OME100301 GSM BTS Trouble Shooting

ISSUE 3.0

Huawei Confidential. All Rights Reserved

Reference

 M900/M1800 Base Station Subsystem

Troubleshooting Manual

 M900/M1800 Base Station Controller

Technical Manual

Internal Use
Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be

able to :
 Know how to find the fault in BTS
 Know the common fault types
 Grasp BTS fault disposal method
 Know how to prevent the fault

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Chapter 1 General Introduction

Chapter 2 Typical Cases

Chapter 3 BTS Fault Prevention

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Chapter 1 General Introduction
Section 1 The Way To Locate Fault
Section 2 Basic Disposal Method

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The ways to locate faults

 Alarm
 Alarm console
 Alarm box
 OMC Shell
 Traffic statistics
 Drive test
 Routine inspection
 Customer complain

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Locating fault equipment

 If BSC has fault, usually it will affect some Sites or all of Sites
 If BTS has fault, usually it just affect itself and the handover succes
s rate of adjacent cells
 During implementation or expansion, we can “Interchange ” BTS a
nd judge whether the fault is because of BSC or BTS
 During maintenance, BSC faults don’t just affect one BTS

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Common fault types

 BTS fault
 Antenna & Feeder
 Transmission
 Hardware connection fault
 Hardware fault

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Chapter 1 General Introduction
Section 1 The Way To Locate Fault
Section 2 Basic Disposal Method

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Basic disposal method

 Analyzing the Alarm Information

 Alarm information come from the BSS alarm system, indicated
usually through sound, light, LED, and screen output, etc
 It includes the detailed description of the abnormality, possible causes
and restoration suggestions, involves the hardware, link, trunk and
CPU loading ratio, etc.. It is a gist for the fault analysis and location
 Analyzing the Indicator Status
 Indicators can indicate the work status of circuit, link, optical path,
node and active/standby mode besides that of the corresponding
boards, usually used along with the alarm information generally
 Analyzing Traffic Statistics Result
 It is the most useful method for locating RNO fault.

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Basic disposal method

 Analyzing Apparatus & Meter Test Result

 It reflects the fault nature with the visual and quantified data
 Some common Apparatus & Meter
 Signaling Analyzer, Test phone, Sitemaster, etc.
 Tracing the Interface
 It is applied in locating the failure causes of subscriber call connection
and inter-office signaling cooperation, etc.
 The trace result can help to find the cause of call failure directly and lo
cate the problem or to get the index for the subsequent analysis
 Calling Test
 It is a simple and quick method to judge whether the call processing fu
nction and relative modules of the BSS are normal or not

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Basic disposal method

 Comparison/Interchange
 Comparison: compare the faulted components or phenomenon with the
normal ones, and find the differences so as to find the problem
 It is usually used in the situation with simple fault range
 Interchange: if the fault can not be located even after the standby
components are replaced, you can interchange the normal components
(such as board, optical fiber, etc.) with the potential faulted components,
and to compare the work status so as to specify the fault range or part
 It is usually used in the situation with complicated fault range
 Switching/Resetting
 It can not locate the fault cause accurately, and due to the randomness
of software running, the fault may be not able to recur, thus it is difficult to
know the real fault and solve the problem
 This method is just an emergency method, applicable only in the
emergent situation

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Chapter 1 General Introduction

Chapter 2 Typical Cases

Chapter 3 BTS Fault Prevention

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Chapter 2 Typical Cases
Section 1 Antenna & Feeder Fault
Section 2 Transmission Fault
Section 3 Hardware connection fault
Section4 Hardware fault

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BTS feeder system structure

Antenn
a

TX
T
arreste Feede TTA
CDU
R RX r r
X
RX arreste Feede TTA
D r r

optional

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Common faults

Type Fault phenomena

MS fails to access the network, calls
No downlink signal cannot be established, call drop, TRX
On downlink signal idle for a long time
Downlink signal Poor conversion quality, BTS coverage
weakened shrink
No uplink signal Calls cannot be established
On uplink signal BTS sensitivity Poor conversation quality, BTS coverage
weakened shrink
Standing wave alarm Standing wave alarm occurs at CDU
LNA alarm LNA alarm occurs at CDU
Feeder system faults TTA alarm TTA alarm occurs at CDU
No DC feeding voltage at CDU antenna
TTA feeding fails
port after TTA configuration

