OMF005002 Coverage Fault Analysis ISSUE1.0

OMF005002 Coverage Fault Analysis ISSUE1.
OMF005002 Coverage Fault Analysis ISSUE1.0
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Course Description ...........................................................................................................................1 Course Introduction......................................................................................................................1 Course Objectives........................................................................................................................1 References...................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 Overview ...........................................................................................................................2 Chapter 2 Network Optimization Handling Flow of Coverage Faults ..........................................3 2.1 Coverage Reduction a Period after BTS Cutover..................................................................3 2.1.1 Check Whether There is Interference or Bad Electromagnetic Environment Which is Causing Higher Environmental Noise in the Entire Area..................................................3 2.1.2 Check Whether There is VSWR Alarm or Main and Diversity Reception Alarm of Antenna Feeder in the Operation &Maintenance Console ..................................................4 2.1.3 Check Whether Parameters Affecting Coverage are Set Reasonably .......................4 2.1.4 Check Engineering Parameters such as Down Tilt Angle and Azimuth of Base Station Antenna....................................................................................................................4 2.1.5 Check the Output Power at the Top of TRX ...............................................................4 2.1.6 Check Whether the Receiving Sensitivity of the BTS Is Normal.................................4 2.1.7 Use a SITEMASTER to Further Check Whether the VSWR Is Less Than 1.5 ..........5 2.1.8 Check Whether the Tower Top Amplifier (TTA) Is Working Normally ........................5 2.1.9 Check Buildings in the Faulty Cell ..............................................................................5 2.1.10 Check Surroundings of BTS Antenna .......................................................................5 2.1.11 Check the Change of Propagation Environment ......................................................5 2.2 Coverage Fault Caused by BTS Expansion ..........................................................................5 2.2.1 Check Combiner Difference before and after Expansion ...........................................5 2.2.2 Check Whether there is Interference or Bad Electromagnetic Environment Which is Causing High Environmental Noise in the Entire Area ........................................................6 2.2.3 Check Whether There is VSWR Alarm or Main and Diversity Reception Alarm of Antenna Feeder in the Operation & Maintenance Console .................................................6 2.2.4 Check Whether the Antenna Feeder Is Connected Inversely.....................................6 2.2.5 Check Whether New Antenna Type Selection Is Reasonable....................................8 2.2.6 Check Whether Antenna Installation Meets the Requirements ..................................8 2.2.7 Check the Location of BCCH TRX Tx Antenna of Omnidirectional Dual Tx Antenna 8 2.2.8 Check Whether the Elevation and Azimuth to the Two Directional Antennas Are Consistent When Directional Dual Tx Antennas Are Used ..................................................9 2.2.9 Check the Output Power at the Top of the TRX .........................................................9 2.2.10 Check Whether the Receiving Sensitivity of the BTS Is Normal...............................9 2.2.11 Check Whether the TTA is Working Normally ..........................................................9 2.2.12 Check the Output Power at the Top of Different TRXs When the Maximum Coverage Configuration Solution Is Used ............................................................................9 2.3 Coverage Fault Caused by BTS Relocation or New BTS .....................................................9 2.3.1 Check Whether the Azimuth and Installation Height of a Antenna after and before BTS Relocation Are Consistent............................................................................................9 2.3.2 Down Tilt Angle of Directional Antenna for Relocation Network...............................10 2.3.3 Check Whether the Power at the Top of a Relocated BTS Is Consistent with That of the Original One .................................................................................................................10 2.3.4 Check Whether the Receiving Sensitivity of the BTS Is Normal...............................10 2.3.5 Check Whether There is Interference or Bad Electromagnetic Environment Which is Causing High Environmental Noise in the Entire Area...................................................10 2.3.6 Check Whether There is VSWR Alarm or Main and Diversity Reception Alarm of Antenna Feeder in the Operation & Maintenance Console ...............................................10 2.3.7 Check Whether Parameters Affecting Coverage Are Set Reasonably.....................10 2.3.8 Check Whether the installation of the New Antenna Meets the Requirements after the BTS Is Cut over or Relocated ......................................................................................10
Table of Contents
2.3.9 Check Whether the new Antenna Type Selection Is Reasonable ............................10 2.3.10 Check the Location of the BCCH TRX Tx Antenna of the Dual Tx Antenna ..........10 2.3.11 Check Whether the Elevation and Azimuth of the Two Directional Antennas Are Consistent if Directional Dual Tx Antenna Is Used ............................................................10 2.3.12 Check Whether the Antenna Feeder in a Cell Is Connected Inversely ..................10 2.3.13 Check Whether the TTA is Working Normally or Not .............................................11 2.3.14 Check the Output Power at the Top of Different TRXs When the Maximum Coverage Configuration Solution Is Used ..........................................................................11 Chapter 3 Typical Solutions to Coverage Faults of an Existing Network .................................12 3.1 BTS Version Upgrading .......................................................................................................12 3.2 Ominidirectional BTS ...........................................................................................................12 3.2.1 Reducing the Influence of Tower Shadow upon Coverage ......................................12 3.2.2 Check Whether the Fault Can Be Removed by Increasing the Top Power of the BTS ....................................................................................................................................12 3.2.3 Using Zero Filling Antenna or Builtin Down Tilting Antenna to Solve the Problem of Dark under Tower an Ominidirectional BTS in a Mountain .............................................14 3.2.4 Replacing an Omnidirectional Antenna with a Directional Antenna to Solve the Coverage Problem .............................................................................................................14 3.3 Coverage of a Directional BTS ............................................................................................15 3.3.1 Removing Coverage Faults by Adjusting the Down Tilt Angle of the Antenna.........15 3.3.2 Solution by Increasing the Top Power of the BTS ....................................................16 3.3.3 Coverage Solution by Using Antenna with High Gain and Wider Horizontal Lobe...17 Chapter 4 Common Coverage Faults and Solutions ...................................................................18 4.1 Water Penetration into Antenna...........................................................................................18 4.2 Passive Intermodulation of Antenna ....................................................................................18 4.3 Improper Antenna Selection ................................................................................................18 4.4 Influence of Iron Tower upon Radiation of Ominidirectional Antennas ...............................19 4.5 Antenna Feeder Installation.................................................................................................20 4.5.1 Installation of Directional Antennas...........................................................................20 4.5.2 Installation of Omnidirectional Antennas...................................................................21 4.5.3 Connection Faults of Anntenna Feeder, Combiner (Divider) and CDU ....................22 4.6 Tower Top Amplifier (TTA) ..................................................................................................23 4.7 Common Faults Affecting Coverage in Engineering Applications of the Front-end Module of a BTS .....................................................................................................................................23 4.7.1 Isolator Damage ........................................................................................................23 4.7.2 Damage of Duplexer or Other Filters ........................................................................24 4.7.3 False VSWR Alarm ...................................................................................................24 4.7.4 LNA Damage.............................................................................................................24 4.7.5 Low Output Power of TRX and HPA .........................................................................24 4.8 Parameter Settings Affecting Coverage ..............................................................................24 Chapter 5 Introduction to Coverage Cases ..................................................................................27 5.1 Case I An Omnidirectional Antenna Preset with a Down tilt Angle Is Used .......................27 5.2 The Antenna Shaping Technology Is Used .........................................................................28 5.3 Installation Fault of an Omnidirectional Antenna .................................................................28 5.4 Uplink Loss Increase Caused by Combiner ........................................................................29 5.5 Poor Uplink Coverage Caused by TRX ...............................................................................31 Chapter 6 Appendix A Signal Strength Indication of MSs .........................................................32
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Course Description
Chapter 1 Course Description

