The next morning, while forcing myself to suppress all the thoughts of why investigating the issue was a bad idea, I found a hex driver and broke the warranty void seal.
The manufacture had gifted a M3 sized "rattle" screw [red circle]. I didn't request the option. I found no hole missing such a screw. I did find one screw head larger than the other five. My speculation, the assembler discovered they were one screw short and found a replacement (i.e. larger screw head) to meet their quota, not knowing the missing screw was hidden somewhere inside the unit.
Ignoring issues during a project was an solution I rarely employed. Delay inducing paralysis analysis frustrated a few project managers in my time. I wrote this post to share both the experience and the pictures of the inside of the antenna. Getting to see the antenna array I thought would be kinda cool.
