Link Budget Analysis

for RF Engineers and Managers

Wireless Facilities Incorporated
Introduction

Definitions and Objectives

Definitions and Objectives

Review of Decibel (Optional)

Review of Decibel (Optional)

I nputs
I nputs

Outputs
Outputs

Process
Process

Examples
Examples
RF Path
BS
Sensitivity
MS
Sensitivity
Path Loss
Down Link
Path Loss
Up Link
P
BS
P
MS
End to End Channel
Noise
Fading,
Interference,
Hardware Losses
.......
End to End Channel
Noise
Fading,
Interference,
Hardware Losses
.......
Objectives and Definitions
Inputs
n Base and Mobile Receiver Sensitivity Parameters
Minimum Acceptable Signal to Noise Ratio
Environmental/Thermal Noise Assumption
Receiver Noise Figure
n Antenna Gain at Base and Mobile Station
n Hardware Losses (Cable, Connectors, Combiner,....)
n Target Coverage Reliability
n Propagation Characteristics of the Channel
n Receiving Environment
L B A
L B A
Outputs
n Coverage Threshold
In-Building
In-Car
On-Street
n Base Station ERP
n Maximum Allowable Path Loss
n Cell Size Estimate
n Cell Count Estimate
L B A
L B A
Path Balancing
Uplink Limited:
BS Can Reach MS but
MS Cannot Reach BS
Uplink Limited:
BS Can Reach MS but
MS Cannot Reach BS
Downlink Limited:
MS Can Reach BS but
BS Cannot Reach MS
Downlink Limited:
MS Can Reach BS but
BS Cannot Reach MS
Communication is possible only when both both links are available.
UNDESIRED UNDESIRED
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Decibel Units, e.g. Decibel Units, e.g.
dB, dB, dBm dBm, , dBw dBw, , dBu dBu
dBi dBi, , dBd dBd
Go to
Appendix
A1
Continue
List of Gains and Losses
Gains
n Base Station Antenna
Gain
n Mobile Antenna Gain
n Diversity Gains
Losses
n Hardware
Combiner
Cables
Connectors
Duplexer
n Air Interface
Fade Margin
Penetration Losses
In-car
In-Building
Body Loss
+
_
Antenna Gains
Portable antennas
typically have no
gain
Omni
Directional
Directional
Antenna
0-9 dBd 9-14 dBd
Base Station Antennas
Mobile Station Antennas
Portable
Phones
Vehicle Mounted
Phones
-1 to 0 dBd 1-3dBd
Antenna Gain Units: dBi and dBd
n dBi
is a unit to measure antenna gain in reference to an isotropic
antenna.
So: an isotropic antenna has a power gain of unity; i.e., 0 dBi.
n dBd
is a unit to measure antenna gain in reference to a lossless Half-
Wave Dipole antenna.
So, a lossless half-wave dipole antenna has a power gain of 0 dBd
or 2.15 dBi.
G
dBi
= G
dBd
+ 2.15 dB
2 wire
Balanced feed
/4 /4
/4 /4
Half-Wave Dipole Half-Wave Dipole
Converting
dBd to dBi
Diversity Gain
n If we use multiple receiving antennas with
certain spatial separation at the BS along with
adaptive combining techniques we will have a
diversity gain.
n Diversity gain should be considered in LBA
whenever it is used.
n It is usually used at the base station.
n Sometimes it is used only for the receiving
antennas.
Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
Power
Amplifier
HardWare
Losses
PA
L
CCC
G
antenna
ERP
ERP=PA - Lccc + G
Antenna
ERP vs. EIRP
n ERP (Effective Radiated Power):
is the transmitted power with respect to a dipole antenna within a
given geographic area.
n EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power):
is the transmitted power with respect to a dipole antenna within a
given geographic area.
Converting
ERP to EIRP
EIRP
(dBw)
= ERP
(dBw)
+ 2.15 (dB)
RF Components in a Typical Base Station
LNA
TX/RX
2
RX
1
Lightning
Arrestor
PA RX
1
RX
2
Duplexer
Combiner
Top Jumper Cables
Main Cable
Connector
Receiver Multicoupler
High Power Amplifier
Receiver
Bottom Jumper Cables
Cable Loss
J umper Cable
Main Cable
Cable Size Recommended Use Loss (per 100 ft.
at 900 MHz)
Loss (per 100
ft at 1800
MHz)
LDF4-50 1/2 inch Heliax Foam Jumper Cables 2.160 dB
LDF5-50 7/8 inch Heliax Foam Main Cable < 55 m 1.210 dB 1.97 dB
LDF6-50 1 1/4 inch Heliax Foam Main Cable < 75 m 0.907 dB 1.45 dB
LDF7-50 1 5/8 inch Heliax Foam Main Cable < 90 m 0.750 dB 1.25 dB