Course Introduction
This course gives a detailed analysis of coverage faults: First the course describes coverage faults caused by BTS cutover, expansion and relocation, then introduces the common factors affecting coverage and finally presents case analysis.
Course Objectives
After learning this course, you should be able to:
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Master the common factors affecting coverage Master coverage fault analysis flow.
References
Chapter 2 Overview
Chapter 2 Overview
Various factors will cause wireless coverage faults, which can generally divided into four types: Faults caused by incomplete network planning or imperfect wireless network architecture, equipment faults, engineering faults and faults resulted from new coverage requirements of clients. Different methods should be used to handle different coverage faults. This document will give detailed description of coverage faults caused by imperfect wireless network architecture or new coverage requirements of clients, since such faults are normally removed by new network planning. This document mainly describes common coverage fault handling flow and typical coverage fault handling methods, summarizes various causes of coverage faults from the aspect of engineering and presents the corresponding measures.
Chapter 3 Network Optimization Handling Flow of Covera ge Faults
Chapter 3 Network Optimization Handling Flow of Coverage Faults

3.1 Coverage Reduction a Period after BTS Cutover
After working for a period of time, (for example, more than half a year), various factors may reduce the coverage of a BTS so as to generate certain blind zone, which has some influence upon the call drop rate of the system. The coverage reduction of a BTS is not only directly related to many technical indices of the system such as frequency, sensitivity and power, but also is directly related to engineering quality, geographic factors and electromagnetic environment. Normally, the system indices are relatively stable. However, in severe system environment, improper maintenance and low engineering quality may cause the coverage reduction of a BTS. The following BTS faults may affect the coverage of a BTS: Output power reduction of transmitter (Tx), sensitivity reduction of receiver (Rx), change of antenna azimuth, change of antenna elevation, change of antenna gain, feeder loss, coupler loss, change of operating frequency, change of propagation environment and diversity receiving. The summarization is as follows:
3.1.1 Check Whether There is Interference or Bad Electromagnetic Environment Which is Causing Higher Environmental Noise in the Entire Area
Interference directly affects the receiving of a BTS so that the coverage will be reduced. Normally, interference can be detected by interference band (uplink) in the traffic statistics and on-site drive test on onsite (downlink high level and low quality). The possible interference types include: Repeater interference: This type of interference normally increases the environmental noise in a wide frequency range. Interference of CDMA BTS and solution: Normally CDMA interference applies to GSM high-end. Add a Tx filter to the CDMA BTS to solve the problem. Interference of passive intermodulation of antenna or various connectors: This fault is difficult to locate, and the replacement method can be used to locate such a fault. Radar interference: aperiodic broadband interference. Early microwave interference: This type of interference mainly appears on the 1800M frequency (for example, such a phenomenon occurred to the 1800MHz band both in Lanzhou and Guizhou, and the 1800M band of China Mobile had once occupied illegally). Intra-network interference caused by improper frequency planning: such interference can be detected by drive test or checking frequency plan. Intra-network interference caused by improper frequency hop parameters: Conducting parameter planning and setting on the precondition of mastering frequency hop algorithms. For the specific interference location, refer to related interference troubleshooting course.
3.1.2 Check Whether There is VSWR Alarm or Main and Diversity Reception Alarm of Antenna Feeder in the Operation &Maintenance Console
The user can conduct troubleshooting with the combination of VSWR alarm information and main & diversity reception alarm information in the Alarm Console. The diversity reception alarm refers to the alarm message reported when the diversity (main) reception signal is continuously less than the main (diversity) reception signal by a certain value in a certain period of time. This alarm facilitates the timely detection of (main) diversity tributary faults. If such alarms are found, please check the antenna feeder.
3.1.3 Check Whether Parameters Affecting Coverage are Set Reasonably

For the check of parameters, refer to the detailed description of the following parameter setting.
3.1.4 Check Engineering Parameters such as Down Tilt Angle and Azimuth of Base Station Antenna
The increase of the down tilt angle or the deviation of the azimuth of an antenna will reduce the coverage of the BTS. During engineering implementation, notice that whether fasteners are tightened and whether the strength of supports on the tower meets the requirements. Only in this way can the capability of wind resistance be improved so as to reduce the possibility of such faults.
3.1.5 Check the Output Power at the Top of TRX

Firstly, check whether the connection lines of the TRX are in perfect connection; secondly, test whether the power at the top of the TRX is normal. If the power is not normal, use a power meter to check powers of TRX and combiner equipment (EDU, CDU and SCU) segment by segment, so as to determine whether the output power of the TRX and the power loss after passing the combiner equipment (EDU, CDU and SCU) are normal. If the test indicates that the output power of the TRX has decreased and the power loss of the combiner equipment is excessively large, replace the faulty hardware. Note: Please use a digital power meter to test the peak power of the TRX and the Combiner. When using a pointer-type power meter to test, since the tested power is the mean power, please notice that whether non-BCCH is in the full-timeslot and full power transmission mode, so as to convert and obtain the accurate power or to maintain and operate the TRX (send idle BURST) so that the TRX can transmit signals in the full-timeslot and full power mode.
3.1.6 Check Whether the Receiving Sensitivity of the BTS Is Normal

Use test instruments such as CMD57 to check whether the coverage reduction of a BTS is caused by the decrease of the receiving sensitivity of the BTS. Furthermore, we can trace messages of the ABIS interface and use statistic method to obtain the relationship between level and bit error rate (obtaining the corresponding level value according to a bit error rate of 2%). This method can only be used to make judgment when the sensitivity decreases severely.
3.1.7 Use a SITEMASTER to Further Check Whether the VSWR Is Less Than 1.5
Since the tolerance of the VSWR alarm threshold of CDU or EDU is very great, if the power at the top of the TRX is normal after check, use a SITEMASTER to further check whether the VSWR is less than 1.5 so as to remove the fault cause that the tolerance leads to greater VSWR but there is no alarm. If the VSWR is abnormal, check whether water penetrates into the antenna or feeder or whether there is arrester fault, etc.
3.1.8 Check Whether the Tower Top Amplifier (TTA) Is Working Normally
Check whether the Operation & Maintenance Console has any TTA alarm. Normally, such a fault is caused by LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) damage or water penetration into the TTA. The LNA damage is normally accompanied by a TTA alarm (abnormal TTA current). Normally no alarm is generated if water penetrates into the TTA. However, the RF loss is greater, which will decrease the receiving sensitivity of the system severely.
3.1.9 Check Buildings in the Faulty Cell

New buildings may block the propagation of electromagnetic waves, which will lead to signal attenuation so that the remote regions cannot be covered and subscribers cannot use mobile stations normally. In particular, tall buildings near base stations affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves greatly.
3.1.10 Check Surroundings of BTS Antenna

