Signal link budget optimization

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a signal combining and conditioning unit coupled between a radio set and first and second antennas, first downlink signals from a first analog front end of the radio set, the first analog front end configured for a first channel of a first frequency band;
• receiving, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, second downlink signals from a second analog front end of the radio set, the second analog front end configured for a second channel of a second frequency band;
• combining, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, the first and second downlink signals;
• splitting, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, the combined first and second downlink signals along a first downlink antenna path and a second downlink antenna path;
• applying, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, passive attenuation to the combined first and second downlink signals in the first antenna path and the second antenna path, wherein an attenuation level in the first downlink antenna path is different than an attenuation level in the second downlink antenna path;
• receiving, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, first uplink signals from the first antenna via a coaxial cable that is less than one hundred feet in length;
• receiving, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, second uplink signals from the second antenna via a different coaxial cable that is less than one hundred feet in length;
• and
• applying, by the signal combining and conditioning unit, passive attenuation to the first and second uplink signals in a first uplink antenna path and a second uplink antenna path, wherein an attenuation level in the first uplink antenna path is different than an attenuation level in the second uplink antenna path.

A system, comprising:

• two or more antennas;
• a radio set including a first analog front end configured for a first channel of a first frequency band and a second analog front end configured for a second channel of a second frequency band;
• a signal combining and conditioning (SCC) unit coupled in series between the radio set and the two or more antennas, the SCC unit further comprising:
• downlink passive attenuators for downlink signals from the radio set to each of the two or more antennas, and
• uplink passive attenuators for uplink signals from each of the two or more antennas to the radio set;
• a first coaxial cable connecting the SCC unit to a first antenna of the two or more antennas, wherein the first coaxial cable provides no more than a 3 decibel (dB) loss;
• and
• a second coaxial cable connecting the SCC unit to a second antenna of the two or more antennas, wherein the second coaxial cable provides no more than a 3 dB loss.