Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Owner/Editor
Jon Clarke
Approved by
Date
Title
Summary
This document is intended to be the formal guidelines for R.F. Planning for Hutchison 3G UK Ltd.
This is a living document and is therefore subject to change control
Document
no.
RDU-0008-01-V1.11
1 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................................4
2 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................................6
3 DESIGN CRITERIA.......................................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Nominal cell planning based on Cloverleaf structure...............................................................................................7
3.2 Planning Levels..........................................................................................................................................................7
3.3 Planning Tool Parameters..........................................................................................................................................8
3.3.1 Settings...............................................................................................................................................................8
3.3.2 Recommended processes.................................................................................................................................17
3.4 Carrier Distribution Strategy...................................................................................................................................19
3.4.1 Background......................................................................................................................................................19
3.4.2 Carriers per clutter category.........................................................................................................................19
4 SITE SELECTION........................................................................................................................................................21
4.1 Cell Types................................................................................................................................................................21
4.2 Cell Overlap.............................................................................................................................................................22
4.3 C.W. Testing............................................................................................................................................................22
5 PHYSICAL DESIGN....................................................................................................................................................24
5.1 Antennas...................................................................................................................................................................24
5.1.1Antenna Selection.............................................................................................................................................24
5.1.2 Tilt....................................................................................................................................................................25
5.1.3 Special Antennas.............................................................................................................................................25
5.1.4 Antenna Orientations.......................................................................................................................................26
5.1.5 Antenna Azimuth Beamwidth & Elevation Pattern........................................................................................27
5.1.6 Monopoles........................................................................................................................................................27
5.1.7 Flagpoles.........................................................................................................................................................27
5.1.8 Four Antennas on a 3 sector site....................................................................................................................27
5.1.9 GRP Shrouding................................................................................................................................................28
5.1.10 Interference Analysis when selecting Antennas & bearings........................................................................28
5.2 Separations...............................................................................................................................................................29
5.3 Health and Safety.....................................................................................................................................................30
5.3.1 Access...............................................................................................................................................................31
5.3.2 Safe by Design ................................................................................................................................................31
5.3.3 Horizontal Bore-Sight Distance .....................................................................................................................32
5.3.4 Radio Communication Agency Emission Certification..................................................................................32
5.4 Feeder types and loss:..............................................................................................................................................33
5.5 Masthead Amplifiers................................................................................................................................................34
5.5.1 Basics...............................................................................................................................................................34
5.5.2 Conclusions......................................................................................................................................................34
5.5.3 MHA Omission.................................................................................................................................................34
5.6 Available Node B Configurations...........................................................................................................................35
5.7 Expandability...........................................................................................................................................................37
5.7.1 Cabins - Dimensions and Position..................................................................................................................37
5.7.2 Internal Equipment Rooms - Dimensions.......................................................................................................37
5.8 Drawings..................................................................................................................................................................38
5.9 ICNIRP certificate...................................................................................................................................................38
6 PERFORMANCE CHECKS.......................................................................................................................................40
6.1 Rigging Checks........................................................................................................................................................40
6.1.1 Physical Site Checks........................................................................................................................................40
6.1.2 Rigging Results................................................................................................................................................41
6.2 Neighbour Planning.................................................................................................................................................44
6.3 Single Site Verification............................................................................................................................................48
Appendix 1.....................................................................................................................................................................51
Regular hexagonal design........................................................................................................................................52
Cloverleaf design......................................................................................................................................................53
Why cloverleaf is chosen..........................................................................................................................................54
Some useful notes on hexagonal geometry...............................................................................................................55
Link Budgets.............................................................................................................................................................56
Appendix 2.....................................................................................................................................................................59
CW measurements.....................................................................................................................................................60
Appendix 3.....................................................................................................................................................................62
Azimuth Beamwidth..................................................................................................................................................63
Elevation pattern......................................................................................................................................................63
Tilt.............................................................................................................................................................................64
Four Antennas on a 3 sector site..............................................................................................................................65
Health and Safety......................................................................................................................................................67
MHAs.......................................................................................................................................................................71
Example.....................................................................................................................................................................71
Coverage/capacity implications...............................................................................................................................72
Appendix 4.....................................................................................................................................................................78
Setting up Aska.........................................................................................................................................................79
Reference Route post processing .........................................................................................................................81
1 Introduction
The aim of this document is to provide background and guidance to enable the RF Planning Department to
deliver the appropriate cellular design as efficiently as possible. The document should provide information in
a manner that approximately follows the rollout process when planning coverage of a new area from
Nominal Plan through to integration and release to the live network. It will be updated on a 3 monthly period
with any changes, unless an exceptional change is required.
The document begins in section3 with a simple description of the methodology to be adopted when planning
a new area. It starts with the rules for creating a basic nominal plan and covers the minimum threshold levels
of coverage that are required for each clutter environment, the basic settings of the planning tool and its use
in creating a coverage plan.
Section 4 addresses the first steps of site selection prior to a Technical Revue taking place, time and effort
spent in this phase of the roll-out will pay dividends in the long run in saving time and money on optimisation
and in-fill solutions whilst maximising quality, capacity and ultimately revenue.
The next section, section 5, is the largest section of the Guidelines, and deals with the physical design of a
site and provides all the required information that a Radio Planner needs prior to the Technical Revue,
throughout the revue, and post-revue to ensure that the decisions and principles adhered to in the Site
Selection are carried forward into the reality of the live network.
The final section starts with the next period in a sites life cycle when the Radio Planner becomes involved,
post-rigging complete, and takes the site to the point where it is de-barred and takes live traffic on the
Network. From this point on, the Optimisation Guidelines take over.
The appendices in this document contain more in depth technical analysis of certain topics and also add
further explanation to the rules. Each section can be accessed directly by clicking on one of the sections
below.
Section 3
Design
Criteria
Section 4
Site
Selection
Section 5
Physical
Design
Section 6
Performance
Checks
The document contains a number of rules. Rules that must be complied with are highlighted in Red.
Rules that are for guidance are highlighted in Blue.
In addition reference is made to other documents that contain further explanation and reasoning that if
included here would make this document ungainly. All Radio Planners should read all the referenced
documentation to gain a full understanding of all topics detailed in the Radio Planning Design
Guidelines.
2 References
RD&T\UM&S\312 Enterprise 3.04.12 Setting Summary for Core and Asset modules
RD&T_UM&S_349 Enterprise FAQs_D3.doc -FAQ and answers listing problems related to settings -
3 Design Criteria
In this section we discuss the methodology to be adopted when planning a new area. This includes the
nominal plan, minimum contiguous coverage thresholds for each clutter environment and the fundamental
settings of the Asset planning tool that need to be set to generate coverage plots, and correct use of the
prediction models for each environment.
Dense Urban
Urban
128 kbps
in-building
128 kbps
in-building
64 kbps
in-vehicle
60 %
55 %
50 %
30 %
30
30
20
20
0.35
0.6
1.4
Sub-urban
Rural
40
124.78
129.29
135.55
142.92
-84.7
-89.2
-95.5
-103.2
FAQ and answers listing problems related to settings - RD&T_UM&S_349 Enterprise FAQs_D3.doc.
Further network planning related documents that describes guidelines and recommendations on settings
are:
Planning Summary_Issue1_1.doc
3.3.1 Settings
3.3.1.1 Mapping and User Data
Mapping (Heights, Clutter, Vector) and Text data are always stored on the planners PC on the D drive.
Rule 3.5: Predictions MUST be stored on the D drive under the following directory structure.
D:\Prediction structure. This folder MUST have 26 sub-folders labelled a-z.
Rule 3.6: Its recommended that the user (line data) polygons and preference are stored on the
server. This will allow planners to use other PCs and still allow them access to their user polygons
etc. The recommended locations are:
\\H3gshfp1\AircomUK\Enterprise 3.3 User Files\User Vectors - for line data.
\\H3gshfp1\AircomUK\Enterprise 3.3 User Files\User Preferences - for preferences.
10
MUST BE SET
AS SHOWN
11
The Dense Urban environment is defined as the clutter being made up of multi-storey densely packed
buildings, such as city centres for example.
The Urban environment is defined by the buildings that are not as densely packed as in dense urban but in
general consists of buildings that are taller than those in suburban areas.
The Suburban environment when the primary object of the nominal is to provide service into an area, which
is predominantly residential, consisting in the main of two storey buildings.
The Rural environment is defined by the fact that there are few residences or buildings.
UMTS Model
Range of Application
This model has been tuned for suburban, urban and dense-urban areas in the network. It is suited to Node
Bs situated primarily in those clutter categories.
Parameters
The parameters for this model are set globally and can be seen in greater detail in RD&T\UM&S\312.
UMTS Rural Model
Range of Application
This model is to be used for those cells situated in the rural clutter category, or in suburban cells that serve
areas that are also in the rural category.
The model is too optimistic to be used in dense urban, urban and completely suburban environments, if it is
used in these environments it will result in increased inter-site distances. This means that, once integrated,
the sites would under-perform compared to the generated predictions resulting in holes in coverage.
The model may be used on cells that are located on the edge of suburban environments, where they cover
significant amounts of rural areas due to antenna orientation etc.
This model should be used where the cell is situated in and covers a rural environment. The model
can also be used on the edge of suburban areas where they border rural areas.
In general roads should be covered as rural cells. Rural and Suburban environments can be freely
mixed.
Rural cells are capable of covering areas with a small amount of suburban but where one or more
sectors cover clearly suburban environment the UMTS model must be used.
Parameters
The parameters for this model are set globally and can be seen in greater detail in RD&T\UM&S\312.
UMTS flh Model
Range of Application
The new model UMTS_flh should be used on cells in similar situations to the model UMTS_Rural that are
also substantially higher than the surrounding environment. This height difference could be due to the
mounting structure height or variations in the terrain such as being built on a hill.
12
An example of a terrain environment, the UMTS-flh model could be used here. The site is close to the edge
of an escarpment from where a valley can be seen. The radio does not propagate over any clutter before
arriving at the end point.
An example of a terrain profile, the new model will not work here as a result of inadequate ground clearance.
Rule 3.7: This model should NOT be used in suburban areas.
Rule 3.8: The UMTS-flh model should be used with the 50m resolution data and the prediction
radius should be set to at least 20Km, all other models should use a prediction radius of at least 10
Km.
This model has the potential to propagate twice as far as the existing models. It is vital that the planners
follow the previously issued guidelines on setting the cell layer thresholds for each cell. As the national
coverage reporting depends on these settings a method should be set up to audit the planning tool database
and correct such mistakes.