Check whether there are any other antennas (such as microwave antennas), decorations, billboards, trees or glass curtain walls (they may block the antenna) around an antenna. These factors may affect the receiving and transmission of the antenna and hence the coverage of the BTS. If such a phenomenon occurs, adjust the azimuth of the corresponding antenna or change the antenna height to reduce the influence.
3.1.11 Check the Change of Propagation Environment

Change of electromagnetic wave propagation environment will lead to reduction of signals received at the radio terminal, especially, in mountain regions, the propagation of electromagnetic waves depends upon reflections of many hillsides. If the vegetation of a mountain changes, the coverage of a BTS will be reduced. Natural factors such as climate and vegetation have some influence upon electromagnetic waves. With the variation of tree area (thickness), season, species and forest belt orientation, the propagation loss is also different. The maximum recorded value is 30dB.
3.2 Coverage Fault Caused by BTS Expansion

If the coverage is reduced to some degree after expansion, please check the following items:
3.2.1 Check Combiner Difference before and after Expansion

The loss differs greatly in different combiner modes (including EDU, CDU and SCU). When conducting expansion, make configuration strictly according to the
configuration recommendations of Huawei to try to prevent any loss increase from expansion. Check whether parameters affecting coverage are set reasonably. For the check of parameters, refer to the following details of parameter settings.
3.2.2 Check Whether there is Interference or Bad Electromagnetic Environment Which is Causing High Environmental Noise in the Entire Area
For the specific interference location, refer to the related interference troubleshooting guide.
3.2.3 Check Whether There is VSWR Alarm or Main and Diversity Reception Alarm of Antenna Feeder in the Operation & Maintenance Console 3.2.4 Check Whether the Antenna Feeder Is Connected Inversely
The inverse antenna feeder connection is a common fault in construction of a new BTS or in BTS expansion or relocation. Several common faults and solutions are described as follows. 1. Wrong connection of Tx antenna Possible fault phenomena for fault location: a. A Mobile Station (MS) seizes a cell, but the MS cannot make outgoing calls (the Rx antenna is in another direction and the uplink is not so well)}. b. One-way conversation c. Call drop always occurs at a certain distance from the cell (such a phenomenon normally does not occur easily near the BTS). d. Call drop after frequent handover (in most cases, the handover is triggered by uplink signal strength or uplink quality factor) e. It is found in the drive test that the field strength level distribution diagram of the BCCH frequency between neighboring cells is in disorder. f. Severe accidental co-channel or neighboring channel interference Conduct drive test or perform test around the BTS antenna to check the change of level strength of the BCCH frequency in the cell. Thus, such faults can be easily detected. 1) Judgment method when a test MS is used Near a BTS to be checked, first determine a cell to be tested according to the indication of a compass and lock the test MS to the BCCH frequency of the cell to be tested (or directly observe and compare the receiving level of each cell). For a SAGEM test MS, directly use the level ordering function to view. In principle, the receiving level of the current cell should be higher than the levels of the other two cells of the same BTS. Perform test around the BTS. If the test result conforms to the above rule, it indicates that the Tx antenna in the cell of the BTS has been installed correctly. Furthermore, we should exclude the reason of strong reflection around the BTS antenna and meanwhile consider the influence of sidelobes. According to experiences, the surrounding test can judge such faults easily. If fault occurs in an individual cell, conduct multi-point tests in the cell direction to verify fault location.
Note: Due to the influence of antenna back lobes and reflection signals, the tested signals of the three cells near the BTS will be very close to each other. Therefore, try to perform frequency lock test at a distance at least 50 meters away from the main lobe direction of the antenna. 2) Judgment in drive test As shown in Figure 3-1, it is indicated that frequencies of Cells 2 and 3 in Tianjin Village is in the opposite direction of the BTS cell. The service frequency displayed in the service area of frequency 99 in cell 2 is 105, while that of frequency 105 in cell 3 is 99. Thus, it can be judged that the antennas in cells 2 and 3 are connected inversely.
Dali Waikuan Building
Travel direction
Tianjin village Shiriliang
Dali ICBC Center
Figure 3-1 Case of wrong connection of Tx antennas
2. When dual Tx antenna and dual Rx antenna are used If the judgment method of wrong connection of the TRX antenna where the main BCCH is located is the same as the above-mentioned, when the TRX antenna where the non-main BCCH is located is connected wrongly, the traffic statistics will obviously show a higher congestion rate. By registering the frequency scanning function in the cells, it can be seen that greater difference exists in diversity scanning levels. In this case, exchange the two Tx antennas and use the above method, and the fault can be easily found. 3. In the BTS2X combiner mode (no sharing of transmitting and Rx antennas), the Tx antennas are installed correctly, while both Rx antennas are installed wrongly
In this case, both the uplink/downlink balance statistics and traffic statistics indices can indicate such a fault. If both Rx antennas are connected wrongly, since severe uplink and downlink unbalance occurs, the main traffic statistics indices are normally unsatisfactory. Please use the uplink/downlink balance performance indices to make judgment. However, since the current version of BTS (Version 05.0529, inclusive) does not report Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) accurately, the uplink/downlink balance performance measurement indices have greater errors, please make proper correction (4-5dB should be subtracted in the uplink). 4. In the BTS2X combiner mode (no sharing of transmitting and Rx antennas), if the Tx antennas are connected correctly, while one Rx antenna is correct and the other Rx antenna is connected wrongly, or when the main Rx antenna and the Tx antennas share the same antenna and the diversity is connected inversely Such a fault is difficult to detect, please conduct hardware check, exchange the transmitting and Rx antennas (notice whether there is TTA and TTA type so as to prevent TTA damage) or disconnect one Rx antenna without service interruption to make judgment (this method can locate fault easily, but it needs cooperation of related personnel). In addition, we can use the cell frequency scanning performance measurement to make judgment: If the main and diversity antennas are not installed consistently or one of them is connected inversely, greater inconsistency will appear in the main/diversity scanning level statistics. In this way, we can judge wrong connection of Rx antennas.
3.2.5 Check Whether New Antenna Type Selection Is Reasonable

For antenna use principles, refer to antenna selection. Unreasonable antenna selection can hardly meet the coverage requirements. In engineering installation and network planning, select appropriate antennas according to the antenna selection principles so as to attain the best coverage. Special caution should be taken that when the antenna installation height is relatively greater, please select shaped antennas or electrical down-tilt antennas so as to prevent the occurrence of Dark under the tower. In the meantime, try to reduce the number of omnidirectional antennas in wide coverage areas. Some coverage faults can be removed by the use of directional antennas. (Furthermore, if the antenna installation height is greater in wide coverage areas, try to avoid the problem that signals are stronger beyond 35KM but MSs cannot access the network. In this case, consider the dual timeslot solution to attain the purpose of wide coverage.)
3.2.6 Check Whether Antenna Installation Meets the Requirements