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Common faults on downlink

 Description
 No downlink signal
 Downlink signal weakened

 Analysis
 No downlink signal
 Step1: View the history alarms and real-time alarm at OMC
or local maintenance console
 Step2: If there is emergent standing wave alarm at CDU, it
is the most possible cause for which TMU turns off the
transmitter power amplifier resulting in no downlink signal
– check the standing wave ratio at jumper side of CDU
antenna port
– If the standing wave ratio is beyond limits, locate the
faulty point segment by segment

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Common faults on downlink

 Analysis
 No downlink signal
 Step3: Since there is no downlink signal, there must be a br
oken point in the RF signal path. If this point is located at th
e part from CDU antenna port to tower top, then CDU shoul
d be able to detect the emergent standing wave alarm. Othe
rwise, it can be concluded that the broken point is located b
etween TRX output to CDU antenna point
– Check whether the cable connection between CDU TX-
COM and TX-DUP is correct
 Step4: If the operations above fail to locate the failure, chan
ge the CDU

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Common faults on downlink

 Analysis
 Downlink signal weakened: The symptom of this failure is that
the coverage of BTS or carrier shrinks. Follow the steps below
to handle this problem:
 Step1: Check whether the output power of TRX is normal.
 Step2: Check whether the standing wave ratio at jumper
side of CDU antenna port is normal.
 Step3: Check insertion loss of CDU transmitting path.
 Step4: Check whether the connectors involved in the RF
signal path are tightened

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Common faults on uplink

 Description
 No uplink signal
 BTS sensitivity weakened
 Analysis
 No uplink signal
 Step1: Try another antenna feeder (CDU excluded) which
has proven to be normal to substitute the one without uplink
signal
– If the uplink signal at the new feeder recovered while the
one at the original feeder fails, then the original antenna
feeder has problems
– If the phenomenon remains, then CDU has problems.
Check whether the cable connection between RXD OUT
and HL_IN or between HL_OUT and HL_IN is correct

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Common faults on uplink

 Analysis
 No uplink signal
 Step2: If the failure cannot be located yet, change the CDU,
and make the related record ;
– Notes: Restore the antenna feeder connection to it
original status
 When changing the antenna feeder, make sure that:
– The two corresponding antenna feeders should be in
the same cell/sector
– The antenna connection should be restored to the
original status after locating the failure. Otherwise, the
coverage of the cell may be affected. This is the basic
principle to obey when using this method to locate the
problem

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Common faults on uplink

 Analysis
 BTS sensitivity weakened
 If TTA is configured, first check whether there is any TTA
alarm
– If so, the TTA is working abnormally
– Otherwise, check the CDU antenna port feeding
» If no feeding is detected, then the CDU is faulty
and needs to be changed
» If DC voltage is normal, then it is considered that
the TTA is normal
 After confirming that TTA is normal, check the standing
wave ratio of antenna feeder
– If it is too large, then the connection of antenna feeder
RF path is poor or something else
– If the standing wave is normal, check the performance
of CDU receiving channel, such as gain and noise factor

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Common faults on uplink

 Analysis
 BTS sensitivity weakened
 The common faults can be located by adopting the methods
above. But it is inevitable that there are some problems
which can not be located by this method since it is not a
comprehensive test. For example, if the gain decrease and
noise factor increase of TTA is not reflected in the working
current, the problem cannot be detected
 On such occasions, make clear records of the operations
which have been done so far for further analysis

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Common faults on feeder system

 Description
 CDU alarm (SWR, TTA)
 Analysis
 Standing wave alarm
 Check the SWR of antenna feeder (CDU excluded). If it is lo
wer than 1.5, while CDU SWR alarm has been generated, t
his alarm should be regarded as a mis-alarm, and the CDU
needs to be changed
 If the SWR is higher than 1.5, it is necessary to adjust the c
onnection of antenna feeder until it is lower than 1.5
 The installation specification requires the SWR be lower tha
n1.3

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Common faults on feeder system