13
Electrical tilt
All shown here are set Globally
The antenna height setting is measured to the base of the physical antenna.
The Electrical tilt (as shown in the above screenshot) is additive with the MECHANICAL tilt that can be
applied on the Cell Parameters GUI.
All the antennas that can be used for planning are listed below.
IIN_BUILDING_ONL
Y
R2212_18.4_XP_04 R2229_16_XP_10
R2204_15.4_XP_02
R2212_18.4_XP_06 R2233_21_XP_02
R2204_15.4_XP_04
R2212_18.4_XP_08 R2233_21_XP_04
R2209_17.7_XP_02
R2229_16_XP_00
R2233_21_XP_06
R2209_17.7_XP_04
R2229_16_XP_02
R2290_18.4_XP_02
R2209_17.7_XP_06
R2229_16_XP_04
R2290_18.4_XP_04
R2209_17.7_XP_10
R2229_16_XP_06
R2290_18.4_XP_06
R2212_18.4_XP_02
R2229_16_XP_08
R2291_17.7_XP_06
14
R2209_17.7_XP_08 - new
R2291_17.7_XP_02 - new
The following coverage schema is for use in the South East region and more specifically for planning the
coverage around the Gatwick and Heathrow express.
15
The following coverage schema is for use when performing analysis of drive test measurements.
There will be an additional schema call Marketing Levels that will include two levels. Outdoor Video with a
threshold of 106.1 dBm and Outdoor Voice that will have a threshold of 109.1 dBm. A screen shot of
these scemas is shown below.
16
3.3.1.6 Predictions
There is no standard prediction size or resolution. Planner decides as appropriate. It is important to ensure
that a sufficiently large enough prediction size is used in rural areas to capture all the coverage from Rural
sites.
17
Must be set
as shown
Un-Tick both to override signal
threshold level set at individual cell
level
See
comment
below.
The Subcells and Carriers option should be ticked if coverage is required to be shown only on those sites
that have carriers assigned to them.
Both options shown below must be ticked in order to generate interference arrays.
18
Do not name the properties in the following format either, as they are the form used to name nominals. (EG:
CV1111)
Explain the differences between nominal and candidates.
Creating and deleting Nominals, assigning candidates, breaking candidate links
Adding sites/BTS
Business rules and how enterprise is linked to Netone.
A Model
An antenna type
PA output 22dBm (For 4 sector sites its 19dBm per cell, that has been split)
Resolution of the predictions (ie: map data resolution used for the predictions. 100m and 50m are
available for the whole country. However, 25m data are only available for major cities). If the resolution
is changed the sites must be re-predicted.
Sites needing predictions can be added to a filter or individual predictions can be done.
Its recommended as much as possible that planners should re-calculate predictions every time using the
Always option. Or this can be tried if the Only if out of date option doesnt appear to provide
acceptable results.
Once all sites are in the Coverage Predictor window click Start to create the predictions. Once
complete the Start window will be active again.
19
The default prediction radius in enterprise is 10km. If this needs to be changed then the Override site
defined radius option needs to be ticked and appropriate radius selected. If the prediction radius is
changed the site must be re-predicted. The Radio Planner must be aware of the terrain that a site
occupies and if necessary increase the prediction radius. The prediction radius for rural sites should be
increased to ensure that the full extent of a sites coverage is understood and that the truncation of
predicted coverage plots is avoided.
Creating prediction for a site with UMTS_Rural model will take significantly more time than a site with
UMTS model.
Note that all predictions must be stored under D:\Prediction structure folder which must have subfolders a-z.
3.4.1 Background
This document describes the current requirements for site configurations and number of carriers on sites in
different clutter categories.
20
F1
Macrocell
F3
Macrocell
F2
Microcell
1920 MHz
1934.6 MHz
Centre
frequency
The table in Figure 2 shows the site configurations for the launch network and future requirements.
Clutter type
Dense urban
2+2+2
Urban
2+2+2
Suburban
1+1+1
Rural
21
4 Site Selection
Section 4 discuses some of the considerations that the Radio Planners should take into account when either
looking for sites, or when presented with possible site locations by the Acquisition Department. Potential site
locations must be selected that provide the desired coverage whilst maintaining the desired levels of quality
and capacity.
22
"tree growth.xls"
It is essential that sites are selected that add value to the Network. In the past, the roll out of the network
has been acquisition led. This was essential at the time to ensure a fast roll out, whilst achieving population
targets set both internally and externally. This has resulted in some non-ideal site selection and site designs.
Rule 4.6: All Radio Planners must now take time to consider a number questions before deciding to
select a site for progression to a Technical Review.
What is the target coverage area? Where is the population centre? Is this site optimum
location for site placement?
Can the site meet the rules that apply to its clutter environment for antenna placement?
Does the site fully meet the coverage and capacity requirements as dictated by the nominal
plan for its clutter environment, and if not, is the shortfall acceptable?
Have all other better opportunities in the area been previously exhausted prior to this
option?
Is the site still required, or could the surrounding sites be adapted to meet the required
coverage requirements? (The progress of the surrounding sites must be considered before
this choice is made, if they are not Acquired with Planning it makes the decision harder.)
Is it too far away from, or too close to adjacent sites such that it will cause future problems
for optimisation?
Can the site be connected to the rest of the Network within the budget? (Although a
Transmission Planning Issue it has a direct impact on site placement & therefore coverage.)
Is there an alternate option that exceeds this site in response to the above questions?
Rule 4.7: All sites will be planned with 3 sectors. Any sites that require less than 3 sectors need to
be signed off by the Regional Radio Planning Managers
23
be made to the planning manager. In the case this is approved for further investigation by the
planning manager, it will be escalated to the appropriate party for further investigation.
It is expected that less than 2%-3% of the total number of sites will require CW measurements to be
performed before they can be finally selected.
Rule 4.9: In the event a planner feels that CW measurements should be made, they should file a full
written justification and return this to the planning manager. The justification must include:
Site number/identity
Reason for CW measurements describe the surrounding terrain and clutter and the relevance
of the area of concern (e.g. nature of hotspot or size and type of area of concern), specifying
why CW measurements are required and which aspect of the surrounding area is leading you to
this view.
Panoramic pictures from the site of the surrounding terrain and clutter
The objective of the CW measurements is to assess the average path loss and long-term signal
fluctuations at particular locations. The CW measurements will not be required to measure anything
more.
24
5 Physical Design
The roll out process from Technical Revue through to submission for planning is covered in Section 5. The
physical design of the site is most important and has a direct relationship to its own performance and the
performance of the sites around it.
The approach has been to work from the Antennas back through to the Node B itself. This includes Antenna
selection, Tilts, Health and Safety issues and ICNIRP compliance, MHAs and Feeders and cabinet
configurations.
The final part of the section also includes details on drawing checks and production of certification that is
required by both Local Planning Authorities and the Radio Communications Agency.
5.1 Antennas
5.1.1Antenna Selection
The following antennae are currently used in Enterprise. These are the Racal (Thales) Antennae.
Enterprise Name
Hei
ght
m
Gain/dB
i
Horizonta
l BW deg
Vertical
BW deg
Electrical
Tilt
Options /
deg
R2204_15.4_XP_
0.7
15.4
66.5
14
2/4/
R2209_17.7_XP_
1.3
17.7
66
6.5
2/4/6/8/10
Wei
ght
4.2
Kg
Top Fed
Electrica
l Tilt
Comment1
8/10 on hold
2/4/6/8/1
0
Default
Dense Urban
R2211_18_XP_
1.5
6
18
65
5.7
2/4
5.0
Kg
R2212_18.4_XP_
1.7
18.4
66
4.5
2/4/6/8
5.5
Kg
R2233_21_XP_
1.7
21
28.5
4.0
2/4/6
Rural road
coverage only
R2290
1.7
18.5
65
222/444/666
N/A
Any
combination
R2291
1.3
17.5
65
222/666
N/A
Any
combination
R2229_16_XP_
1.3
16
65
Variable 0 to
10 degrees
From the table above please note that the normal default antenna are:
1
Republic of
Ireland use
only same
application as
R2212
2/4/6/8
RRPM
approval
required
25
5.1.2 Tilt
Appendix 3 lists technical discussion to answer the following questions:
What is the optimum tilt for coverage of a cell of a given radius for a given antenna height above
ground?
The appendix lists tables for recommended tilts for coverage and capacity. These are purely
recommendations but may provide sufficient starting points for further analysis and simulation within the
planning tool.
There may be cases where a site is located in the bottom of a valley and the required population coverage is
above the boresite of the sector. In this case the antennas may be up-tilted. Obvious care must be taken to
ensure that not too much uptilt is used which results in interference outside the immediate coverage area of
the cell.
The current mechanical tilt mechanism employed by 3 is very coarse and only increments of 1 degree can
be applied to antenna through a range from 1 degree to 10 degrees.
Rule 5.4: Tilts should be achieved with electrical tilt first and then adjusting by +/- 1 degree of
mechanical tilt, ensuring that all coverage, capacity and interference limitation criteria are met.
Rule 5.5: If the above cannot be achieved, then mechanical tilts greater than 1 degree require the
approval of the Regional Radio Planning Manager.
R2229 Antenna
These Antennas are not for general use as they are much more expensive than the fixed tilt antennas and
have poorer performance.
26
Rule 5.8: Use of the R2229 antennae will be on a case-by-case basis and need the Regional Radio
Planning Manager to sign off the design.
Deployment Rules
Control box
The information from Thales is as follows:
The Variable Electrical Tilt Antenna, are controlled by a Remote Electrical Tilt Module. The RET module
makes it possible to use the Ground Interface Unit and a laptop loaded with an application to control the
electrical tilt of the antenna(s).
The RET Module attaches to the antenna and is powered by 12/24v from the Ground Interface Unit.
RET modules can be daisy chained. The RET module dimensions TBC. The daisy chain cable is
8mm and available in lengths of 300mm (three antennas in a tube), 10m, 25m and 50m for roof top
panels.
The Ground Interface unit is powered by 240v AC and converts to 12/24v for RET module, approx
size 100x124x72mm. The cable to the RET module is 8mm diameter and is available in lengths
10,20,30,40 and 50m
The RET control software is a JAVA application for Windows 2000/NT/XP. The computer running this
application should be attached to the Ground Interface Unit via an RS232 sub miniature D-type
male-female 'file transfer' cable (not supplied)
The ground interface units will not be deployed with each site but will be held separately in a central location
since it can be taken to site and plugged in to remotely tilt the antenna. Since the cost of each RET box is
200 per antenna this is most economical use of this system.