Firstly, check whether the installation height, azimuth and down tilt angle of an antenna meet the design requirements. Normally, an important coverage area should be free from the shadowing area of the iron tower. In the meantime, try to make an important coverage area perpendicular to the diversity direction of the antenna so as to achieve the best diversity effect in the area. Try to make the distance from an antenna to the tower be 1.5 meters. Try to reduce the coverage shadow of the tower and meanwhile the installation pole of an omnidirectional antenna should not be overlapped with the effective radiation part of the antenna.
3.2.7 Check the Location of BCCH TRX Tx Antenna of Omnidirectional Dual Tx Antenna
Considering the influence of the tower, the BCCH TRX Tx antenna should be located on the side of the important area so as to prevent the location of the important area in the coverage shadow area formed due to blocking of the iron tower. To prevent assignment failure due to coverage inconsistency of BCCH TRX and TCH TRX, use the Intelligent Underlay/Overlay (IUO) channel allocation algorithm. Furthermore, try
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to make the important coverage area perpendicular to the diversity direction of the antenna so as to achieve the best diversity effect in the cell.
3.2.8 Check Whether the Elevation and Azimuth to the Two Directional Antennas Are Consistent When Directional Dual Tx Antennas Are Used
If the elevation and azimuth of the two directional antennas are inconsistent, call drop, assignment failure and handover failure easily occur. Hence, the coverage of the BTS will be reduced for subscribers. In the meantime, considering the influence of the tower, the BCCH TRX Tx antenna should be located on the side of the important area so as to prevent the location of the important area in the coverage shadow area formed due to blocking of the iron tower. Furthermore, try to make the important coverage area perpendicular to the diversity direction of the antenna so as to achieve the best diversity effect in the cell.
3.2.9 Check the Output Power at the Top of the TRX

Please refer to Section 2.1

3.2.11 Check Whether the TTA is Working Normally

3.2.12 Check the Output Power at the Top of Different TRXs When the Maximum Coverage Configuration Solution Is Used
To obtain the maximum coverage, different TRXs often use different combination modes, which will cause the coverage of the BCCH TRX to be greater than that of the TCH TRX. Thus, it will lead to assignment failure of the TCH TRX. Therefore, it is necessary to use the Intelligent Underlay/Overlay (IUO) technology. Set the TA values of the underlay and overlay reasonably and determine the allocation order of the underlay and overlay according to the receiving level conditions upon assignment, so as to prevent assignment failure due to low transmitting level of the underlay and also to avoid channel congestion of the overlay.
3.3 Coverage Fault Caused by BTS Relocation or New BTS

3.3.1 Check Whether the Azimuth and Installation Height of a Antenna after and before BTS Relocation Are Consistent
Due to the limitation of installation space on the tower, for new antenna and feeders, the old equipment can be relocated only after the new equipment is established. Therefore, the azimuth of the antenna of the new BTS is always not as reasonable as that of the original BTS and even the antenna installation height is different. The direct sequence of the change of main lobe direction of an antenna is the signal reduction in the original coverage area. Please pay special attention to the prevention of azimuth inconsistency upon BTS relocation in wide coverage occasions.
3.3.2 Down Tilt Angle of Directional Antenna for Relocation Network

Normally, the down tilt angle should remain unchanged. To control the coverage in downtown area due to new BTSs, enlarge the tilt angle properly. However, we should make detailed record.
3.3.3 Check Whether the Power at the Top of a Relocated BTS Is Consistent with That of the Original One

3.3.5 Check Whether There is Interference or Bad Electromagnetic Environment Which is Causing High Environmental Noise in the Entire Area
3.3.6 Check Whether There is VSWR Alarm or Main and Diversity Reception Alarm of Antenna Feeder in the Operation & Maintenance Console
3.3.7 Check Whether Parameters Affecting Coverage Are Set Reasonably

3.3.8 Check Whether the installation of the New Antenna Meets the Requirements after the BTS Is Cut over or Relocated
3.3.9 Check Whether the new Antenna Type Selection Is Reasonable

3.3.10 Check the Location of the BCCH TRX Tx Antenna of the Dual Tx Antenna
3.3.11 Check Whether the Elevation and Azimuth of the Two Directional Antennas Are Consistent if Directional Dual Tx Antenna Is Used
3.3.12 Check Whether the Antenna Feeder in a Cell Is Connected Inversely

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3.3.13 Check Whether the TTA is Working Normally or Not

3.3.14 Check the Output Power at the Top of Different TRXs When the Maximum Coverage Configuration Solution Is Used
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Chapter 4 Typical Solutions to Coverage Faults of an Exi sting Network
Chapter 4 Typical Solutions to Coverage Faults of an Existing Network

The concept of an entire network should be used in coverage consideration (for example, with combined consideration of interference and expansion). Try to analyze and solve problems with the point of view of development so as to prevent the blind pursuit for Super BTS coverage in current network conditions. Take expansion pressure into consideration. For coverage requirements exceeding the normal coverage possibility, actively guide our clients to solve the coverage problem by adding new BTSs or site type alteration. On the other hand, we should place an emphasis on reasonable coverage requirements put forward by the clients and try our best to solve the problem in an optimized way. To improve the satisfaction of our clients, this chapter also presents the unusual solutions for reference in solving the problem of coverage in some wide coverage areas and of BTSs without expansion possibility.
4.1 BTS Version Upgrading

The sensitivity will be improved after BTS version upgrading. Furthermore, the Number of SACCH multiframes of BTS3X (later than Version 05.0529) also can be set to 31. Thus, the Minimum receiving signal level of MS can be reduced (for example, changed to 10 or lower) so as to enlarge the available range of the cell. Notice that the Minimum access threshold of RACH (BTS3X) should also be decreased sot that an MS can access normally on cell edges, so as to prevent the fault that the MS has signals but cannot make any calls.
4.2 Ominidirectional BTS