 Analysis
 TTA alarm
 CDU measures the TTA feeding current through the antenn
a port. If the current is not in the normal TTA working current
range (45~170mA), CDU generates TTA alarm
 If the feeding current is normal while there is TTA alarm, the
n it can be considered as a TTA mis-alarm. Use another CD
U to substitute the faulty CDU. Keep the faulty CDU for furth
er analysis.
 If the feeding current is beyond limits, TTA is faulty and need
s to be changed
 For the migration site, it is also necessary to confirm the typ
e of lightning arrester when using TTA

Internal Use
Chapter 2 Typical Cases
Section 1 Antenna & Feeder Fault
Section 2 Transmission Fault
Section 3 Hardware connection fault
Section4 Hardware fault

Internal Use
Transmission Fault

 Description
 Alarm console
 “BIE board PCM loss of sync.”, “LAPD_OML alarm”
 Traffic Statistic console
 The handover successful rate, call drop rate of the cell is ab
normal
 Consumer complaint
 Cannot take a call, bad quality, call drop

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Transmission Fault

 Possible causes
 Transmission device, board or E1 is faulty
 More transmission device, more fault
 Transmission code is different (use CRC4 or not)
 E1 connection quality is bad
 It will cause bad quality, even transmission broken
 High BER (bit error rate)
 Microwave, HDSL transmission, especially in rainy weather
 The grounding system is faulty

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Transmission Fault 1: E1 broken

 Handling process
 Probably the reason may be that the E1, transmission device or board
is faulty
 Step1: perform self-loop test over BTS and check whether the LIU
indicator of the TMU board is OFF. If no, it can be considered that
the problem lies in TMU board. Please replace TMU board
 Step2: perform self-loop test over BSC and check whether the E1
indicator of BIE board is OFF. If not, it can be considered that the
problem lies in the transmission device
 Step3: check the transmission NM and check whether a
transmission related alarm is given. Based on the alarm (if any),
you may judge whether the problem lies in the transmission
device
 Step 4: if neither of them is faulty, it can be considered that the
problem lies in the cooperation between the transmission device
and BSC (or BTS)

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Transmission Fault 2: OML alarm frequently

 Handling process
 Generally the reason maybe that the E1 grounding is not good, it caus
e interference, or transmission device is faulty
 Check the TMU in the BTS to check E1 grounding settings
 Test the resistance of the E1 connector and that of the rack to mea
sure the insulation situation
 Check whether the E1 connector in the DDF (when configured) is
grounded
 Check whether the E1 enclosure of the transmission device is gro
unded

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Transmission Fault 2: OML alarm frequently

 Handling process
 Check whether the system is in the single-point-grounded state. If
not, modify the system to the single-point-grounded state, then
check whether the trouble is removed
 If the trouble is still not removed after the above measures, it may
be considered that the problem lies in the transmission device, E1
or E1 interface board. Check the connection and perform loop test
segment by segment to locate the fault
 Check the transmission NM and check whether a transmission
related alarm is given. If yes, please handle it as the related alarm
details

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Typical case: OML broken for E1 grounding error

 Description
 A site’s OML was frequently interrupted and the indicator
(corresponding to the E1) at BSC flashed
 The equipment room was located at the top of a 300m-high hill.
The microwave transmission equipment room was 20m away
 On the site, the maintenance engineer found the following
– The E1 was grounded, as was checked from the DIP switch
– The E1 connector was insulated from the cabinet
enclosure. The working grounding cable of the rack was
connected with that of the equipment room
– The DDF, an all-metal frame, was connected to the
grounding cable of the equipment room. The E1 connector
contacted the metal of the DDF
– No lightning arrester was configured for the E1
– The E1 indicator flashed fast

Internal Use
Typical case: OML broken for E1 grounding error

 Handling process
 Step1: self-loop the E1 at the top of BTS cabinet and found the indicator
of the E1 cable was OFF. It means BTS is OK.
 Step2: self-loop the E1 on the DDF and found the indicator of the E1
cable was OFF. It means the E1 from BTS to DDF is OK
 Step3: self-loop the BSC on the DDF and found the E1 indicator is OFF.
It means the E1 from BSC to DDF is OK
 Step4: power the TMU off and then on, the trouble still existed
 Step5: remove the E1 from the DDF, the trouble still existed
 Step6: disconnect the E1 at the top of BTS cabinet, power off the rack
and removed the TMU. Test the resistance between the cabinet-top E1
connector case and the grounding cable of the rack and found they
were insulated from each other (normal)