This antenna could be used to great effect on sites that use GRP shrouding to disguise the antennas but it
must be remembered that these antennas have a lower gain and higher vertical beamwidth than the
standard range of antennas available.
27
Antenna at 310 = A1
Antenna at 050 = A2
Rule 5.14: Once a sector has been named within the above guidelines that sector should not be
renamed post-call off for any reason. For example if a sector is identified as 01234567A because it has
a bearing of 50 degrees but is then re-orientated post-integration to a bearing of 65 degrees, as a result of
optimisation, it remains as 01234567A and not 01234567B1, nor does 01234567B become 01234567B2.
This is because of the way the sector is identified on the network for datafill and neighbour purposes.
Antenna Heights
Antennas should be positioned so that they provide efficient coverage whilst minimizing interference.
Rule 5.15: All antenna heights will refer to the measurement taken from the bottom of the antenna.
This applies to both Asset and on drawings.
5.1.6 Monopoles
Rule 5.16: All antennae used on a monopole will have a fixed angle between sectors of 120 degrees.
This can be reduced if mounting brackets allow, but not below 90 degrees as previously stated.
Note: Mechanical down tilt maybe used on a Monopole providing that brackets are adjusted in the vertical
plane to achieve the required tilt. If the required tilt is reached with the nearest electrical tilt 1 degree of
mechanical tilt should be achievable. Note if the monopole is shrouded it will be a lot harder to achieve a
mechanical tilt on all three sectors due to the lack of space under the shroud.
Different antennae types can be used for different sectors.
5.1.7 Flagpoles
Rule 5.17: All antennae used on a flagpole will have a fixed angle between sectors of 120 degrees.
Rule 5.18: No mechanical down tilt maybe used on a Flagpole.
Rule 5.19: Only R2290 and R2291 antennae can be used on flagpoles, and all antennae must be the
same in each Flagpole.
Note: Different electrical down tilts can be used for different sectors, but different antenna types. It is
possible to place a single or two sectors only within a flagpole for site providers that may insist on flagpoles
on a site that would be best designed with multiple sectors, e.g. around a particularly large rooftop, but this is
an expensive option and should be avoided wherever possible.
28
Optimisation has shown that sometimes the sectors perform better if they are actually adjacent. It is
essential that a site that has 4 antennae across 3 sectors should be driven extensively post-integration to
determine which method is best suited for splitting the sector.
Note: That splitting the sectors has an impact on the neighbour planning for the split sector and care should
be taken in selecting neighbours so as not to exceed the limits for the cell. In addition the slit sector will be
seen in areas where it is not expected and if not neighboured correctly will act as an interferer.
These two sectors are
the split pair by choice
29
Both of these issues can be simulated in Asset and the methodology for this is outlined in the document
RD&T\UM&S\024 Instructions for Interference Analysis using Enterprise 3.4.12. Whilst it is acknowledged
that these are simulations based on a planning tool they still give a good initial basis for antenna selection
and bearing, to this should be added the Radio Planners local knowledge of the area, panoramic photos and
any existing drive test results from the area that may help.
Rule 5.21 Radio Planners will complete an interference analysis study for each site to select the
optimum antenna selection, tilt and bearing
5.2 Separations
The Inter-Operator Antenna Forum (IOAF) has accepted that isolations should be based on existing
equipment specification. Therefore a total isolation of some 42 dB is required.
Minimum Distance
50m
35m
(See note 2 below)
1.5m
1.0m
Note 1
Rule 5.22: An antenna separation distance of 50m should be achieved between Operators if at all
possible where antennae face each other but may be reduced based on the information below.
This lower figure may be available if the planner can orientate the antennas such that a difference of some
45 degrees exists between the facing sectors.
Rule 5.23: The absolute minimum distance between Operators antennas facing each other, but
offset by 45 degrees, is 16m.
Once the distance drops below 50m it is possible that additional filtering will need to be added to the 2G
Site.
Note 2
Rule 5.24: The distance of 35m should be achieved if at all possible between a 2g operators Omni
antennae and a sector antennae belonging to 3, as this distance will guarantee that no additional filters
will be required.
Rule 5.25: The absolute minimum distance between a 2g operators Omni antennae and a sector
antennae belonging to 3 shall be 11m
Note 3
Rule 5.26: 1.5m separation should be achieved if at all possible between Operators antennae on the
same horizontal face.
30
Rule 5.27: A distance of 1.0m can be used as an agreed compromise between Operators antennae
on the same horizontal face.
Note 4
Rule 5.28: A 1.0m vertical separation should be the target distance between Operators antennae
Rule 5.29: An absolute minimum of 0.5m of vertical separation between Operators antennae can be
used if absolutely necessary
If a sites has to use any distance less than those shown in blue above then please make a not of
this as some remedial action may be required at some future date
For TETRA equipment please use the guidelines above. It is believed there are no specific interference
issues regarding TETRA transmitters. However, until more information is available please use the guidelines
as per any other GSM operator.
Rule 5.30: If there is any Operators within 50m of the 3 Cell then this information must be entered on
the Site Survey Form.
This will be used to track cell performance and ensure there is no interference issue post integration.
File Reference
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions Compliance\FEI MTAC RFCG doc.
28-2000 v2-2002 Feb 18.pdf
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions
Compliance\RF
Compliance
assessment criteria 49-2001.doc
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions Compliance\ Radio Emissions
Compliance - ver 3.2.pdf
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions
Compliance\
Base
Station
Equipment Pack 1.5.pdf
It has been agreed at the Inter-operator forums that all sites designed by an operator will be compliant with
the FEI guidelines FEI/MTAC/RFCG/28/2000 and 49/2001.
There are two main objectives to ensuring that a site is safe by design:
That all members of the public cannot be exposed to power densities in excess of the ICNIRP Public
emission guidelines.
That all workers (operator employees, tower/building maintenance staff and others) cannot be
exposed to power densities in excess of the ICNIRP Occupational emission guidelines.
Radio Emissions Compliance V3.2 defines what is public and occupational area within a site design annals
the three types of access: Controlled, Restricted and General Public Access.
31
5.3.1 Access
In summary antennas should not be located in the following positions dependant upon access:
Controlled:
All H3G antennas must be positioned so that the ICNIRP occupation exclusion zone does not block or
extend onto the major access routes of the structure. In the case of lattice masts or towers, the access route
within the mast to tower must meet ICNIRP occupational limitations.
Restricted:
The antennas should be installed whenever practical as per the Safe by Design criteria.
For sites where the Safe by Design criteria is not practical or possible one needs to demarcate the
occupational exclusion zone with painted lines or a physical barrier. Warning signage must be placed at the
boundary edge as well.
General Public:
All transmit antennas must meet the 'Safe by Design criteria with respect to the INCIRP public exposure
limitations or
A physical barrier placed at the edge of the public exposure exclusion zone will need to be erected with the
proper signage in place.
Balconies are considered as public access areas and subject to normal general public guidelines.
32
Streetworks
Rule 5.34: The minimum base height of a Streetworks antenna should be 6.2 metres above ground
level to allow for passing traffic.
The Radio Planner must be aware of differences in ground height between mast position and street level.
Vehicles or pedestrians could breach the Exclusion Zone if the site is close to a bridge or a road that is built
up to a greater height relative to the base of the mast.
Rule 5.35: The antennas of the streetworks site must be a minimum of three metres away from all
other standing structures.
Conditional Compliance
There may be a case where the site does not meet the worst-case public exposure compliance distances
outlined in Document RFCG 49/2001. For these sites additional approval is required from the National
Compliance Manager or if unavailable the Regional Radio Planning Manager.
Rule 5.36: All conditional compliance to ICNIRP public exposure requires the approval of the
National Compliance Manager or, if unavailable, the Regional Radio Planning Manager. The
conditional compliance will be duly noted within NETONE. Eventually, there will be a specific field
within NEP that will capture this event.
An explanation of the heights required, are contained in the embedded PDF file below.
Adobe Acrobat
Document
All sites are submitted nationally once they have been Acquired with Planning. The completed certificates
are then returned to the Regional Radio Planning Managers for inclusion in the site packs.
33
Rule 5.39: Radio Communications Agency site clearance data must be entered into NETONE. The
relevant fields can be found by clicking on the Details tab for the SiteID.
34
E.g. Nokias first Mast Head Amp has very low gain and thus the Rx feeder loss is still of importance.
E.g. Nokia can use 2 x Xpolar antennas thus requiring four feeders however two can be higher loss smaller
cable and can use small cheaper connectors.
All macro sites will incorporate Rx diversity from day one. This is provided by the deployment of DualPolarised antenna. It is not proposed to use space-diversity initially although there is the possibility of using
additional techniques, for example the Nokia Smart Radio Concept.
However whilst Transmit diversity will be added later (indeed on day one we may have tri-sector Rx and
omni Transmit) all sites should be fed to permit full two-way Transmit diversity.
Rule 5.43: All streetworks sites must use LDF5-50 due to the limitations of the internal dimensions
of the pole. As a result Cabinets should be located as close as possible to the pole to reduce the
feeder run.
A distance of 15m between the cabinet location and the streetworks pole is acceptable. Additional
consideration must also be made for the MHAs that are located at the base of the pole in a separate
cabinet.
Tails
Tails are used in some sites between the main feeder cable and the MHAs and cabinet where LDF7-50 is
used or where bend radii restrict the use of LDF5-50, and also between the antennas and the MHAs.
The contractor shall specify the jumper tail length (max 3m of FSJ4-50) after the initial site and tower survey,
unless otherwise specified by Hutchison 3g. Only Hutchison 3g specified jumper tails can be used.
Rule 5.44: If a rigging sub-contractor needs to exceed the standard tail lengths then the company
concerned has to submit a concession form for the agreement and signature of the Radio Planner
for that particular site following approval from the Regional Radio Planning Manager.
5.5.2 Conclusions
In coverage terms MHAs give very significant range advantages reducing the number of sites required by
30-40%. This advantage can be retained if capacity limitations in a mature network are overcome using a
microcell layer in addition to the original macrocell layer. MHA benefit is lost if cell splitting is used to
increase capacity.
Rule 5.46: MHAs should be located as close as possible to the antenna position to gain maximum
benefit.
35
LDF550
1.86dB/100m*
0.15dB to 0.5dB**
0.08dB
The MHA provides maximum benefit when placed close to the antennas. As the distance between the MHAs
and the antennas increases, the benefit provided by the MHA decreases.