4.2.1 Reducing the Influence of Tower Shadow upon Coverage
Normally, an important area should be free from the shadow of the iron tower. Try to make the direction of an important area be perpendicular to the main/diversity direction of the antenna so as to achieve the best diversity effect in the area. Try to make the distance from an antenna to the tower be 1.5 meters. Try to reduce the coverage shadow of the tower and meanwhile the installation pole of an omnidirectional antenna should not be overlapped with the effective radiation part of the antenna. For example, no antenna support is used when an omnidirectional antenna is installed in a certain site. The antenna is directly installed on the frame of the external platform of the iron tower. The antenna is only about 1 meter to the main body of the tower. Thus, the coverage of the antenna in the back of the tower is relatively narrower. It is necessary to make alteration. Add an antenna support so that the distance between the antenna and the iron tower is greater than 1.5 meters, so as to improve the coverage. Furthermore, we can exchange the diversity antenna and the Tx antenna so that the Tx antenna and the important area are free from the shadow of the iron tower.
4.2.2 Check Whether the Fault Can Be Removed by Increasing the Top Power of the BTS
The top power (the power at the top of the BTS) increase should follow the principle of uplink/downlink balance. Do not increase the top power at will in a blind manner so
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as to prevent severe limitation on uplink signals; otherwise, the actual coverage is not improved at all. To the contrary, the interference upon the multiplexing cell in the system is increased. The list of calculated results based on the uplink/downlink balance principle is as follows: In a system without TTA, the output power of the BTS should be balanced in the uplink and downlink.
Combining mode Dual duplexer EDU CDU SCU+CDU mode 1.5 1 4.5 8 Lcb (dB) Output power of 900M (dBm) 44 43.5 47 50.5 42 41.5 45 48.5 Output power of 1800M (dBm)
In a system with TTA, the output power of the BTS should be balanced in the uplink and downlink.
Combining mode Dual duplexer Lcb 1.5 Tower height 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters EDU 1 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters CDU 4.5 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters SCU+CDU 8 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters Lfd of 900M 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') Lfd of 1800M 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') Output power of 900M (dBm) 47 48 48.4 48.4 49 46.5 47.5 47.9 47.9 48.5 50 51 51.4 51.4 52 53.5 54.5 54.9 54.9 55.5 Output power of 1800M (dBm) 45.5 46.2 46.6 47.5 48.3 45 45.7 46.1 47 47.8 48.5 49.2 49.6 50.5 51.3 52 52.7 53.1 54 54.8
For an O1 BTS, the EDU or TRX can be used (without the connection of a CDU) to directly implement transmission via the duplexer interface so as to prevent the decrease of the top power due to transmission CDU loss (3.5dB). For an O2 BTS, replace the CDU with an EDU to increase the power at the top of the BTS (hereinafter called top power) by 3.5dB. For an O3 BTS, replace the SCU with a CDU so that the CDU+CDU mode is used to improve the top power by 3.5dB. Even more, the BCCH TRX can be used to directly
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implement output via the duplexer interface without passing the CDU, so as to improve the BCCH TRX by 7dB and improve the TCH TRX by 3.5dB. For an O4 BTS, replace the SCU with a CDU so that the CDU+CDU mode is used to improve the top power by 3.5dB. If the CDU + CDU configuration mode is used with an O4 BTS, the use of 40W TRX will lead to slight downlink limitation. If the coverage is very important, use a PBU (80W) to improve the top power. After the PBU (80W) is used, the uplink will be limited to some degree. To achieve the maximum coverage, add a TTA. Where, when BCCH and TCH have different TRX powers, inconsistent coverage may lead to TCH TRX assignment failure. To remove this fault, use the IUO solution and assign the overlay or underlay in precedence according to receiving level. To improve the top power, first consider modifying the combining mode. If the coverage requirements cannot be satisfied yet after the combining mode is used, use a PBU (80W). According to uplink/downlink balance principle, a TTA should be added to improve the coverage efficiently.
4.2.3 Using Zero Filling Antenna or Builtin Down Tilting Antenna to Solve the Problem of Dark under Tower an Ominidirectional BTS in a Mountain
The Dark under tower always occurs to a BTS at the top of a mountain. The maximum gain of a high-gain shaped omnidirectional antenna is 12dBi. Huawei sets the zero filling percentage of such an antenna to 25% (i.e., the depth of the first zero is -12dB) and sets the electrical down tilt to 3 in a fixed manner. Since there is a down tilt of three degrees, the gain in the 0 direction is the same as that of an ordinary high-gain omnidirectional antenna (10.5-11dBi). This kind of antenna is relatively an ideal one applicable to mountain and hill coverage, which can solve the problem of Dark under tower due to great antenna installation height. Since a shaped antenna only fills the first zero under the antenna, if the antenna installation height is too greater, the antenna also cannot solve this problem. Therefore, it is recommended that the radial distance R (from a building needing effective coverage to the antenna) and the antenna installation height H should meet the following relationship: H<Rtg18 Shaped and ordinary ominidirectional antennas with medium gains are more applicable to developing towns surrounded by mountains (the mountains are higher than the BTS antennas and the elevation of the antennas vs the ridges are greater than four degrees). Since such an antenna has wider wave beam on the vertical plane, the signals pointing to the mountains are stronger. In individual situations, the coverage problem of an omnidirectional antenna can be solved by some un-normalized operations. However, in such cases, the adjustment should be based on the antenna directivity pattern. For example, the coverage of an omnidirectional antenna is on one side of a mountain, while there are no coverage requirements on the other side. In this case, we can point the omnidirectional antenna to the side with coverage requirements. Actual operations indicate that this method is also a simple and efficient solution.
4.2.4 Replacing an Omnidirectional Antenna with a Directional Antenna to Solve the Coverage Problem
The gain of an omnidirectional antenna (9dBd) differs greatly from that of a directional antenna (16dBd). The main lobe down tilt angle of an omnidirectional antenna cannot be adjusted flexibly. However, a directional antenna has great flexibility in solving coverage problem. Therefore, if an omnidirectional BTS with higher coverage
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requirements is hard to meet the coverage requirements, alter it to a directional BTS. The half power angle of the horizontal lobe of a directional antenna is 65 or 90 and that of an omnidirectional antenna is 360, so after alteration, the edge coverage of cells in a directional BTS possibly is poorer than that of the original omnidirectional BTS. In network planning, we should not only make sure that the main lobe of a directional antenna should point to the important coverage area, but also should clarify the coverage difference between the directional antenna and the omnidirectional antenna.
4.3 Coverage of a Directional BTS

4.3.1 Removing Coverage Faults by Adjusting the Down Tilt Angle of the Antenna
Many coverage faults of a directional BTS can be removed by adjusting the down tilt angle of the antenna properly so as to achieve perfect coverage in the area. Therefore, to optimize a directional BTS, first understand the features of the antenna directivity pattern, including horizontal directivity pattern and vertical directivity pattern. Master the features of the main lobe and adjust the azimuth and down tilt angle reasonably. The calculation of the down tilt angle of an antenna is given as follows: Suppose the coverage radius is D(m), the antenna height is H(m), the down tilt angle is and the vertical half power angle is , the relationship between the main lobe beam of the antenna and the ground level is shown in as shown in Figure 4-1:
Figure 4-1 Calculation of down tilt angle of an antenna
It can be seen from the above figure that when the down tilt angle of the antenna is 0, the main lobe of the antenna beam (i.e., the main energy) radiates along the horizontal direction; when the down tilt angle of the antenna is not 0, the extended line in the main lobe direction will finally intersect with a point on the ground (Point A). The antenna has a certain beamwidth in the vertical direction, so from Point A to Point B, there will still be stronger energy radiation. According to the technical performances of the antenna, within the half power angle, the antenna gain decreases slowly; beyond the half power angle, the antenna gain (especially the upper lobe) will decrease rapidly. Therefore, when considering the size of the down tilt angle of the antenna, it can be thought that the actual coverage of the antenna is within the point of intersection (Point B) between the extended line of the half power angle and the ground level. If the technical parameters of the antenna are known, adjust the down tilt angle according to the method described in Guide to Adjustment of Down Tilt Angle of Antennas. If the accurate antenna data cannot be obtained on site or there is no efficient method to adjust the antenna parameters accurately, the simplest and most practical onsite adjustment method is as follows: Use a test MS to observe changes of the coverage level in important coverage areas at the same time when the tower engineers are adjusting the antenna, so as to guide the tower engineers to make further adjustment. The final adjustment principle is adjustment to the best coverage.
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This method also can prevent parameter calculation offset due to inaccurate antenna pattern provided by the antenna manufacturer.
4.3.2 Solution by Increasing the Top Power of the BTS

