RF Optimization Guide

By Rudiyanto impossible is nothing

Bad Performance Fish Bone Diagram

Neighbor Database Coverage Interference Formula Transmission PN

BAD

Capacity Cable

Antenna Hardware

Topology Signal

Software

Example of each major problem: a. Database setting Improper PC and handoff parameters settings b. Neighbor Wrong neighbors priority, missing neighbor c. Coverage Weak, highly overlapped, improper antenna down tilt and orientation d. Interference Microwave, repeater e. Formula Incorrect statistics equations f. Transmission- High BER transmission link, not stable transmission quality g. Capacity lack of Walsh code or MCC, lack of links h. PN Plan co-PN i. Hardware Wrong BBX, MCC, MGLI j. Cable- Cable connection error, High VSWR k. Antenna- Improper antenna down tilt and orientation, gain or antenna type l. Network Topology bad site location selection, redundant site deployed m. Signal- Wrong signal n. Software SW problem on statistics pegging, or retrieval, software bug

Goal Setting
Primary objectives of network optimization are to identify and eliminate any hardware and database implementation errors and arrive a set of optimal operating parameters and equipment settings (e.g. antenna tilts, azimuths, and SIF power settings) to provide an acceptable level of performance according current condition. That acceptable level of performance can be specified and measured in terms of a combination of the following: 1. Coverage Area: measured in terms of Mobile Receive Power, adequate Ec/Io, Mobile Transmit Power; 2. Voice quality criteria: measured in terms of Frame Erasure Rate (FER) on the forward/reverse links; 3. System performance criteria: target call completion, call drop rates and handoff factor; 4. Packet data service performance: individual throughput/sector throughput, SCH FER for both forward/reverse;

Goal Set Addition by CDMA2000 1x

With the Packet data service introduced in CDMA2000 1X system, some new measurable levels in data optimization goal setting are listed following: 1. Target SCH FER: Higher target FER takes advantage of presence of RLP above the physical layer, results in air-link capacity improvement and low user data throughput. Recommendation for the SCH FER is ranged from 5% to 10% for all rates. 2. User throughput: Single user data throughput under the different RF condition (Stationary, single dominant Pilot, Near Cell, Mid-Cell, Far Cell, during maintenance window). 3. Sector throughput: Multi-users data throughput on same cell/sector under the ideal RF condition (Ec/Io of 4 to 6 dB and Rx Power of 45 to 55dB, single dominant Pilot, stationary mobile, during maintenance window).

Basic Competencies
Radio propagation Link analysis Propagation loss (FSL, Lee model, Hata model) Shadowing Multipath Rayleigh Fading Multipath Delay Spread Fundamental RF Digital Communication Principles of CDMA Link structure : Forward & Reverse Link Call Processing CDMA Design Engineering CDMA Performance Engineering CDMA Traffic Engineering System Noise Management RF Regulatory

Interference

Handoff

Window Searching
SRCH_WIN_A

Window Searching
SRCH_WIN_N & SRCH_WIN_R

Call Processing

Coverage Optimization
The purpose of the initial coverage test is to characterize the coverage and performance of a group (cluster) of cells (have been passed functional tests for both voice and data service) that provide contiguous coverage. The initial coverage test will identify predicted (via simulation) problems and record new problems measured during the initial drive test, a call sampling benchmark and data throughput are initialized in the test.

BTS Site Audit

Installation & environment Checking Define BTS position (latitude longitude) with GPS Check antenna position (height, bore/orientation, and tilting) Measure output of LPA (Tx) Measure feeder loss (VSWR)

Generate Drive ( Metric) Routes

Obtain road maps for the cluster area and identify drive test or metric routes for the cluster. Metric routes should focus on traversing the coverage area. The route should go through all sectors and extend to the edge of the predicted coverage areas (use the simulation outputs to guide this part of the activity) and into coverage areas of surrounding tier sites (far enough to enter into soft handoff with the first tier sites). Special attention should be paid to points or routes of extreme interest such as stadiums, arenas, interstate or major highways, and locations where many users may congregate. The customer should be consulted to help prioritize these areas. Drive routes should be designed so they can be completed in a single shift. Include time for breaks, lunches, dinners, etc.

Tools preparation
Agilent E6474A Post-processing tools (Actix), including plotter and/or printer Test Phones The right configuration shall be sure during the preparation, such as GPS setting, data log mask, test phone setting etc.