Results show that the best improvement offered by the MHA is 0.42dB. The improvement is small for the
following reasons:
Because the MHA is placed so close to the Node B, the feeder loss after the MHA is small and
consequently the benefit provided by the MHAs will be minimal.
If the MHA cabinet is omitted on a streetworks site, the total loss between antenna and Node B will
be small due to:
LDF550 runs direct from the antenna to within 0.5m of the Node B antenna port.
Very low-loss factory-made jumpers are used for NEC streetworks, and none are used for Nokia.
This small improvement in system noise figure is offset by the drawbacks of working with the MHA
cabinet.
Omission of the MHA cabinet will ease planning approval or improve relations with the
planning authority
LDF550 feeders run direct from the antennas to within 0.5m of the Node B antenna ports
FSJ450 factory-made jumpers of 0.5m or less are used to connect the LDF550 feeder to the
Node B
The MHA cabinet can be omitted from streetworks sites provided the above conditions are met.
Rule 5.48: There is no justification for removing MHA cabinets from sites that have already been
built. If planning has been submitted with an MHA cabinet and an MHA cabinet has been ordered
then the site design should not be changed.
36
1
2
either
either
DU/Urban Sub-urban
Macro
Macro
2+2+2
1+1+1
3
2
2RF-MCPA
SCPA
2
1
192
120
192
128
10
20
Yes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
3
either
Rural
Macro
1+1+1
1
SCPA
1
72
64
20
4
either
Roads
Macro
1+1+0
1
SCPA
1
48
64
20
5
either
Other
Macro
1+0+0
1
SCPA
1
48
32
20
6
either
Other
Macro
1+1+0
2
SCPA
1
120
128
20
No
No
No
No
No
7
8
either
either
Other
Other
Macro
Macro
2+0+0
2+2+0
2
2
2RF-MCPA 2RF MCPA
2
2
144
144
128
128
20
10
?
Yes
[The number of CEs in the table is a measure of the number of channels that can be supported]
A more definitive description of where should be treated as Urban Suburban and Rural will be produced in
the near future. In the interim they should continue to be defined by Richard Stevens Environment Flag
Setting document. However there should be some sanity checking of the resultant types:
Rule 5.49:
1) Where possible urban coverage should be kept contiguous i.e. there shouldnt be isolated
Suburban sites within an urban area.
2) Some towns may be defined as Urban when they clearly are not as Urban as city centres.
This should be avoided.
Rule 5.50: It is the densest sector that defines the configuration i.e. if one sector is clearly urban the
whole site will be urban regardless of other sectors.
Roads:
In general roads should be covered by type 4 configuration except where much heavier traffic is anticipated
(e.g. the road is in an area of high population, suburban or urban) when type 6 is applicable.
Other bisectors/single sectors
Obviously the norm is to use tri-sectors but where necessary types 4-8 can be used as bi sectors or single
sectors, according to the descriptions at the bottom of the table above. Note that if the surrounding sites are
37
two carrier so should single and bi sectors. Type 7 can also be used for very intense hot spots where a
single sector is required (e.g. star house.)
Notes
1) All configurations use masthead amplifiers.
2) The Nokia outdoor unit is the 1.2 cubic Metre Optima Compact and types 1,8 also require site support
cabins (0.8 cubic metres). (Type 7 will probably require site support cabins but this is still being ascertained.)
3) The NEC outdoor unit is the same in all environments and is 2.09 m3
4) In future Years Suburban sites will need to expand physically to give higher capacity. (This is not a shortterm requirement). Therefore space for expansion at a much later date is a good feature of a site.
5.7 Expandability
If the site put forward for acquisition is identified as a likely high capacity site then the process adopted
should be one of expandability.
The concept of future-proofing as much as possible may well remove the need of an additional cell.
NEC
38
Nokia
Microsoft Excel
Worksheet
Microsoft Excel
Worksheet
5.8 Drawings
Rule 5.51: The Radio Planner must check all issues of General Arrangement and Detail Design
drawings for the sites that they are responsible for. They should check for the following details:
Antenna height is correct for all sectors (All antenna heights will refer to the measurement
taken from the bottom of the antenna.)
Once confirmed as correct Antenna heights need to be fed back into Asset to ensure correct
coverage prediction
There is no near field interference from any object either existing or as a result of 3
installation work e.g. supporting steelwork or microwave dishes or other operators
installations in the case of site shares or shared rooftops
Once feeder types and lengths are agreed details should be entered into Asset and NEP for
call offs, this includes tails and MHAs
The compass North Point is pointing in the correct direction, as measured at the technical
review
All antennae are positioned such that no ICNIRP regulations are breached (See section 3.3)
If the Radio Planner is satisfied with all of the above then they should sign the drawing approval signature
block and issue the ICNIRP documentation for signature by the Regional Radio Planning Manager, or an
appointed stand in.
39
There are separate certification forms for Scotland and Northern Ireland due to subtle differences in
Planning Application Rules.
"Emissions Estimator
"Emissions Estimator
"Emissions Estimator
& Planning Application v5.0.xls"
& Planning Application v5.1 &
NI.xls"
Planning Application v5.5 Scotland.xls"
In summary the Radio Planner must select the Nominal & Site id, the address, NGRs and Drawing Number
and issue number for the General Arrangement drawing that is compliant; as well as the antenna type,
height, tilt and number of carriers for each sector on the Data Entry sheet. These then populate the other
sheets in the spreadsheet and are also used in calculating the relevant field strengths for each sector.
The Planning Application Coverage Sheet is a screen dump from Enterprise. The methodology for creating
this is outline in section 1.3 (?).
In addition the Planner must populate the 3 Office address and the relevant Local Planning Authority
address in the Certificate sheet. Finally this is presented to the Regional Radio Planning Manager for
checking and signature.
Telstra Plots
In some exceptional cases Local Planning Authorities or Site Providers may request a TELSTRA plot. These
are more in depth emissions plots that are created using additional software that is installed on Senior Radio
Planners workstations, Radio planning Managers computers and Community Affair Managers computers.
Any requests for TELSTRA plots should be made to these individuals who are trained in how to use the
application. The plots, once created, will be sent to the National Compliance Manager for approval and
conversion to pdf format.
40
6 Performance Checks
The next stage that the Radio Planner has any major involvement with one of their sites is post-rigging
complete. This is the next stage in the evolution of the site where the designs chosen as a result of the
guidelines in section 5 have been physically implemented.
This is the last opportunity that the Radio Planner has to correct any problems that may have arisen before
the site is allowed to go live. The result of checks carried out in this section and recommendations made
should be that when the site is debarred it has the maximum impact on coverage capacity and quality
combined with the minimum impact on interference.
This section includes rigging checks, neighbour generation and single site verification.
The antenna type is as per the latest issued version of the call off form issued to the vendor
or MSA rigging contractor
The feeder type and length is as per the latest issued version of the call off form
Feeders are not crossed between the Node B cabinets and the MHAs, and are not crossed
between the MHAs and the Antennas
The antenna height, position, mechanical tilt and bearing are all correct
The MHAs have been located as close to the antenna as possible, as per detailed design
All joints in the feeder have been waterproofed in line with 3 rigging design guidelines
The tails used are of the correct length and do not exceed the 2m pre-cut length unless a
certificate of non-conformance has been signed by the Radio Planner
The feeder is not damaged throughout its length, and supported in line with the rigging
design guidelines
The bend radii for the feeder type has not been exceeded
41
There is no obstruction in the near or far field of the antenna that may disrupt the antenna
pattern to cause reflection or shadowing
Rule 6.2: All Radio Planners should return to their sites post-rigging complete prior to integration
to familiarise themselves with the actual physical layout and the actual view from behind each
antenna.
The Results supplied by the Vendor, are obtained using a Site Master tool, and should contain the following
information:
A hard copy front cover sheet, with a summary of all the results.
The radio planner will require the Site Master software to be installed to look at the softcopy results.
Feeder length
This is obtained, by using the Site Masters Distance To Fault (DTF) function. The feeders are disconnected
from the MHA, and a reading obtained. The fault (open circuit at end of feeder, or short circuit load) should
be clearly seen on the results as a spike. The length of the feeder corresponds directly to the distance to
fault.
42
D is ta n c e -to - fa u lt
M 0001H A 0PD TF
M 1 : -.5 4 d B @ 2 0 .1 6 M e te r
-1 0
dB
-2 0
-3 0
-4 0
-5 0
M 1
0 .0
2 .5
5 .0
7 .5
R e s o lu tio n : 1 3 0
B ia s T e e : O F F
D a te :
M o d e l: S 2 5 1 A
1 0 .0
1 2 .5
1 5 .0
1 7 .5
D is ta n c e ( 0 .0 - 2 5 .0 M e te r )
C A L : O N (C O A X )
O u tp u t P o w e r : 6 .0 0 d B m
T im e :
S e ria l # : 0 0 9 2 9 0 8 3
2 0 .0
2 2 .5
2 5 .0
C W : O FF
I n s .L o s s :0 .0 0 0 d B /m
P r o p .V e l: 0 .8 9 0
In this example, the feeder length is slightly over 20m. Note: if tails are used, these will be visible as small
spikes about 2m from either end of the main feeder.
Feeder loss
This is calculated in a similar way, shorting the feeder at one end, and measuring the total loss. This value
has to be halved to obtain the true value of loss for the feeder. There is scope for confusion here, as the
Site Master operator should halve the value when entering it into the cover sheet. Any confusion can be
resolved by looking at the graph, which contains the raw data.
R e tu rn L o ss
M 1 : -2 .1 1 d B @ 1 9 2 0 .0 0 M H z
M 2 : -2 .1 5 d B @ 1 9 3 5 .0 0 M H z
M 3 : -2 .1 9 d B @ 2 1 1 0 .0 0 M H z
M 4 : -2 .2 1 d B @ 2 1 2 5 .0 0 M H z
-1
L im it : - 2 . 1 3 4
dB
-2
-3
-4
M 1
M 2
M 3
M 4
-5
1925
R e s o lu tio n : 1 3 0
B ia sT e e : O F F
D a te :
M o d e l: S 2 5 1 A
1950
1975
2000
2025
2050
2075
F r e q u e n c y ( 1 9 1 5 .0 - 2 1 3 0 .0 M H z )
C A L : O N (C O A X )
O u tp u t P o w e r: 6 .0 0 d B m
T im e :
S e ria l # : 0 0 9 2 9 0 8 3
2100
2125
CW : O FF
43
The loss should be calculated using a line of best fit through the results, as a ripple occurs due to the
sweep generator in the Site Master tool.