The top power (the power at the top of the BTS) increase should follow the principle of uplink/downlink balance. Do not increase the top power at will in a blind manner so as to prevent severe limitation on uplink signals; otherwise, the actual coverage is not improved at all. To the contrary, the interference upon the multiplexing cell in the system is increased. The list of calculated results based on the uplink/downlink balance principle is as follows: In a system without TTA, the output power of the BTS should be balanced in the uplink and downlink.
Combining mode Dual duplexer EDU CDU SCU + CDU mode 1.5 1 4.5 8 Lcb (dB) Output power of 900M 44 43.5 47 50.5 Output power of 1800M 42 41.5 45 48.5
In a system with TTA, the output power of the BTS should be balanced in the uplink and downlink.
Combining mode Dual duplexer Lcb 1.5 Tower height 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters EDU 1 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters CDU 4.5 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters Lfd of 900M 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') Lfd of 1800M 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') Output power of 900M 47 48 48.4 48.4 49 46.5 47.5 47.9 47.9 48.5 50 51 51.4 51.4 52 Output power of 1800M 45.5 46.2 46.6 47.5 48.3 45 45.7 46.1 47 47.8 48.5 49.2 49.6 50.5 51.3
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OMF005002 Coverage Fault Analysis ISSUE1.0 Combining mode SCU+CDU Lcb 8 Tower height 25 meters 50 meters 60 meters 80 meters 100 meters
Chapter 4 Typical Solutions to Coverage Faults of an Exi sting Network Lfd of 900M 1(7/8') 2 (7/8') 2.4 (7/8') 2.4 (5/4') 3 (5/4') Lfd of 1800M 1.5 (7/8') 2.2 (5/4') 2.6 (5/4') 3.5 (5/4') 4.3 (5/4') Output power of 900M 53.5 54.5 54.9 54.9 55.5 Output power of 1800M 52 52.7 53.1 54 54.8
For an S1 BTS, the EDU or TRX can be used (without the connection of a CDU) to directly implement transmission via the duplexer interface so as to prevent the decrease of the top power due to transmission CDU loss (3dB). For an S2 BTS, replace the CDU with an EDU to increase the power at the top of the BTS (hereinafter called top power) by 3dB. For an S3 BTS, replace the SCU with a CDU so that the dual CDU mode is used to improve the top power by more than 3dB. Even more, the BCCH TRX can be used to directly implement output via the duplexer interface without passing the CDU, so as to improve the BCCH TRX by 6-7dB and. improve the TCH TRX by more than 3dB. For an S4 BTS, replace the SCU with a CDU so that the dual CDU mode is used to improve the top power by more than 3dB. If the CDU + CDU configuration mode is used with an S4 BTS, the use of 40W TRX (900MHz) will lead to slight downlink limitation. If the coverage is very important, use a PBU (80W) to improve the top power. After the PBU (80W) is used, the uplink will be limited to some degree. To achieve the maximum coverage, add a TTA. Where, when BCCH and TCH have different TRX powers, inconsistent coverage may lead to TCH TRX assignment failure. To remove this fault, use the IUO solution and assign the overlay or underlay in precedence according to receiving level.
4.3.3 Coverage Solution by Using Antenna with High Gain and Wider Horizontal Lobe
In a wide coverage area, if the a directional antenna has narrower horizontal lobe, to improve the coverage on the boundary of two sectors, use a directional antenna with wider horizontal lobe. For example, replace the original 65 antenna with a 90 antenna to improve the coverage. Caution should be taken when making such modifications in areas with great expansion potentials such as downtown areas, so as to prevent the problem that the interference cannot be reduced efficiently and the antenna has to be replaced repeatedly in the future due to wider horizontal lobe of the antenna.
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Chapter 5 Common Coverage Faults and Solutions

5.1 Water Penetration into Antenna
Water penetration into an antenna is a very accidental quality accident. The so-called water penetration hereinafter refers to water penetration into the internal RF connection channel inside an antenna (possibly the water enters the antenna from outside or the water is the condensed water generated due to internal temperature change). The sequences of water penetration include: the increase of the VSWR of the antenna, obvious increase of loss, coverage reduction and even switch-off of the power amplifier. There are two water penetration causes: Design or production defects of the manufacturer: If such defects do exist, many water penetration accidents may happen in rainy season. Feed back such defects immediately. On-site installation errors: The antenna is not installed according to the instructional manual. For example, an antenna that should not be installed upside down is installed upside down, and the two drain holes of an antenna supporting the installation upside down are not handled correctly according to the instructional manual.
5.2 Passive Intermodulation of Antenna

Interferences caused by passive intermodulation of antenna and various connectors: The check method is as follows: Exclusive method, i.e., connect the antenna feeder without interference in the neighboring sector to the local sector. And then use the same method to exclude the feeder. If any fault is found, replace the antenna.
5.3 Improper Antenna Selection

Dark under tower phenomenon: When the antenna installation height exceeds 50 meters, if the first zero of the main beam of the antenna is not filled in, the Dark under tower phenomenon easily occurs. Dark under tower is also called Shadow under tower, means that subscribers needing coverage are located in the first zero depth or the second zero depth and neighboring areas under the antenna directivity pattern. Therefore, please select antennas with zero filling. When a directional 3-sector antenna is used to achieve a wide coverage, select an antenna with higher gain and with a half power angle greater than 90. A too low half power angle will lead to too low a gain in the direction in two neighboring sectors, which will cause two low a coverage radius. If the down tilt angle of an antenna is too great, do not select a full mechanical down tilt antenna. Select the mode of fixed electrical down tilt + mechanical down tilt or continuously adjustable electrical down tilt (0-10) + mechanical down tilt. The mechanical down tilt angle should not exceed the half power beamwidth on the vertical plane of the antenna. The Front-to-Back (F/B) ratio of the antenna cannot meet the requirements of individual or some BTSs. Since dense multiplexing has found wider and wider applications in UNICOM, some BTSs have higher requirements for the front-to-back ratio of antennas. Therefore, please select BTS antennas with high front-to-back ratio. If an antenna needs to be replaced due to faults, try to use an antenna of the same type from the original manufacturer; otherwise, coverage difference may occur.
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5.4 Influence of Iron Tower upon Radiation of Ominidirectional Antennas

Please attach great importance to the influence of an iron tower upon the coverage of an omnidirectional antenna. The estimation of the damage to the directivity pattern of an ominidirectional antenna caused by an iron tower is very complicated, and furthermore, difference distances between subscribers and the iron tower will lead to great different influences. Figure 5-1 shows the directivity pattern of an ominidirectional antenna without any shadow. Figure 5-2 shows the influence of an iron tower upon the remote field directivity pattern of an omnidirectional antenna.
Figure 5-1 Directivity pattern of an ominidirectional antenna without any shadow
Figure 5-2 Square iron tower with a side length of 1 meter; the antenna is installed in the diagonal direction of the iron tower with a distance of 1.5 meters from the tower.
Therefore, when an antenna is installed on an iron tower or metal tube, please follow the following rules:
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Do not overlap the metal pipe with the effective radiator of the omnidirectional antenna (the effective radiator of an antenna refers to the radome of the omnidirectional antenna). Try not to install the integrated omnidirectional antenna onto the metal pipe (pole). When an omnidirectional antenna is installed on an iron tower, make sure that the distance between the antenna and the nearest end face of the tower should be greater than 6 wavelengths. The omnidirectional Dual Tx (i.e., two Tx antennas) coverage technology is not recommended. Since the omnidirectional antennas are installed on both sides of the tower, affected by the tower, the two antennas have greater coverage differences (a maximum of 10dB) in some directions. It is still a technical challenge to tackle as for how to compensate such differences. The installation perpendicularity of an omnidirectional antenna should at least be less than 1/8 of the half power angle beamwidth on the vertical plane.
For the solution to the influence of an iron tower upon an antenna, first consider the correct engineering installation. Note: To meet the requirements for wide coverage and reduce combining loss, omnidirectional dual Tx antennas are used on some networks. According to the above calculation and analysis, since the omnidirectional antenna are installed on both sides of the tower, affected by the tower, the two antennas have greater coverage differences (a maximum of 10dB) in some directions. Therefore, the omnidirectional dual Tx coverage technology is not recommended.
5.5 Antenna Feeder Installation