HJ12-50 2 1/4 inch Air Dielectric Main Cable > 90 m 0.535 dB
HJ8-50B 3 inch Air Dielectric Main Cable > 90 m 0.510 dB
HJ9-50 5 inch Air Dielectric Main Cable > 90 m 0.750 dB
Connector Losses
oConnectors, used to connect RF components, typically
each have a loss of 0.1 dB.
oI n US, a typical 50W connector is the N-type
coaxial connector. whereas in Europe, it is the 7/16
DI N connector.
Combiner
Characteristic Cavity Hybrid
Frequency Range (MHz) 806-960 806-1000
Continuous Input Power (W) 150 150
Insertion Loss (dB) 2 to 4.8 3.8 to 7.4
Maximum VSWR 1.5:1 1.5:1
Freq.1
Freq.2
Freq.3
A combiner is a device
that enables several
transmitters of different
frequencies to transmit
from the same antenna.
Duplexer
Duplexer Characteristic Value
Isolation (accross all 3 ports, with unused ports terminated
at 50 )
> 60 dB
Insertion Loss (across all ports) 0.5 dB
Power handling 500 W
Input VSWR 1.5:1 (max)
n A Duplexter enables us to simultaneously transmit and receive
signals on the same antenna.
n It provides an isolation between the transmitted and received
signals.
Coverage Environments
In-Car
In-Building
On-Street
Table of Penetration Losses
In Building Penetration (dB) 15-25
In Car Penetration (dB) 3-10
Body Loss (dB) 2-5
n For all receiving environments
a loss associated with the effect
of users body on propagation
has to be included.
n This effect is in the form of a
few dB loss in both uplink and
downlink directions
Contour Coverage Reliability
n Due to various shadowing and terrain effects the signal level measured
on a circle around the base station shows some random fluctuations
around the estimated value given by the propagation model.
n This random signal level along the cell boundary has lognormal
variations.
Normal Distribution
LogNormal Distribution
0 0.001031 1.5
0.2 0.001594 2
0.4 0.00242
0.6 0.00361
0.8 0.005291
1 0.007617
1.2 0.010774
1.4 0.014969
1.6 0.020432
1.8 0.027397
2 0.036089
2.2 0.046702
2.4 0.059369
2.6 0.074143
2.8 0.090962
3 0.10963
3.2 0.129801
3.4 0.150974
3.6 0.172508
3.8 0.19364
4 0.21353
4.2 0.231314
4.4 0.246164
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0
0
.
6
1
.
2
1
.
8
2
.
43
3
.
6
4
.
2
4
.
8
5
.
46
6
.
6
7
.
2
7
.
8
8
.
49
9
.
6
n A lognormal random process when expressed in dBs has a normal
i.e. Gaussian distribution.
n According to this distribution 50% of time the signal level is below its
mean value.
n Therefore by setting the coverage threshold at any level L we can only
ensure about 50% of coverage reliability.
-(x - x)
2
_
p(x) = exp[ ]
(2) (2)
1/2 1/2
2 2
2 2
1 1
%50 %50
Lognormal Fade Margin
0 0.001031 1.5
0.2 0.001594 2
0.4 0.00242
0.6 0.00361
0.8 0.005291
1 0.007617
1.2 0.010774
1.4 0.014969
1.6 0.020432
1.8 0.027397
2 0.036089
2.2 0.046702
2.4 0.059369
2.6 0.074143
2.8 0.090962
3 0.10963
3.2 0.129801
3.4 0.150974
3.6 0.172508
3.8 0.19364
4 0.21353
4.2 0.231314
4.4 0.246164
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0
0
.
6
1
.
2
1
.
8
2
.
43
3
.
6
4
.
2
4
.
8
5
.
46
6
.
6
7
.
2
7
.
8
8
.
49
9
.
6
n Therefore by setting the coverage threshold at any level L we can only
ensure about 50% of coverage reliability.
n Usually contour coverage reliability of 70-80% is needed..
n Therefore to assure e.g. %80 contour coverage reliability one has to
shift the distribution toward higher signal levels so that the dashed
area reduces to %20.
n This requires providing additional signal power called fade margin or
lognormal margin.
%20 %80
Fade Margin
Area Coverage Reliability
n Coverage design objectives are usually defined in terms of
Area Reliability.
n Area Reliability is the percentage of area where the
received signal is above the threshold.
n It can be thought of as the average of contour reliability's
for all circles of radii r, 0 <r <R.
99%
97%
94%
90%
95%
From Area to Contour Reliability
0.5
0.55
0.6
0.65
0.7
0.75
0.8
0.85
0.9
0.95
1
/n
A
r
e
a