As a rule of thumb, the feeder (and associated connectors) losses should not exceed 2.5dB. However the
Radio Planner need to use some common sense in this area. Clearly a short 10m run of LDF 5-50 feeder
should not have a loss of nearly 3 dB and there is obviously something wrong. Likewise, any exceptionally
long runs of LDF 7-50 with tails, may have slightly higher values, but this would be expected.
Note values for feeders of equal length, following similar routes (e.g. monopoles) should be almost identical.
Any significant differences could indicate that a feeder has been kinked during installation.
44
This is similar to VSWR, only measured in dB. The antennas are reconnected and a small signal is injected
into the feeder at the node b end, and any reflected power (from poor connectors, poorly match or faulty
antennas, or damaged feeders) is measured. The acceptable level for system return loss is 15.5dB or
greater (more negative). This has to be measured in the uplink (1920-1935MHz), and downlink (22102225MHz) bands, because of the effects of the MHAs. Likewise, the MHAs need to have a remote power
source during this measurement, or a false reading will be obtained.
R e tu rn L o ss
M 0001H A 0PSR L
M 1 : - 2 1 .4 1 d B @ 1 9 2 0 .0 0 M H z
M 2 : -2 4 .2 9 d B @ 1 9 3 5 .0 0 M H z
M 3 : - 3 2 .0 4 d B @ 2 1 1 0 .0 0 M H z
M 4 : -2 2 .9 7 d B @ 2 1 2 5 .0 0 M H z
-1 0
L im it : -1 5 .6
dB
-2 0
-3 0
-4 0
-5 0
M 1
1925
M 2
M 3
1950
1975
R e s o lu tio n : 1 3 0
B ia s T e e : O F F
D a te :
M o d e l: S 2 5 1 A
2000
2025
2050
2075
F re q u e n c y ( 1 9 1 5 .0 - 2 1 3 0 .0 M H z )
C A L : O N (C O A X )
O u t p u t P o w e r : 6 .0 0 d B m
T im e :
S e ria l # : 0 0 9 2 9 0 8 3
2100
M 4
2125
CW : O FF
In this example the system passes in both the uplink, and downlink bands.
Some rigging contractors may send in separate readings for the uplink, and downlink, but they are not
obliged to do so. The separate measurements are better, as the resolution of the readings is far higher.
Rule 6.3: If the Rigging results fail or physical site checks fail for any reason the Radio Planner must
raise a Trouble Ticket against the site and assign it to the relevant Construction Controller for
resolution. In addition they must populate the Radio Design Review in the Site Comments section in
Net1
Rule 6.4: If the rigging results and the physicals site checks are okay then T885 can be populated in
Net1 in addition the Radio Design Review section needs to be populated in the Site Comments
section in Net1
Rule 6.5: Asset and NEP must be updated with the exact feeder lengths recorded in the results.
45
Rule 6.7: Inter-cell neighbours relationships should only be entered for sites where both sites in the
relationship have had the Node B installed, and datafill has been created on the Network. Task T504
and T760 in Net 1 Task list, respectively.
This document currently covers the planning of Neighbour cells on carrier F1. This means that only the
Launch configuration of Macro cell layers are studied here.
Future editions of the document will look at following scenarios
Inter System handover relationships from H3Gs 3g UMTS network to the National Roaming
Partners 2g GSM network.
Vendor Limits
The following maximums apply to each vendor
Vendor
Intra Carrier
Inter Carrier
Intra System
Nokia
32
48
32
NEC
32
32
32
Note: The above table refers to 3G neighbour relations capability of each of the vendors. In the current
version of ENTERPRISE (V3.4 # 12), ASSET, a 2G tool, is being used for planning. Accordingly, ASSET
does not support the concept of Intra carrier, Inter carrier or Inter System.
ASSET only has a single neighbour list and accordingly, the maximum number of neighbours permitted, per
cell, is listed in section below.
46
It is important to note that the facilities for automatically identifying Neighbours in Asset are minimal as the
tool is designed to allow a planner to decide the best neighbour cells to use.
An important concept is that the neighbour definitions created by the planner and the neighbours already
stored in the database, are two separate lists. That is to say that neighbour relations work on the principle
of Applied changes and Committed changes. Only once the planner is happy with he neighbour relations
are they finally committed to the database, to be viewable by all other planners. This functionality allows
new cells to be added or removed and once the neighbour definitions are correct, for the database to be
updated.
Note: At this point in time, the maturity of the network means that use of the Wizard in Enterprise is of little
value and the results would be more accurate if the Radio Planner enters the neighbours by hand.
The main steps are as follows:
1.
2.
Open a 2D view to show these cells (sites), complete with a border zone around the outside this
ensures that coverage from all sites is analysed, but neighbours only generated for the cells in
question. This may mean bringing in sites from outside the Radio Planners area of responsibility
to ensure that cells do not interfere as a result of not being neighboured
3.
4.
Manually create a neighbour list based on the above plus experience gained from local
knowledge, drive surveys and panoramic photos by the following process
a. Select the site, then the cell, then the UMTS layer
b. Select the neighbours tab
c.
47
g. Repeat this process for all selected target cells to create reciprocal relationship thus
preventing one way relationships
5.
Inform any other Radio Planners responsible for sites that have been neighboured to, that they
need to create a reciprocal neighbour relationship to prevent one way neighbours existing on the
network.
Note: The use of the wizard should be avoided because of the risks of its impact on the existing
neighbour database in Enterprise.
Note: Whilst it is acknowledged that the initial selection of neighbour relationships is based on a planning
tool, which can be pessimistic in its predictions, this is still give a good starting point, to this should be added
the Radio Planners local knowledge of the area, panoramic photos and any existing drive test results from
the area that may help.
48
Once the neighbours have been committed in Enterprise they will be loaded that night onto the network by
the automatic processes that have been currently put in place. So Radio Planners must ensure that they are
100% sure of the neighbour relationships they want before committing them to the database. Conversely if
the Radio Planner does not commit the changes they will not appear on the network.
Each Cell has the correct Scrambling Code (Note if the SC is incorrect a note should be
made of this but a full drive can still take place to assess interference based on scanner data
alone.)
An AMR call can be held whilst circumnavigating the site, checking that each cell can
perform a Softer Handover, in both directions
The area of measurement should be across the whole of the cell area but particularly around the cell edge.
The cell planner should take the original coverage plot produced for the site selected and overlay this onto a
street map using the process set out in RD&T\UO&C\272 Drive Route Generation Methodology (NonCluster) to define a drive route for the verification drive capturing all the required data. It is not sufficient to
drive to the next cell just to check the Soft Handovers are functioning correctly, since this will not give an
indication of the potential interference that sites may be introducing into the network.
The Radio Planner who is driving the route should constantly take note of the predicted coverage versus the
actual signal strength measured with the Agilent scanner, especially at the predicted cell edge. If the Radio
Planner observes a measured signal that is clearly stronger than that which is predicted they should
continue the drive beyond the original planned route until the cells scrambling code is no longer seen. The
reason for this is that the cell in this scenario is obviously acting as an interferer beyond its predicted
coverage area and the extent of this interference needs to be measured and appropriate action taken.
Rule 6.12: Prior to any drive survey taking place the Radio Planner should check with the ARC that
the cells being driven for single site verification, and any surrounding cells and the serving RNCs
are all functioning correctly so that the maximum benefit is gained, this is best done the day before
and on the day of the drive
The methodology for setting up the drive survey test equipment for Agilent is described in RD&T\UO&C\299
Agilent WCDMA scanners set up & Use (Non-Cluster), and for Aska in Appendix 4 of this document and will
not be described here.
The current information that can be measured from the scanner is as follows:
Measurements
49
Channel Power Io
Path loss
measurements
Step 2
Step 3
Radio Bearer
Link Budgets
Cell Isolation
Thresholds
CPICH Link
Budgets
Soft Handover
Thresholds
Evaluation of
Radio Bearer
Coverage
Evaluation of
Cell Isolation
Evaluation of
CPICH
Coverage
Evaluation of
Soft Handover
Areas
Verify CPICH
powers
Verify SHO
parameters
Step 4
Step 5
Handover
Thresholds
Path loss
measurements
Evaluation of
Potential
Neigbors
Verify neigbor
lists
Scrambling
Code Plan
Scrambling
Code id
Measurements
Comparison of
Plan with
Measurements
Verify
configuration
The first step is to ensure that the physical characteristics of the antennas have been correctly planned and
configured. This is based upon an analysis of radio bearer coverage and cell isolation. CPICH coverage and
soft handover analysis are not considered at this stage. Both CPICH coverage and soft handover areas will
be coarsely tuned automatically by ensuring that radio bearer coverage and cell isolation are adequate.
CPICH coverage and soft handover can then be fine-tuned based upon their associated radio resource
50
management parameters. The detail of this process is contained in RD&T\UO&C\295 CPICH Coverage
Analysis (Non-Cluster).
The analysis of the service levels actually offered by the site can be compared in association with the
exported service level coverage plots from Enterprise. This is contained in RD&T\UPO&C\297 Service
Coverage Analysis (Non-Cluster)
Neighbour lists are fine-tuned based upon path loss from each potential neighbour to each location across
the cell being considered.
The scrambling code plan is verified by a simple check on a cell-by-cell basis to ensure that the planned
scrambling code is being transmitted. This can also be used to identify if a site has crossed feeders between
any cells. This is covered in greater depth in RD&T\UO&C\296 Scrambling Code verification.
Antenna bearings, scrambling codes, cross feeder and basic soft handover checks are carried out by the
vendors as part of the commissioning and integration checks on every site and included in handover packs,
but the results are not always accurate or received in time.
The methodology for displaying the data from the Agilent scanner software and Aska test mobile software in
the Actix post-processing tool is described in RD&T\UO&C\298 Actix Process (Non-Cluster) and in the Actix
course notes Analyser for H3g, and will not be discussed in this document. A summary of the process is
also outlined in Appendix 4. (This does not include importing of the scrambling code list.)
Further detail of how to carry out post-processing and interpreting data will be outlined in the Optimisation
Guidelines.
As a result of this single site verification drive and post-processing the Radio Planner can make further
recommendations for neighbour additions or deletions; or any antenna changes in bearing or tilt. The single
site verification drive should take place again following the implementation of these changes to ensure that
they have had a positive effect.
Once a site has been driven and any changes implemented the site can then be de-barred and allowed into
the operational network. This is not the end of the Radio Planners responsibility for the site but the start of
the next phase, which will be covered in the Optimisation guidelines.