Collect Performance and System Stability Data

Real time Drive Data Collection Sampling call statisitcs set up rate/drop rate BSS system monitoring hardware fault/outage DM monitoring test system properly working Post Drive Data Collection Drive test data for all test mobiles Agilent data should be retrieved if the tool was used during the drive test CDLs for the ESNs that were used, and for the duration of the drive test Event logs for the period of the drive test should be collected

Evaluate System Stability Data

This procedure includes verification that the system was stable during data collection. System stability can be quickly verified for the time during which data was collected by using the Performance Management Reports (PM Reports)

Process and Plot Performance Data, Calculate Call Statistics

Forward link performance plots:
Mobile receive Power, Combined EcIo FCH FER SCH FER Data Throughput Mobile Transmit Power FCH FER SCH FER Data Throughput

Reverse link performance plots:

Call setup rate Call drop rate Call Originate/Terminate Failed

Forward link performance evaluation

Evaluation of Mobile Received Power: The following table shows suggested cutoff levels for acceptable signal strength based upon the number of pilots contributing to that composite measurement.

Evaluation of Ec/Io: Ec/Io is a measurement of usable energy in each chip (for a specific PN) as compared to the total noise at a particular location. This value is used to trigger handoffs at the mobile. Any areas where all pilots are consistently below Tadd are a problem; Areas that have multiple pilots present, where all pilots fluctuate between Tadd+3dB and Tdrop-3dB are areas referred to as non-dominant pilot areas; These locations should be noted in the PRM; Evaluation of FFER: All locations where FER rises above 2% should be a PRM entry.

Reverse link performance evaluation

Evaluation of Mobile Transmit Power: Assuming that the IS-95 link balance equation is adhered to, and using the lower limit of 87 dBm for an acceptable forward link receive level, any areas where Mobile Transmit levels exceeds + 14 dBm should be a PRM entry. Evaluation of RFER: Similar to the forward link, if FER on the reverse link rises above 2% in an area, this area deserves to be an entry in the PRM.

RF Network Optimization

Data Analysis
Neighbor List Check Cell Radius Checks RF Coverage Problems

Neighbor Lists Check

Adjacent sectors at the same site should be included in each others neighbor lists, and be positioned at the top of the list. For six sector system, sectors on the other side of the site should be maintained, in general, in the top 11 entries in the neighbor list. Sectors pointing towards each other should be in each others neighbor lists. Sectors pointing into the same coverage areas should be in each others neighbor lists. These should be prioritized based upon amount of coverage overlap. Special cases may include:
Sectors facing in the same direction (azimuth) where one sector overshoots another site: If there is desired coverage overlap, then the sectors should be neighbored. Sectors separated by terrain obstacles: For example, if there are two clusters, but they are separated by a mountain range and could not enter into soft handoff with each other because their coverage footprints do not overlap, there is no need to put them in each others neighbor lists. Make use of the elevation data or use the Best Server Ec/Io image to determine whether coverage footprints overlap.

Additional checks for neighbor list development are listed here:

Verify that reciprocal neighbors are entered into each others sectors neighbor lists. Verify that neighbors for a specific sector are within the cell radius limits (eliminate distant neighbors).

Cell Radius Checks

Cell radius checks are required to ensure that the mobile can use PN offsets with adequate signal quality to access the system. Proper cell radius setting (Cell Size parameters) in database should be checked to ensure mobile have adequate energy to access the system.

RF Coverage Problems
Poor RF Coverage Next To Cell Site Evaluating Coverage At The Limits of the Predicted Coverage Area Poor RF Coverage Inside The Predicted Coverage Area, But Not Next Pilot Pollution Infrastructure Issues Subscriber Test Unit Issues

Poor RF Coverage Next To Cell Site

Identify if any obstacles; Identify antenna configuration and installation, such as mount on the top of building, but not close enough to the edge; antenna title, height etc; Check event log, alarms, CDLs to find if any hardware errors, and if the site taking the test call; Investigate database errors related to mobile receive levels, such as SIF pilot power settings; Investigate data collection equipments, method, processes deployed in the data collection and postprocessing tools.

Evaluating Coverage At The Limits of the Predicted Coverage Area

The best indicator to use to determine whether or not coverage can be improved at the limits of the network is mobile transmit power (mobile Tx). Typically the reverse link (mobile -> base station) is the limiting link due to power restrictions of the mobile. Refer to the predicted mobile transmit power required image and compare that to the measured data. If following cases is met,
The measured and predicted data are within 6 dB of each other; The mobile Tx level is high, (over +17 dBm).