5.5.1 Installation of Directional Antennas
1. Inverse installation of Tx antenna Wrong connection of the Tx feeder and the corresponding cell antenna leads to wrong spatial connection of the Tx antenna and Rx antenna in the same cell, which affects the coverage due to inconsistent coverage of Tx and Rx antennas. Solution: Such an error relatively easily occurs on network. Besides that the Project Supervisor should check the installation quality according to the Project Quality Check Standards, network planners can also find such fault by analyzing the field strength distribution map of BCCH frequencies or analyzing the uplink/downlink balance measurement in BSC traffic statistics during drive test. 2. Inverse connection of Rx antenna Wrong connection between the Rx feeder and the corresponding cell antenna Solution: After excluding faults such as antenna fault, water penetration into the Rx antenna and excessive VSWR, the on-site engineer should check whether the Rx antenna is connected inversely. At the earlier stage of the project, the Project Supervisor should strictly check whether the engineering team has made correct identification on feeders according to the specifications. 3. Inconsistent azimuth and elevation or greater azimuth and elevation errors between the Tx and Rx antennas
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This fault is generated because the engineering team does not construct according to Huawei installation specifications. In fact, certain requirements for errors of the azimuth and elevation are specified in the installation specifications: The azimuth error should not be greater than 5 and the elevation error should not exceed 0.5. Excessive azimuth and elevation errors will lead to coverage inconsistency between the Tx and Rx antennas. Thus, it is difficult to make calls on the coverage edges or call drop easily occurs. Solution: The engineering team and the on-site supervisor should perform construction strictly according to the installation specifications. 4. Diversity distance between Tx and Rx antennas or isolation of the iron tower Insufficient spatial diversity distance between Tx and Rx antennas or isolation of the iron tower will also affect the coverage. The requirements for the two items are also specified in the installation specifications. For an M900 system, the valid spatial diversity distance between the Tx and Rx antennas should be greater than 4 meters; for an M1800 system, the valid spatial diversity distance between Tx and Rx antennas should be greater than 2 meters. The distance between the mount support for an antenna and the iron tower should be greater than 1.5 meters, and meanwhile, the mount support should be in the 45 protection range of the arrester, so as to guarantee that there is sufficient isolation distance between the antenna and the tower and to prevent lightning attack. Solution: Normally, the diversity distance between Tx and Rx antennas and the isolation distance of the iron tower depend upon the installation position of the antenna support, and meanwhile low height of the arrester will also affect the isolation distance between the antenna and the tower. All these items belong to the engineering preparations of the equipment buyer at the earlier stage and are hard to control on site. Therefore, we should make sufficient communications with the equipment buyer and the stage of engineering survey and design, put forward Huaweis requirements in this respect and sign a memorandum of survey and design. 5. An omnidirectional cell has shadow in the neighboring coverage area When installing a directional antenna, notice whether the coverage area will has any greater shadow. Normally, such a shadow is caused by a larger blocking object near the BTS such as a tall building or high mountain. Try to avoid any blocking objects during installation. When installing a directional antenna on the top of a building, prevent the edge of the building from blocking beam radiation. Try to install the antenna as close to the edge as possible, so as to reduce or eliminate the generation of any shadow. Due to the complexity of the topside of the building, if the antenna should be installed far away from the edge of the building, try to mount the antenna in a place higher above the topside. In this case, consider the factors such as floor bearing and wind resistance of the antenna.
5.5.2 Installation of Omnidirectional Antennas

1. The radiator of an omnidirectional antenna is blocked by the pole The phenomenon that the coverage is affected due to the blocking of the radiator of an omnidirectional antenna by the pole often occurs on networks. Normally, there is an installation sheath at the bottom of an omnidirectional antenna, which is used for the installation connection between the omnidirectional antenna and the antenna pole. When an antenna is installed, the top of the installation sheath should be flush with or a bit higher than the top of the pole, so as to prevent any influence upon the valid transmission of the antenna. Solution: During engineering implementation, strictly follow Huawei construction flow and specifications. 2. Diversity distance of an ominidirectional antenna and the isolation between the antenna and the iron tower
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The phenomenon that insufficient spatial diversity between antennas and insufficient isolation from the iron tower leads to poor coverage often occurs on networks. Insufficient spatial diversity will reduce the diversity gain so that the receiving sensitivity will be reduced. Although the influence of the iron tower upon the transmission of an omnidirectional antenna is unavoidable, the increase of the isolation distance between the antenna and the iron tower will reduce such influence. Solution: During installation, the distance between an omnidirectional antenna and the tower should be greater than 2 meters. For a 900M system, the effective horizontal diversity distance of the omnidirectional antenna should be greater than 4 meters, while for a 1800M system, the effective horizontal diversity distance of the omnidirectional antenna should be greater than 2 meters. 3. The installation plane of an omnidirection antenna is not vertical to the horizontal plane If the installation plane of an omnidirectional antenna is not vertical to the horizontal plane, the antenna directivity patter will distort in the coverage area such that the antenna coverage will be affected. There are two possible causes: The antenna support is not vertical to the horizontal plane; the antenna support is not installed firmly or has low bearing and wind resistance performance. Solution: To prevent occurrence of the above phenomena, perform construction according to the following specifications. For unstandardized installation caused by the equipment buyer, sign a memorandum with the equipment buyer. 1) The installation plane of the antenna support should be vertical to the horizontal plane. 2) If the antenna support protrudes out the iron tower platform, make sure that the antenna is within the protection area of the arrester. The protection area of the arrester is in the range from the top of the arrester to a down tilt angle of 45, as shown in Figure 5-3:
Figure 5-3 Installation of arreseter
During engineering implementation, strictly follow Huawei construction flow and specifications.
5.5.3 Connection Faults of Anntenna Feeder, Combiner (Divider) and CDU