51
Appendix 1
52
53
Cloverleaf design
The cloverleaf design is shown below. The cell sites are the dark circles and each sector is a hexagon.
Again it can be seen that each cell site is surrounded by a regular hexagon of other sites (i.e. the plan is
actually very similar to the regular plan). The distance R on the plot below is very similar to the cell radius
(R) of the classic design above although slightly modified to give the correct Grade of Service
As can be seen the hexagons are approximately half the size of those in the classic design (but note the
drawings are not to scale). Since there are three hexagons per cell site in the cloverleaf pattern or a single
double size (four times the area) in the classic pattern it is clear that the cloverleaf cell for the same R
provides of the classic coverage. (However in practice R will be slightly greater for the cloverleaf to give
the same Grad of Service).
Some features worth noting about the cloverleaf structure are: 1) It is somewhat more sensitive to angular change since there is only 3 way rotational symmetry (as
opposed to six way
2) The position of the adjacent cell sites is different with respect to the sector orientation (i.e. there is
another sight on Bore sight)
3) The Hexagons are approximately half the size
4) There is no simple way to allow for true omni and six sector sites in the cloverleaf pattern.
54
The above is a diagram of the coverage actually obtained using a 65-degree tri-sectored overlaid is the
nominal plan based on both cloverleaf and a classic plan. As can be seen the cloverleaf representation is
extremely close to reality whilst the hexagonal pattern simply doesnt fit.
If the classic tri-sectored hexagonal approach is used there are likely to be significant coverage holes as can
be seen from the above.
55
Sector 1
Sector 2
Sector 3
Sector 2
Sector 1
r'
2 r
0.86603 r
Sector 3
3r 2 3
(using r in the cloverleaf case)
2
The area of the cloverleaf is thus of the area of the classic hexagon when r=r and the missing 25% area
can clearly be seen inside the dotted hexagon in the cloverleaf arrangement.
56
Link Budgets
The link budget templates are divided into two sections. This section defines the radio bearer specific
parameters assumed to be independent of the clutter type. This section provides values for the Maximum
Allowed Path Loss (MAPL).
12.2 Kb/s Speech:
57
Speech, pedestrian
Parameter
Environment
Mobile velocity
Service
Information bit rate
Chip rate
Processing gain
Average tx power per channel
Cable and connector losses
Combiner loss
Tx antenna gain
Total EIRP tx power per channel
Rx antenna gain
Cable and connector loss
Body loss
Rx diversity gain
Receiver noise figure
Thermal noise density
Total effective noise
Required Eb/No
Receiver thermal sensitivity
Maximum allowed path loss
Units
Downlink
km/h
kbps
Mchip/s
dB
dBm
dB
dB
dBi
dBm
dB
dB
dB
dB
dB
dBm/Hz
dBm/Hz
dB
dBm
dB
Pedestrian
3 kmph
Speech
12.2
3.84
24.98
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
3
0
7
-174
-167
7.5
-118.47
173.97
Uplink
Pedestrian
3 kmph
Speech
12.2
3.84
24.98
21.00
0
0
0
18.00
18
0
3
0
3.5
-174
-170
5
-124.47
160.47
Speech, vehicular
Downlink
Vehicular
120 kmph
Speech
12.2
3.84
24.98
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
3
0
7
-174
-167
7.5
-118.47
173.97
Uplink
Vehicular
120 kmph
Speech
12.2
3.84
24.98
21.00
0
0
0
18.00
18
0
3
0
3.5
-174
-170
6
-123.47
159.47
64 Kb/s data:
LCD64, pedestrian
Parameter
Environment
Mobile velocity
Service
Information bitrate
Chip rate
Processing gain
Average tx power per channel
Cable and connector loss
Combiner loss
Tx antenna gain
Total EIRP tx power per channel
Rx antenna gain
Cable and connector loss
Body loss
Rx diversity gain
Receiver noise figure
Thermal noise density
Total effective noise
Required Eb/No
Receiver thermal sensitivity
Maximum allowed path loss
Units
km/h
kbps
Mchip/s
dB
dBm
dB
dB
dBi
dBm
dB
dB
dB
dB
dB
dBm/Hz
dBm/Hz
dB
dBm
dB
Downlink
Pedestrian
3 kmph
LCD64
64
3.84
17.78
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
0
0
7
-174
-167
6.5
-112.27
167.77
Uplink
LCD64, vehicular
Downlink
Pedestrian
Vehicular
3 kmph
120 kmph
LCD64 LCD65 LCD64
64
64
3.84
3.84
17.78
17.78
21.00
40.00
0
2.5
0
0
0
18
21.00
55.50
18
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3.5
7
-174
-174
-170
-167
3
6
-119.27
-112.77
158.27
168.27
Uplink
Vehicular
120 kmph
LCD64
64
3.84
17.78
21.00
0
0
0
21.00
18
0
0
0
3.5
-174
-170
4.5
-117.77
156.77
58
LCD128, pedestrian
Parameter
Environment
Mobile velocity
Service
Information bitrate
Chip rate
Processing gain
Average tx power per channel
Cable and connector loss
Combiner loss
Tx antenna gain
Total EIRP tx power per channel
Rx antenna gain
Cable and connector loss
Body loss
Rx diversity gain
Receiver noise figure
Thermal noise density
Total effective noise
Required Eb/No
Receiver thermal sensitivity
Maximum allowed path loss
Units
Downlink
km/h
kbps
Mchip/s
dB
dBm
dB
dB
dBi
dBm
dB
dB
dB
dB
dB
dBm/Hz
dBm/Hz
dB
dBm
dB
Pedestrian
3 kmph
LCD128
128
3.84
14.77
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
0
0
7
-174
-167
6
-109.76
165.26
Uplink
Pedestrian
3 kmph
LCD128
128
3.84
14.77
24
0
0
0
24.00
18
0
0
0
3.5
-174
-170
2.5
-116.76
158.76
LCD128, vehicular
Downlink
Vehicular
120 kmph
LCD128
128
3.84
14.77
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
0
0
7
-174
-167
5.5
-110.26
165.76
Uplink
Vehicular
120 kmph
LCD128
128
3.84
14.77
24
0
0
0
24.00
18
0
0
0
3.5
-174
-170
4
-115.26
157.26
LCD384, pedestrian
Parameter
Environment
Mobile velocity
Service
Information bitrate
Chip rate
Processing gain
Average tx power per channel
Cable and connector loss
Combiner loss
Tx antenna gain
Total EIRP tx power per channel
Rx antenna gain
Cable and connector loss
Body loss
Rx diversity gain
Receiver noise figure
Thermal noise density
Total effective noise
Required Eb/No
Receiver thermal sensitivity
Maximum allowed path loss
Units
km/h
kbps
Mchip/s
dB
dBm
dB
dB
dBi
dBm
dB
dB
dB
dB
dB
dBm/Hz
dBm/Hz
dB
dBm
dB
Downlink
Pedestrian
3 kmph
LCD384
384
3.84
10.00
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
0
0
7
-174
-167
5.5
-105.49
160.99
Uplink
Pedestrian
3 kmph
LCD384
384
3.84
10.00
24
0
0
0
24.00
18
0
0
0
3.5
-174
-170
2
-112.49
154.49
LCD384, vehicular
Downlink
Vehicular
120 kmph
LCD384
384
3.84
10.00
40.00
2.5
0
18
55.50
0
0
0
0
7
-174
-167
5
-105.99
161.49
Uplink
Vehicular
120 kmph
LCD384
384
3.84
10.00
24
0
0
0
24.00
18
0
0
0
3.5
-174
-170
3
-111.49
153.49
59
Appendix 2
60
CW measurements
There are occasions where it is unclear to a cell planner whether installing a site in a particular location will
provide the desired level of area coverage. In this case rather than select a site and hope that it will provide
the required levels of coverage, CW measurements should be made to validate the coverage.
Coverage levels inside dense buildings can be difficult to predict using planning tools. Shopping centres and
malls are examples of difficult areas due to the make up of these types of environments where shops are
typically located inside individual units. In most cases a site survey will provide the planner with an indication
of whether coverage planning is going to be difficult to predict.
The radio coverage analysis is usually performed with a Network Planning tool, in the case of 3, Enterprise.
There are two aspects to the tool that determine the reliability and accuracy of the planning tool; one is the
accuracy and resolution of the actual terrain and clutter data and the second aspect is the coverage
prediction model used. The coverage predictions are only as good as the data and models used in deriving
them. However as with any tool, there is an inherent error in the predictions. Understanding and managing
this error is what differentiates different network planners. Understanding the limitations of the planning tool
is critical in minimising the overall capital expenditure for 3.
There are a number of limitations with the planning data that needs to be highlighted. Planning data can be
inaccurate due to the actual resolution of the data. Furthermore, the clutter data can be highly inaccurate
which will affect coverage prediction accuracy. Typical inaccuracies in the clutter data arise due to
inaccurate positioning of the clutter and/or the actual clutter classification.
The limitations of the radio models arise due to the methods used in predicting the signal strength. The
method for determining signal field strengths and patterns falls into one of three categories: empirical,
intuitive and deterministic. The empirical approach is whereby an empirical formulation of measured data is
made. These models take account of geographical information but only at a clutter level, i.e. urban,
suburban and rural. They accurately describe median signal attenuation, but show severe deficiencies in
predicting fluctuations in field strengths due to building or terrain diffraction.
Intuitive methods try to overcome the deficiencies of empirical methods by applying estimations of the
diffraction losses with respect to free space losses due to multiple knife-edges. Two intuitive methods based
on this approach are the Epstein-Peterson and Deygout methods. These methods are used to adjust
coefficients in the empirical methods by replacing terrain and clutter features with absorbing knife-edges. In
this case of intuitive methods, the methods are a mix of estimation and analysis and therefore do not fully
describe the environment they are trying to model.
The objective of the above points is to highlight some of the deficiencies of using radio-planning tools with
the associated data and models. Particular deficiencies of the radio tool are observed where in-building
penetration is being predicted, and where there are multiple sharp edges in the terrain, for example hills and
sharp slopes.
Areas of concern include:
Indoor traffic hot spots which are in areas of dubious coverage (e.g. cell edge or shaded by hills or
valleys)
Outdoor hot spots where there is potentially severe shadowing. Good examples would be deep cuttings
for important road and rail routes running perpendicular to the cell radii.
In rare cases there may be potential shadowing of a large area e.g. on the down slope of a hill which
despite not being a specific hot spot is considered a substantial risk.