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Typical case: OML broken for E1 grounding error

 Handling process
 Step7: change the TMU DIP switch that corresponded to the groun
ding of the E1 cable to OFF (ungrounded), the trouble still existed
 Step8: remove the E1 connector from the DDF and change the TM
U DIP switch that corresponded to the grounding of the E1 cable to
OFF (ungrounded). The trouble disappeared
 Step9: for confirming the reason, replace the TMU (with the E1 cab
le ungrounded). Let the E1 connector case contact the DDF and fo
und the TMU E1 indicator flash fast
 Restored the TMU to the original one and removed the E1 connect
or from DDF, the trouble disappeared

Internal Use
Chapter 2 Typical Cases
Section 1 Antenna & Feeder Fault
Section 2 Transmission Fault
Section 3 Hardware connection fault
Section4 Hardware fault

Internal Use
Typical case: VSWR alarm for cable broken

 Description
 On BTS maintenance console, one TRX board in a sector was red,
alarm console showed TRX VSWR alarm.
 The site was just established
 On the site, the maintenance engineer found the following
– The RF cable between TRX and CDU was well connected
– The RF jumper in the CDU was well connected and also the
connection was right
– The RF cable between CDU and lightening arrester was
well connected

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Typical case: VSWR alarm for cable broken

 Handling process
 Step1: check all the connection from TRX to main feeder and lightening
arrester detailed and also re-tighten all the connections , the problem
was still there, meant the connection had no problem
 Step1: connect the CDU in current sector to the antenna in another
sector that was ok before, the TRX was still red, that meant the antenna
and feeder system had no problem , recovered the connection
 Step2: connected the TRX to a CDU in another sector that had nothing
alarm before, the TRX was still red, that meant the problem was in the
TRX side, recovered the connection
 Step3: change the faulty TRX to a new one, the TRX was still red ,
meant the TRX had no problem, recovered the connection
 Step4: change the cables between the TRX and CDU , problem
disappeared . The problem was that the cable was broken during
transport

Internal Use
Chapter 2 Typical Cases
Section 1 Antenna & Feeder Fault
Section 2 Transmission Fault
Section 3 Hardware connection fault
Section4 Hardware fault

Internal Use
Typical case: site failed for TRX fault

 Description
 A site had no traffic and customer complained that they could not
make a call
 It was a omni-directional site and had only one TRX
 On the site, the maintenance engineer found the following
– All the boards was well in place and the indicators showed
that all the boards had no alarm
– Antenna and feeder was well connected
– The whole site was well grounded
– The power supply had no problem

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Typical case: site failed for TRX fault

 Handling process
 Step1: checked OMC alarm console , found radio link alarm in the site
 Step2: checked OMC BTS maintenance console, no boards was red
 Step3: queried all the boards software, all were correct
 Step4: changed the TMU board to a new one, problem was still there,
recovered it.
 Step5: reset TRX and changed all the connections to the TRX to new
one , problem was still there, recovered it
 Step6: changed the TRX to a new one , problem disappeared, meant
the problem was in TRX

Internal Use
Chapter 1 General Introduction

Chapter 2 Typical Cases

Chapter 3 BTS Fault Prevention

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BTS fault prevention

nip the fault

in the bud

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BTS fault prevention

 Hardware: installation specifications is most important!

 give more attention to E1 connector
 give more attention to feeder connector
 give more attention to waterproofer of antenna and feeder system
 Confirming the grounding and lightning protection

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BTS fault prevention

 Checking Running status

 BTS maintenance console
 First, do “multi-site fault query”, then try to remove the fault ac
cording to the alarm description and suggestion. if you cannot
remove the fault at provisionally, confirm the reason of every f
ault at least
 Do calling test for every timeslot

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Summary

In this course ,we have learned how to

 Find the fault
 Judge the fault
 Locate the fault
 Remove and prevent the fault

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Huawei Confidential. All Rights Reserved