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Typical Values
Ok, we know that RTWP can help us in checking the uplink interference,
then we need to know its typical values.
In a network is not loaded, normal, acceptable RTWP Average value is
generally around -104.5 and -105.5 dBm.
Values around -95 dBm indicate that the cell has some uplink interferers.
If the value is around -85 dBm, the situation is ugly, with strong uplink
interferers.
Usually we have High, Low and Medium measures of RTWP. However, the
maximum and minimum values are recommended only as auxiliary or
reference, since they may have been caused by a peak of access, or even
been forced to have a momentary value due to some algorithm i.e..
Thus, the value that helps us, and has the most accurate information is the
same Mean RTWP!
For cases in which cell has two carriers, the difference between them
RTWP should not exceed 6 dB.
Based on these typical values, most vendors have an alarm: RTWP "Very
High".
Once verified the parameter settings, the next step is the physical
examination, especially jumpers and cables, often partially reversed.
It also should be checked if there is faulty transmitters, or any other
problem that could generate intermodulation between the NodeB
and the antenna.
If the parameter settings and hardware are ok, the chance is very
high that we have external interference, such as a Interferer
Repeater.
beyond the goal of being simple to teach the concepts, but this is a
suggestion for whoever wants to deepen the study, identification and
elimination of interference.
In practice
to find - and eliminate - problems of interference is one of the biggest
challenges in our area. For being such a complex problem, we recommend
that be collected enough data for each investigation. Insufficient data
collected can lead to erroneous conclusions, further worsening the
problem.
The uplink interference may appear only in specific periods. Thus, it is
recommended that data be collected from at least one week (7 days) for
every 24 hours. Usually this amount of data is sufficient. In the figure
below, we see different days and times - colorful - a fictional example
where the interference occurred.
Data should be collected for the suspicious cell, but also for its adjacent
cells, allowing it to make a triangulation increasing the chances of locating
the source of interference.
Another way to locate the source of interference is to do a test in field. An
antenna guy must gradually change the azimuth of the antenna, while
another professional do RTWP measurements. That is, through the
information directing the antenna and the respective values of RTWP, you
can draw conclusions very good.
It is obvious that changing the online system may not be a good practice,
and tests can be made with a Yagi antenna and a Spectrum Analyzer.
Vendors offer several ways to measure RTWP, using the OSS, performance
counters and logs.