Recommendation: If a site survey is completed and the planner feels that the radio tool is not
providing predictions with the required level of accuracy due to the terrain and clutter or due to a
traffic hot spot in an area of dubious coverage the planner should recommend a CW measurement
be made to the planning manager. In the case this is approved for further investigation by the
planning manager, it will be escalated to the appropriate party for further investigation.
It is expected that less than 2%-3% of the total number of sites will require CW measurements to be
performed before they can be finally selected.
In the event a planner feels that CW measurements should be made, they should file a full written
justification and return this to the planning manager. The justification must include:
61
Site number/identity
Reason for CW measurements describe the surrounding terrain and clutter and the relevance of the
area of concern (e.g. nature of hotspot or size and type of area of concern), specifying why CW
measurements are required and which aspect of the surrounding area is leading you to this view.
Panoramic pictures from the site of the surrounding terrain and clutter
The objective of the CW measurements is to assess the average path loss and long-term signal
fluctuations at particular locations. The CW measurements will not be required to measure anything
more.
62
Appendix 3
63
Azimuth Beamwidth
This is chosen for optimum sector coverage without excessive handoff. The latter drives the beamwidth
lower compared to GSM. A trisectored beamwidth of around 60 o - 65o is a best estimate for which the
relative gain at the sector edges is between 8 and 10dB. A generalisation would therefore be to use an
antenna with a 3dB beamwidth approximately half that of the sector angle. The 3dB beamwidth is generally
about half that of the 10dB beamwidth, and therefore this specification would result in antenna crossovers
(at sector edges) of -10dB. Therefore for a six-sector site with sector angles of 60 o, the antenna beamwidth
should be approximately 30o.
Azimuth pointing accuracy for trisectors should be +/- 1o. The rationale here is that a dual polar antenna
provides a gain at the sector edges within 1dB for the two beams. Alignment error should be small in relation
to this for it not to add a significant contribution to coverage errors from adjacent sectors. That is the sector
boundaries should be as near as possible to where they are required to be. A pointing error of 1 o alters the
gain by dB. Alignment for hexsectors may need to be more accurate than this.
Elevation pattern
Example for Dense urban 0.34km trisectored
The following procedure has been used to evaluate the effect of the antenna elevation pattern on the
coverage of the cell for some of the above cell categories. The antenna is given a height above ground and
tilt angle, and the angle to ground over the radius of the cell is calculated at intervals which become more
closely spaced as R (distance) increases. The latter is to account for the increase in area of the cell
associated with the given radius. It has been assumed that the antenna azimuth pattern conforms to the
shape of the cell as would be expected for a cloverleaf approach. A propagation loss model with a R-2 to R-4
breakpoint is used to find the received power level at each point. The received power level for a given QoS
can be estimated and recorded together with the received level at one, two and three cell radii for an
indication of interference into neighbouring cells. The simulation can be run for a range of different
assumptions regarding tilt angle, antenna pattern, and propagation breakpoint and antenna height above
ground. A summary of the parameters is shown below with a plot of the received signal level with distance
from the antenna.
Height Tilt
Transmit
Antenna Power
Breakpoint Prop Law Gain
(dBm)
Percentile
for
Coverage
threshold
Rec'd level at
Coverage
Level atLevel at
threshold
one cellthree cell
(dBm)
radius radii
30
200
95.0%
-35.1
17.2
43
-35.1
-63.1
64
-20.0
-30.0
-40.0
-50.0
-60.0
-70.0
-80.0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
Distance (m )
Measured antenna patterns provided by Thales Antennas for their 1.3m and 1.6m antennas have been
used.
Tilt
Tilts given are typical values over flat ground with Ues at ground level but may need some adjustment
where the ground is not flat or Ues are located above ground level. Tolerances assume that the antenna is
supplied with a beam tilt tolerance of +/- 0.5o. In general if the antenna itself is better than this then the
coverage-limited tolerance can be relaxed accordingly but ideally not the capacity limited tolerance. Tilts
stated in the Table are the sum of electrical and mechanical. There are two cases:
Where the antennas have fixed electrical tilts, a tilt value as close as possible to the desired value should be
used with mechanical tilting used to fine tune to the precise values required.
Where the antennas have adjustable electrical tilt this can be used to achieve the fine-tuning.
Cell
Antenna
Tilt
Tolerance
Tilt
Tolerance
340m
1.3m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
560m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
1500m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
5000m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
65
Cell
Antenna
Tilt
Tolerance
Tilt
Tolerance
340m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
560m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
1500m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
5000m
1.7m
+/- 0.5
+/- 0.25
66
The jumpers after the MHA must be kept as short as possible with the main length of feeder being at
between the Node B and MHAs.
Antenna sect 3,
two polarisations
MHA
3dB
MHA
3dB
Antenna sect
4,
two
polarisations
Node B
Configuring Enterprise
Modeling multiple antennas on one radio unit is best accomplished using the feature Antenna Slots. This
allows the user to add more than one antenna and to set the type, orientation, feeder and height. However,
the user also has to reset the PA Output power on all the antennas configured in this way.
Limitations
The user has to manually set the PA output power for each antenna manually deducting the 3dB Splitter
loss.
The simulator in the current version of Enterprise, v3.4.12, will only use the first slot. The next
release, v4.0, will include antenna slots in the simulator
Procedure (A detailed account of this is held in RD&T\UM&S\125 Four sector sites)
Go to the Sites Database and select the Cell Config tab.
Press the ADD button on the Antenna Configurations pane.
1. Select the new slot, in this case Slot 2 and then configure the antenna type, azimuth, downtilt and
height as normal.
Next go to the Antenna/TRX tab on the Cell Layer. You should see the second slot is now available.
You will now have to lower the transmitter power for the existing slot and also create the appropriate data for
the second slot.
First, lower transmit power on Slot 1 by 3dB (normally, this will be from 22dBm down to 19dBm)
Next tick the box alongside slot 2 (note that the ERP and EiRP are not yet calculated)
Note that the output power set for Slot 1 is copied to Slot 2, and then click apply
The EiRP and ERP should now appear correctly.
There are no other settings that relate to antenna slots.
67
File Reference
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions Compliance\FEI MTAC RFCG doc.
28-2000 v2-2002 Feb 18.pdf
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions
Compliance\RF
Compliance
assessment criteria 49-2001.doc
\\h3gshfp1\h3g\Network_Rollout\Radio
Emissions Compliance\ Radio Emissions
Compliance - ver 3.2.pdf
It has been agreed at the Inter-operator forums that all sites designed by an operator will be compliant with
the FEI guidelines FEI/MTAC/RFCG/28/2000 and 49/2001.
There are two main objectives to ensuring that a site is safe by design:
That all members of the public cannot be exposed to power densities in excess of the ICNIRP Public
emission guidelines.
That all workers (operator employees, tower/building maintenance staff and others) cannot be
exposed to power densities in excess of the ICNIRP Occupational emission guidelines.
Radio Emissions Compliance V3.2 defines what is public and occupational area within a site design annals
the three types of access: Controlled, Restricted and General Public Access.
Access
In summary antennas should not be located in the following positions dependant upon access:
Controlled:
All H3G antennas must be positioned so that the ICNIRP occupation exclusion zone does not block or
extend onto the major access routes of the structure. In the case of lattice masts or towers, the access route
within the mast to tower must meet ICNIRP occupational limitations.
Restricted:
The antennas should be installed whenever practical as per the Safe by Design criteria.
For sites where the Safe by Design criteria is not practical or possible one needs to demarcate the
occupational exclusion zone with painted lines or a physical barrier. Warning signage must be placed at the
boundary edge as well.
General Public:
All transmit antennas must meet the 'Safe by Design criteria with respect to the INCIRP public exposure
limitations or
A physical barrier placed at the edge of the public exposure exclusion zone will need to be erected with the
proper signage in place.
Balconies are considered as public access areas and subject to normal general public guidelines.
68
Safe by Design
Effectively, the Safe by Design term refers to the placement of the antennas in such a manner that the
occupational or public exclusion zone (whichever is relative) is not breached without the use of climbing aids
by an individual during the normal practice of their work or presence.
Please note that the vertical distance includes a standing level of 1.8 metres. As long as the distance
between the standing level and the base of the antenna is greater than the vertical distances listed below
then the Safe by Design criteria has been satisfied. Having met the height criteria the exclusion zone is
deemed inaccessible and likewise no barriers at standing level, or painted lines are required.
In summary if the radio Planner ensures that no one can accidentally enter a zone that extends 5.1m in the
horizontal from the top of the antenna; 3.3m down from the bore-site of the antenna at a distance of 5.1m
across the 71 degrees of beam-width of the antenna, then the site should be safe by design. These
distances are extended to 6.4m and 3.7m for sites that are shared with operators.
The side-lobe width of the exclusion zone is based upon the beam-width of the antenna. For H3G approved
antennas the beam-width will vary from 33 to 71 in the horizontal plane. The area is extended along the
side-lobe and back-lobe by 300mm and 50mm respectively
These distances should be considered for all sites, but are more important for rooftop sites since these types
of sites are more likely to be accessed by members of the public. It is important to also consider building
maintenance personnel as well in site design and exposure, especially in the case of window cleaning
baskets that are often accessed from rooftops.
Safe by Design
Effectively, the Safe by Design term refers to the placement of the antennas in such a manner that the
occupational or public exclusion zone (whichever is relative) is not breached, without the use of climbing
aids, by an individual during the normal practice of their work or presence.
{1.0} or [5.1]
or (6.4m)
{1.0} or [5.1]
or (6.4m)
16.5
1.8m
{2.1} or
[3.3] or
(3.7m)
16.5
69
ICNIRP Public Safety Shared Site: (6.4 & 3.7 metres): This is the required horizontal & vertical
distance for a shared Hutchison3G site with another operator(s) when the Bore Sight Distances
are not breached (as per section 5 & 6)
Please note that the vertical distance includes a standing level, coloured in orange, of 1.8 metres. As
long as the standing level is above the roof or ground level, the site is deemed Safe by Design. If the base
heights of the antennas are greater then the vertical requirements mentioned above, then, no barriers would
be required so long as the antennas are inaccessible without climbing aids.
300mm
Beamwidth of antenna
50mm
Antenna
Streetworks
Streetworks sites are defined as short masts (usually less than 10 metres) in urban and suburban areas that
are in very close proximity to buildings or homes such as lamppost, telegraph and flagpoles. Because of the
70
relatively low height and the close proximity to the public one needs to be keenly aware of the ICNIRP
compliance requirements.