Then, the network can be considered to be nearing its coverage limit.

Evaluating Coverage At The Limits of the Predicted Coverage Area

How to confirm the issue is really a coverage problem: Verify that the mobile receive and transmit level (path balance) comply to the IS-95 specification at the start of a call: Mobile Tx (dBm) = - Mobile Rx (dBm) 73 + NOM_PWR (dB) + INIT_PWR (dB) If the measured data does not adhere to this equation within 6 dB, then there may be excessive interference on either the forward or reverse link, or there may be equipment problems that require investigation. If the data conforms to the guideline, firstly investigate if mobile TX power have any headroom available, if yes, changing the SIF pilot power and/or antenna pointing angles may improve the problem area; if not, an antenna angle change (azimuth or tilt) might provide some incremental improvement, and this shall be under investigation, and it is no meaning to changing the forward link power. A clear understanding of the limits of a networks coverage is key to streamlining the optimization activity and to avoid wasting effort in areas that arent predicted to be covered. Collection of data outside of the predicted coverage area will skew the statistics of the overall drive. Data collected in the uncovered areas should be removed from the reporting of statistics and performance trends, especially for warranty testing purposes.

Poor RF Coverage Inside The Predicted Coverage Area, But Not Next
Step 1: Verify Existence of Coverage Problem Areas Verify that areas exhibiting low Rx values and correspondingly high Tx values inside the predicted area of coverage are actually performing poorly. The forward and reverse link Frame Erasure Rates (FER) should be evaluated. Generally, areas where forward FER values exceed 2 percent should be investigated. Step 2: Identify Candidate PNs Serving, or Which Should Serve, The Problem Area Make a list of all PNs and their corresponding Ec/Io values serving the problem area. There may be problems with specific sectors not transmitting or neighbor lists may not be accurate and therefore not reported by the PSMMs. These situations should be investigated and corrected. Step 3: Evaluate PN Plots for Sectors Serving the Problem Area The PN plots for individual sectors should be examined to determine the reasonableness of each sectors coverage footprint. PNs exhibiting any of these characteristics should be investigated to determine if obstacles are causing localized degradations in mobile receive/transmit levels that could be worked around by raising antennas, changing pointing angles, or increasing SIF pilot powers. Slight path imbalances can occur on the forward and reverse links due to multi-path conditions caused by natural (terrain, trees) or man made (buildings) obstacles. A fair evaluation of the PN plots requires that the data being evaluated adequately cover the area of interest (sufficient drive routes). An incomplete data set might make a sector that actually has a good coverage footprint look like it is incomplete.

Poor RF Coverage Inside The Predicted Coverage Area, But Not Next
Step 4: Identify Which PNs Can Be Improved Using Mobile Tx As Guide To determine which sites/sectors should be changed, one should consider the following questions for each site/sector serving the poor coverage area: Is the coverage problem very localized, and would re-directing the RF energy into the problem area with a change in antenna azimuth or tilt help? If so, which sector would provide the most improvement (based on distance between the candidate antennas and problem area and angle off main antenna beam bore)? Is the coverage problem more widespread, and would a broader correction (increase) of SIF pilot power in the entire area be a better solution? If so, which sector would provide the most improvement (based on relative distances from the problem area and candidate servers)? Whether the best correction is a change in antenna pointing angle or SIF pilot power, what penalty would be paid, in terms of degrading other areas, if the modification(s) were implemented? Step 5: Determining Power and Tilt changes SIF Power Changes Permanent changes in SIF pilot power should be directed toward affecting a widespread coverage problem area where a particular PN serves. The diagnosis should indicate that an increase of a particular sectors power level will not adversely affect surrounding or adjacent areas (i.e. introduce pilot pollution or non-dominant conditions). To make a noticeable change in the coverage, a minimum SIF change of 2 dB should be investigated. A rule of thumb would be to try increments of 3 dB to see useful improvements. It is recommended that the power differences between adjacent sectors on the same cell site do not exceed 6dB. This large variation could cause degradation in system performance when a CDMA system becomes loaded. Antenna Pointing Angle Changes Redirecting antennas will reallocate the RF energy in a most efficient manner. This solution should be considered for acute, focused problem areas requiring substantial correction. In general, implementation of antenna angle changes is more timely and costly than SIF power changes.