R
e
l
i
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
P
X
0
(R) = 0.95
0.9
0.85
0.8
0.75
0.7
0.65
0.6
0.55
0.5
Area Reliability
/n
Contour Reliability
Fade Margin vs Contour Reliability
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95
Location Probability at Cell Edge
F
a
d
e

M
a
r
g
i
n

i
n

d
B
=12 dB
11
10
9
8
7
6
Standard
Deviation
Contour Reliability
Contour Reliability
Standard Deviation of Fade
Fade Margin
Summary of Fade margin Calculation
n For a given
standard deviation for the local mean ,
the propagation loss factor, n:
Compute /n.
n For the required area reliability and computed /n
Estimate coverage contour reliability from plot_I
n Use the contour reliability and the standard deviation and
plot-II to estimate the fade margin M
fade.
n Enter the M
fade
(fade margin) into the LBA work sheet to
estimate the maximum path loss & coverage threshold.
Case Study I
n Example: Check with Plots (I,II)
Let signal attenuation law be 40 dB per decade, i.e. n=2.5
Standard deviation of lognormal fading is estimated as 10
dB.
Clients ask for 90% area reliability
From Plot _I and /n=4 and 90% area reliability, contour
reliability is 80%.
From Plot_II with =10 and 80% contour reliability the
fade margin is about 8.5 dB.
Case Study II
n Example: Check with Plots (I,II)
Let signal attenuation law be 40 dB per decade, i.e. n=2.5
Standard deviation of lognormal fading is estimated as 10
dB.
Clients ask for 90% area reliability
From Plot _I and /n=4 and 90% area reliability, contour
reliability is 80%.
From Plot_II with =10 and 80% contour reliability the
fade margin is about 8.5 dB.
Sample Fade/Log-normal Margin
Terrain Standard
deviation

(
dB)
Propoga-
tion Law
Cell
Boundary
P(n) for 90%
Coverage
Fade
Margin
(dB)
Urban 6
3.5-3.75
70 % 4 to 6
Suburban 8 3.0-3.5 76 % 6
Rural 12 2.5-3.0 82 % 10
Fade Margin and Cell Coverage
Receiver Sensitivity
n Receiver sensitivity
is the minimum acceptable input signal level in
dBm, at the input of the receivers low noise
amplifer, required by the system for reliable
communication.
n Carrier to Noise Ratio (CNR)
For a given FER, e.g. of about 1%, the each type
of modulation and coding requires a minimum
signal to noise ratio which at the bit level is
stated as E
b
/ N
0
.
n Thermal/Environmental Noise:
is a combination of
Antenna Noise (dBm)
Receiver Noise Figure(NF) in dB
Temprature and System Bandwidth
RX
Receiver Sensitivity Calculation
Receiver
NF
k T B
(S/N)
out
(S/N)
in
Thermal Noise
Noise Figure
Absolute Sensitivity
RX Sensitivity
( ) ( )
( )
( )
log( ) ( )
S N S N NF
S N S N NF
S N S N NF
S k T B NF S N
in out
in in out
in in out
in out
= = + +
= = + +
= = + + + +
= = + + + + 10
All values are All values are
in dBs in dBs
or Eb/No
Overview of Up-Link Budget Analysis
Starting with the reverse link
n Find the Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL)
Start from MS maximum power
Subtract all the losses in due to, RF components
Subtract all the margins due to fading and interference for a given
target loading
Add all the gains in the path e.g. antenna and diversity gains
Subtract the receiver sensitivity of the base station for a given FER
The result is MAPL.
MAPL=PL
Up
= PA
m
- All Losses +All Gains - RX
Base
MAPL=PL
Up
= PA
m
- All Losses +All Gains - RX
Base
Overview of LBA Forward Link
In the forward link:
n For each channel
Compute the MS sensitivity for a given Eb/No requirement
Add the reverse link path loss and add a path imbalance if needed
Add/subtract all losses/gains not considered in the reverse link
calculations
The result is ERP of base station
Gains and Losses in UpLink
L
CCC
RX
Combiner,
Cable &
Connector
Losses
G
A
Path Loss
Fade Margin
ERP
In-Building/Car
Penetration Loss
Body Loss
MS Antenna
Gain/Loss
PA
RX
Base
=PA
m
+G
M
- L
Body
- L
Bldg
- M
Fade
- PL
Up
+G
B
- L
CCC
PL
Up
=PA
m
+G
M
- L
Body
- L
Bldg
- M
Fade
- RX
Base
+G
B
- L
CCC
Gains and Losses in Down Link
Power
Amplifier
Combiner,
Cable &
Connector
Losses
PA
L
CCC
G
B
Path Loss
Fade Margin
ERP
In-Building/Car
Penetration Loss
Body Loss
MS Antenna
Gain/Loss
RX
RX
Mobile
=PA
B
- L
CCC
+G
B
- M
Fade
- PL
Down
- L
Bldg
- L
Body
+G
M
PA
B
=RX
Mobile
+L
CCC
- G
B
+M
Fade
+PL
Down
+L
Bldg
+L
Body
- G
M
Cell Size/Count Estimation
n Objective:
To determine the number of cells required to provide coverage for
a given area.
n Required Input:
Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL)
Propagation Loss Model
n Using Hatas Empirical Formula
Cell Size Estimatation
o Solve it backward to Cell radius estimate based on Hatas
formula:
PL f h
h R a h
c b
b m
= + +