The minimum base height of a Streetworks antenna should be 6.2 metres above ground level to allow for
passing traffic, also be aware of differences in ground height between mast position and street level.
Vehicles or pedestrians could breach the Exclusion Zone if the site is close to a bridge or a road that is built
up to a greater height relative to the base of the mast. The antennas of the streetworks site must be a
minimum of three metres away from all other standing structures.
Minimum
Separation
5m
5m
3m
1.2m
5m
1.2m
3m
0m
Operator
71
2G build only
(m)
(m)
BT Cellnet
10.7
15.2
Vodafone
11.6
13.4
One2one
4.3
10
Orange
4.3
10
Hutchison3G
Not Applicable
5.1
Using the values in Table 1 a worst case ICNIRP Public Exclusion Zone can be calculated by summing the
squares of all the boresite investigate limit distances of all the operators on that location (dependant on
technology) and then square rooting the result of that calculation. This will give the new maximum horizontal
distance of the safe by design zone discussed above.
If the General Arrangement Drawing has been approved, by all parties, and the site is deemed as Safe by
Design then the ICNIRP certificate can be issued and signed by the Regional Radio Planning Manager, or
an appointed deputy. All sites must have an ICNIRP certificate before they are submitted to the Local
Planning Authority for planning permission.
MHAs
Basics
As a general rule all 3 Sites will be fitted with a MHA from day one. These are to be placed as close
as possible to the antenna.
The minimum gain of our MHA is likely to be =>6dB.
This can be used to offset the feeder loss, therefore extending any given range of feeder type. However the
cell planner should always try to minimise the length of feeder.
A masthead amplifier is used to mitigate against the signal to noise degradation incurred due to loss in cable
running from the antenna to the BTS typically 2-3dB. The received signal and noise level is boosted,
typically by 30dB, so that the thermal noise increase due to the cable is rendered insignificant compared to
the thermal noise at the masthead amplifier output.
The effective noise figure of the receiver is then strongly influenced by the noise figure of the LNA which can
be low ~2dB?
Duplexing is required to separate transmit and receive paths. This introduces some loss in the transmit path
<1dB? This loss is probably not significant if the coverage is uplink limited (by the transmit power capability
of the terminal), and if the cell range is capacity limited, (see coverage/capacity section).
Example
A typical MHA specification could be:
Rx filter loss on either side of amplifier is 0.9dB antenna side, 0.3dB on base station side.
72
For 12dB MHA gain, this gives a noise figure at the antenna terminal of 3.35dB. For a gain of 30dB 3.35dB
would be reduced to 2.9dB.
If the MHA is removed and an LNA with the same performance is used at the BTS after the cable loss then
the equivalent noise figure referred to the antenna terminal increases to 5.4dB.
Given the preceding argument regarding Tx path loss, 0.6dB here may not be significant.
So in this case just over 2dB is gained in receive noise figure for 12dB MHA gain and the full 2.5dB in cable
loss assuming a 30dB MHA gain.
Coverage/capacity implications
Take the above values for noise figure improvement. These are 2.05dB and 2.5dB for 12dB and 30dB MHA
gain respectively.
Further assume a 3.5 propagation path loss law, and then 2.05dB gives an increase in coverage range of by
a factor of 1.14, equivalent to an increase in coverage area of 31%. An improvement of 2.5dB gives 1.18
and 39% respectively. So, in terms of coverage area or reduction in the number of sites required, the
argument for the MHA is very strong indeed.
If symmetric traffic is assumed then the link budget is uplink limited due to the restricted power output of the
UE. However, traffic is expected to be highly asymmetric and a 4:1 balance on downlink/uplink may be likely.
Therefore as traffic increases the downlink will become capacity limited, and if cell splitting is employed to
overcome the limitation, the benefit given by the MHA will disappear.
It could be that a microcell layer would be used to take up the additional capacity. In this case the coverage
provided by the macrocell would need to be maintained, and the MHA benefit is retained.
Conclusions
In coverage terms MHAs give very significant range advantages reducing the number of sites required by
30-40%. This advantage can be retained if capacity limitations in a mature network are overcome using a
microcell layer in addition to the original macrocell layer. MHA benefit is lost if cell splitting is used to
increase capacity.
MHAs should be located as close as possible to the antenna position to gain maximum benefit.
MHA Omission
MHAs may not be used on certain non-standard installations. These are outlined in RD&T\UD\399
Guidance for Omission of MHA Cabinet. These rules apply to Streetworks sites.
To minimise losses, LDF550 feeders run direct from the antennas to the MHAs and from the MHAs to the
Node B or Node B jumper. For the Nokia streetworks solution, no Node B jumpers are used, as the LDF550
is able to run direct to the Node B antenna ports. NEC 2nd Platform sites use short, factory-made FSJ450
jumpers (0.3 and 0.5m) between the LDF550 and the Node B.
The following losses can be assumed for feeders and connectors used on streetworks sites.
LDF550
1.86dB/100m*
0.15dB to 0.5dB**
0.08dB
The MHA provides maximum benefit when placed close to the antennas. As the distance between the MHAs
and the antennas increases, the benefit provided by the MHA decreases.
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Because the MHA is placed so close to the Node B, the feeder loss after the MHA is small and
consequently the benefit provided by the MHAs will be minimal.
If the MHA cabinet is omitted on a streetworks site, the total loss between antenna and Node B will
be small due to:
o
LDF550 runs direct from the antenna to within 0.5m of the Node B antenna port.
Very low-loss factory-made jumpers are used for NEC streetworks, and none are used for
Nokia.
This small improvement in system noise figure is offset by the drawbacks of working with the MHA
cabinet.
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Antenna
jumper
0.08
short feeder
0.44 dB
long feeder
0.54dB
10m
Node B
MHA Cabinet
jumper
(NEC only)
MHA
1m
1m
3m of LDF550
13m of LDF550
Antenna
jumper
0.08
long feeder
total loss
0.6 dB
0.6dB
10m
Node B
jumper
(NEC only)
1m
12m of LDF550
0.26dB*
0.16dB
0.36dB
0.22dB
75
System Noise Figure Improvement Provided by MHA for Example Shown in Previous Figure
Antenna
jumper
0.08
short feeder
0.6 dB
long feeder
0.54dB
10m
Node B
MHA Cabinet
jumper
(NEC only)
MHA
1m
10m
12m of LDF550
13m of LDF550
Antenna
jumper
0.08
long feeder
total loss
0.68 dB
0.68dB
10m
Node B
jumper
(NEC only)
5m
16m of LDF550
0.31dB
0.18dB
0.42dB
0.25dB
System Noise Figure Improvement Provided by MHA for Example Shown over
76
Omission of the MHA cabinet will ease planning approval or improve relations with the planning
authority
LDF550 feeders run direct from the antennas to within 0.5m of the Node B antenna ports
FSJ450 factory-made jumpers of 0.5m or less are used to connect the LDF550 feeder to the Node B
The MHA cabinet can be omitted from streetworks sites provided the above conditions are met.
There is no justification for removing MHA cabinets from sites that have already been built. If planning has
been submitted with an MHA cabinet and an MHA cabinet has been ordered then the site design should not
be changed.
77
78
Appendix 4
79
Setting up Aska
1. Log into the laptops using the relevant login and password.
2. Double click on the ASKA icon on the desktop. Be patient this may take a few seconds.
Login: NECUSER
Pwd: Lasagna
4. The VTX logging tool will now open up (make sure the dongle is connected otherwise the software will fail
to load). If you have a laptop with a single USB port, once all the windows have opened, remove the dongle
and connect the UE. You only need the dongle to start the software.
5. The UE should be connected using the USB cable, which is provided with the handset (dark grey in
colour). This ensures the UE uses its internal antenna. Other cables with an external antenna have been
provided (light grey), please do not use these as this will disable the internal antenna in the UE.
6. Click on Connection at the top of the window, select 'Port' then 'Open'.
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7. Switch UE on and click on the following icon at the top of the ASKA window:
This soft key will change to 'Dis' when the UE is connected. You will start to see L3M messages in the
window.
7. To record the log press the button with the red dot on it.
Beware this is not saving the file, once you have finished logging the data press the stop button and SAVE
(very important) the log file. The file will not be SAVED until the SAVE button is selected.
Handset set-up
o
Select WNUSOMT.DLL then add I/F , then click on WNUSOMT and Select I/F
81
Once the current I/F is set to WNUSOMT.DLL (NEC) click close on the communication
interface form.
2. Load the scanner data & logging tool data into Actix together.
4. Click on Analysis > H3G UK Radio Design Analysis(reference route scanner NEC
VTX). The report window will appear. This can also be done by right clicking on the
superstream and selecting H3G UK Radio Design Analysis(reference route scanner
NEC VTX). Double click on the report at the bottom of the window, this will generate the
excel report that will be used for the results.
5. Click on Show excel report. The results from the survey will have been populated
automatically, please check this.
6. The following plots will need to be created and put in the report:
a. Reference Route Drive
b. Agilent SC Plot
c. Agilent RSCP Plot
d. Agilent Ec Io Plot
e. Agilent Uplink Service Plot
f.
g. NEC SC Plot
h. NEC RSCP Plot
i.
j.
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7. The created maps can be copied into the excel report by right clicking on the map window,
copying to clipboard then pasting into the excel report. The same should be done for the
legend in relation to each map.
8. Click on the superstream (name) > Event Data > EventCallDropped > right click & display
on map. The dropped calls will be shown on the map with a red telephone symbol. These
can also be shown on the map by dragging & dropping the data onto the map. The call
dropped data will also need to be reviewed on a table.
10. Tile windows horizontally, this will enable you to see both the map window and the table
with the dropped calls on.
11. Click on one of the red phones on the map, the drop will be highlighted on the table
window (this may take a few seconds, therefore, please be patient).
12. Write down the time of the drop. This will need to be done for every drop, the data will be
required to analyse the drops.
13. Click back on the log file in the Loaded Data Files.
14. Right Click on the NEC 3GPP and select display on message browser.
15. The message browser event panel will appear. The analysis of the drops can now begin.
16. The VTX dropped call analysis will need to be completed manually and the results
populated on the relevant worksheet in the report.. The dropped calls should be numbered
in the direction of the drive.
17. The trending data should also be completed manually. This should consist of the average
EcIo and RSCP. The numbers should be located in
It should be noted that the main focus of this procedure should be for the regions to optimise the
RF performance of the area, this will include the identification of missing neighbours & poor
coverage.