Pilot Pollution
Pilot pollution (too many pilots) can be defined as the existence of four or more pilots with Ec/Io values greater than Tadd. To correct this problem the engineer needs decrease the amount of energy to the problem area. Lack of dominance can be defined as low Ec/Io levels, numerous pilots with similar values of Ec/Io, and four or more pilots above the Tadd threshold. To correct this problem the engineer needs to make up to three of the pilots in the area stronger or the other ones weaker. These changes will create pilot dominance in the area and reduce the number of pilots that appear in the active set, therefore reducing the amount of interference in the area.

Pilot Pollution
Action :
Verify the neighbor list is complete Verify there are no PN reuse issues Create data table

Determine line of sight Identify overshooting sites Determine corrective action Evaluate recommendations Implement changes

Infrastructure Issues
During the optimization, problems may be encountered in areas where the RF coverage is adequate and Ec/Io for all pilots is good. When problems are encountered in good RF coverage areas, focus should turn to identifying potential infrastructure problems.

Infrastructure Issues
Problems That Can Be Diagnosed Using CDLs/CFCs

Subscriber Unit Issues

Call statistics are typically used to gauge network performance and partially verify the contractual warranty performance agreement. Sometimes the statistics can be skewed due to one or more poor performing mobiles. Identifying and removing any problematic mobiles will more accurately represent system call statistics. The performance should be monitored for all mobiles used in drive testing. Sometimes one mobile may be testing in particularly poor RF coverage, therefore do not assume the mobile is bad by looking at only one drive test.

Data throughput Troubleshooting

Lots of events will contribute to low data throughput, here we can divide them into three sections: RF problem, Resource Problem and Equipment Errors. As for Resources problem, we shall check if enough resources such as Channel element, WC and Packet pipe configured in your system, if no, it is better to re-design the data resource configuration. RF problem includes bad RF environment, mobile state (speed, handoff state) and low RF budget can be obtained because of the high noise floor. So for the low data throughput troubleshooting, basically, we shall have a good optimization job for IS95 voice optimization. Re-optimization for IS95 voice will be needed as the coverage changed and also expected data throughput cannot be obtained. Equipment Errors including setting errors and hardware errors, such as TCP window size setting, ftp server setting, physical link between MS and terminal etc.

Data throughput Troubleshooting

The following is the check list for data throughput troubleshooting: RF enviroment checking (Ec/Io, RSSI, Dorminant pilot or pilot pollution) RF budget checking (GLI RF load manager reports, BBX RSSImin) FCH/SCH FER checking(FCH FER not exceed 1%, SCH FER not exceed 5%) RLP statistic checking (NAK statistic, Reset statistic, Retransmisson statistic) Resource availble checking (resgrp, walsh code, packetpipe) Mobile state checking (Mobile speed and handoff state) Multiplex option checking TCP window size checking FTP server configuration checking

CDL/CFC Analysis and Application

When combined with information from Performance Management statistics, the CDL may help answer the following types of questions: Why did a specific call disconnect? What are the reasons for abnormal disconnects? RF Loss - associated with call setup, with a handoff event, with suspect equipment, with a specific MS? L2 failure - associated with call setup, with a specific MS? BTS Link failure - associated with call setup, with suspect equipment, with a specific MS? MS failed to get on TCH - associated with call setup, with hard handoff, with suspect equipment, with a specific MS? What are the possible reasons for exceptionally short call durations? Are they due to busy at the destination (for mobile originations), ring no answer, or application of error tone or RANN to the circuit by the MSC? Are they due to the MS invoking a feature rather than requesting a call, or because of defective equipment degrading voice quality? Are they due to release by the calling party before the connection is complete? Are calls disconnecting soon after a handoff attempt fails, possibly because the voice quality degraded? Are calls disconnecting soon after a successful handoff or during a handoff procedure, possibly because the voice quality degraded or RF Loss occurred? Are an exceptional number of failures associated with a particular piece of equipment? So CDL/CFC are useful for Optimization Engineer to distinguish call failures/drops due to parameter, coverage problems or Hardware errors.

Final Coverage survey and Warranty Verification

Data collection, data processing and generation of reports Special evaluation(s) for contractual warranty certification Final documentation of network configuration and performance

Thats all & thank you & remember. impossible is nothing