69 55 2616 1382
44 9 655
10 10
10 10
. . log . log
( . . log ) log ( )
log
. . log . log ( )
. . log
10
10 10
10
6955 2616 1382
449 655
R
MAPL f h ah
h
c b m
b
= =
+ + + +

Cell Count Estimation
1
2
3
4
5
7
6
9
8
10
12
11
Link Budget Analysis
Max Allowable Path Loss)
Estimate Cell Radius
Estimate Cell Count
Market Boundary
Outline
dB Unit for Gains and Losses
n Decibell (dB) is a logarithmic unit for
representing power gains and losses.
n Gain G
linear
=P
out
/P
in
is equivalent to G
dB
where
Examples:
A gain of 100 is equivalent to 20dB gain
A 10 times attenuation in power = -10 dB loss
Subsystem
P
in
P
out
P
out
P
in
G
dB
=10 Log ( G
Linear
) =10 Log ( )
dB Units for Signal Power
n By fixing P
0
as a reference power,
e.g.... to 1 Watt or 1Miliwatt, one can
define similar units for power.
n Examples:
(P)
dBw
= 10 log P/(1Watt)
(P)
dBm
= 10 log P/(1mW)
P
0
Name of unit Example Interpretation
W dBw 10dBw 10:1 over 1W
or 10W
mW dBm 20dBm 100:1 over 1mW
or 100 mW
Decibel in reference to a power unit
dB Units for Signal Level (Voltage)
n dB is also a logarithmic unit for voltage gains and losses.
n Gain G=V/V
0
= g dB where g=20 log (P/P
0
)
n Since power is proportional to voltage squared the two
definitions are consistent.
n Similarly by fixing V
0
as a reference voltage, e.g.... to 1
volt or 1microvolt, one can define similar units for
voltage.
n Examples:
(V)
dBV
= 10 log V/(1Volt)
(V)
dBu
= 10 log V/(1W)
V
0
Name of the unit Example Interpretation
V dBv 20dBv 10:1 over 1V
or 10V

V dBu 20dBu 10:1 over 1 V

or 10 V
Decibel in reference to a voltage unit
Relation between dBv and dBw
n Converting a voltage in dBV to its received power
in dBm with 50 terminal impedance is given by:
0dBu =20log(V/V
0
) where V
0
= 1 V
0dBu = 10 log[(10
-6
)
2
(1000)/50]dBm
= -107 dBm
where P(mW) = V
2
/R * 1000 mW for R = 50
n Converting a field strength in dBV/m to its
received power in dBm with a 50 optimum terminal
impedance and effective length of a half dipole: /.
0dBu = 10 log[(10
-6
)
2
(1000)(/)
2
/(450)] dBm
At 850MHz: 0dBu (=) -132 dBm
39dBu (=) -93 dBm
32dBu (=) -100dBm
50
Common Mistakes Regarding dB Units
n Remember the difference between dB as a unitless measure
of gain or loss and dBm as a unit of power or voltage.
n Also note that addition in the logarithmic scale e.g.... in dB
domain is like multiplication in the linear scale.
n Therefore the following are meaningless and not correct:
Adding two signal levels in dBm domain.
Multiplication of gains or losses expressed in dBs
Looking at the ratio between two signal in dB domain.
dBm+dBm
dB*dB
dBm/dBm
dBm+dB=dBm
dBm-dB=dBm
dB+dB=dB
I ncorrect
Correct
n Lets consider two signals
S1 with power P
1
Watts or Q1 dBm
S2 with power P
2
Watts or Q2 dBm
n From Watts to dBm
(Q
1
)
dBm
=10 log (P
1
W/1mW)=10 log(10
3
P
1
)=30 + 10 log P
1
n From dBm to Watts
(P
1
)
mW
= 10
(Q1/10)
and (P
1
)
W
=10
-3
x 10
(Q1/10)
n Adding two signals has to be in the linear domain:
S1+S2 = P
1
+ P
2
= 10
Q1/10
+ 10
Q2/10
Q1 +Q2
n The ratio between two signals or signal to noise ratio has to be
calculated in the linear domain
S1/S2= P
1
/ P
2
= (Q1-Q2)
dBm
Q1/Q2
dB to linear conversion & vice versa