Unstandardized connections and bindings of various connectors of the antenna feeder system lead to water penetration into various connectors, inform connection of various RF cables of the combiner/divider and CDU cause the reduction of the Tx and Rx performances and inconsistent jumper connections (at the top of the BTS) and data configurations result in inverse connection of Tx and Rx antennas in each cell. All these factors will affect the effective coverage of a BTS.
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1) Water penetration into various connectors and feeders of the antenna feeder system The fundamental cause for water penetration into the connectors and feeders is that the waterproof treatment of connectors are not conducted according to the specifications, which results in great VSWR and affects the coverage. 2) Various connectors are not tightened Jumper connectors on the top and various RF cables from the TRX card to the combiner/divider or CDU are not tightened, which leads to the decrease of the Tx and Rx performance of the system and affects the coverage and call quality. Solution: After the engineering installation is completed, check various RF cable connectors and make sure that various RF cable connectors are installed correctly and are in place. 3) Inconsistent jumper connections (at the top of the BTS) and data configurations result in inverse connection of Tx and Rx antennas in each cell During equipment expansion and installation of BTS312, such a fault often occurs. During the installation of a BTS312, since it is necessary to follow the principle of downward center of gravity, there are no certain rules from lower to upper part in each cell. Thus, the installation engineers do not have any rules to follow, so inverse connection often occurs to each cell. During expansion of a BTS30 or BTS20, since the feeder IDs are not so explicit or TRX slots in each cell are changed due to expansion, inverse connection often occurs to each cell either. 4) Loose connections between jumpers and feeders lead to excessive loss, VSWR and passive intermodulation, which will affect the coverage and cause interferences. Enhance the supervision and control over engineering quality and reduce the number of such accidents to zero.
5.6 Tower Top Amplifier (TTA)

1. Water penetration into TTA: Water penetration into the self-made TTA had once occurred for many times. Water penetrated into the connector of the TTA, which led to VSWR deterioration and loss increase and affected the receiving sensitivity. At present, this kind of TTA is not used any more. However, such TTA is still available on earlier networks. Replace the TTA in time. 2. LNA damage, gain decrease or appearance of negative gain inside the TTA Check the working current of the TTA and make judgment. The working current of the self-made TTA is 65mA, while that of other TTAs is 100mA. It is abnormal if the working current of a TTA is beyond 25% of the normal value. 3. Inverse input/output connection of TTA No such case has ever been found. Such a fault will lead to serious sequences. It will directly lead to feeder short-circuit of the TTA and will damage the front-end module for a long duration. Attach great importance to the engineering installation quality.
5.7 Common Faults Affecting Coverage in Engineering Applications of the Front-end Module of a BTS
5.7.1 Isolator Damage
If the isolator is damaged, the Tx channel loss of the front-end module increases dramatically and large quantities of power will be consumed, which seriously affect the coverage of the BTS.
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5.7.2 Damage of Duplexer or Other Filters

Filters are metal parts. For some BTSs, the transportation conditions are very severe, so possibly the internal structure of individual CDU filters or duplexers may be damaged. If such a fault occurs, the VSWR on the antenna port is very great. The solution is to replace the faulty parts.
5.7.3 False VSWR Alarm

If a Level 2 false alarm occurs since the VSWR alarm inside the CDU is not stable itself, the power amplifier will be turned off and the whole BTS will stop working. Therefore, replace the CDU in time.
5.7.4 LNA Damage

If the LNA is damaged, the CDU will report the alarm information. The consequence is the decrease of the receiving sensitivity. The following phenomenon seldom occurs: Both the main and diversity LNAs are damaged. In this case, if both tubes balancing amplification are damaged, the uplink channel will be interrupted. Therefore, LNA damage will affect the uplink coverage severely. On the site, we can use a SITEMASTER to check the channel gain of the LNAs.
5.7.5 Low Output Power of TRX and HPA

Low output power of the TRX and HPA will affect the downlink coverage. Exchange TRX and HPA with other normal cells to make judgment or directly measure the output power. Replace the any faulty card in time.
5.8 Parameter Settings Affecting Coverage

[TRX configuration table] TRX power level: BTS30 Version 0407 supports the setting of power levels 0 through 6, BTS Version 0529 supports the setting of power levels 0 through 10, all versions of BTS20 running on networks support static power settings of levels 0 through 10. Microcell BTSs support static power settings of levels 0 through 13. Here, power level 0 indicates the maximum power. If it is set to too low a value, the downlink coverage will be affected directly. Furthermore, if different combining modes are used, notice whether the output power of each TRX at the top is consistent. To improve the maximum coverage of the equipment, in principle, the combining mode with the maximum BCCH TRX power is used. In addition, the IUO solution is used to prevent assignment failure due to assignment to TRX with lower power. [Antenna Feeder Configuration Table] TTA available/not available Value range: TTA available/not available Power attenuation factor: If no TTA is used, set the Power attenuation factor to 0; if a TTA is used, set the power attenuation factor according to the loss conditions of the feeder. In principle, the power attenuation factor = TTA gain Feeder loss. Where, the gain of a simplex TTA is 14, the gain of a duplexer TTA is 14 and that of a triplex is 12. For a BTS using the CDU system, set the power attenuation factor according to the TTA gain and feeder loss and adjust the CDU gain.
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In an early BTS2Xcombiner/divider mode (a TTA is mandatory) system, the power attenuation factor is set to 10 in a fixed manner. If the power attenuation factor is still set to zero when a TTA is used, small signals will be easily blocked and the coverage will be affected. [System Message Data Table] Invalid radio link counter This parameter is used for an MS to determine when to disconnect a call if SACCH decoding fails. Once an MS is assigned with a dedicated channel, it will turn on the timer (S). After than, whenever a SACCH message cannot be decoded, the reading of S will be subtracted by 1; whenever a SACCH message is decoded correctly, the reading of S will be added by 2. If the reading of S is decreased to zero, either reestablishment or release should be performed. If this parameter is set to too low a value, temporary radio link fault easily occurs, which will lead to call drop. Therefore to reduce the call drop rate in edge areas, try to improve the available range in the precondition of guaranteeing the performance index. (This parameter acts on downlink). Value range of the maximum power control level of an MS: Recommended value: 5 (900M), 0 (1800M), wrong setting will lead to lower Tx power of the MS upon access so as to affect the coverage. Minimum Rx signal level of an MS It indicates the minimum Rx signal level necessary for residence of the MS in the local cell. This parameter directly affects the value of C1. If the value of C1 is less than zero, the MS will be disconnected from the network. Set this parameter according to the principle of uplink/downlink balance so as to prevent the phenomenon that the MS has signal but cannot make any calls. Recommended value: 8 Power offset indication It is used to judge whether to calculate the power used by a Class 3 MS of DCS1800. Combine power offset to determine its function together. Power offset This parameter means that after random access, if the initial power command is not received, the power used by a Class 3 MS of DCS1800 is equal to Maximum Tx power level of an MS + Power offset. [Cell Attribute Table] Number of SACCH multiframes It is used when a BTS informs the BSC of radio link connection failure. The BSS judges radio link failure according to bit error rate on the uplink SACCH. If the bit error rate of the uplink within the time set by this parameter is greater than the set threshold, the BTS will send a connection failure indication message to the BSC. The number of SACCH multiframes and radio link failure counter in the system message respectively define the radio link connection failure time of uplink and downlink, so as to reduce call drop rate.
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Related parameters of BTS2X RACH: RACH busy threshold It is the random access level threshold. If this parameter is set to too high a value, it will lead to access failure upon higher downlink signals. This parameter does not affect the uplink access of BTS3X. Random access error threshold This parameter can be simply thought of as random access signal error threshold. The higher the threshold, the higher the requirement for access signal quality, hence more difficult the coverage edge access. Related parameters of TS3X RACH: Minimum RACH access level: This parameter refers to the random access level threshold. If it is set to too high a value, it will lead to access failure upon higher downlink signals (the same as RACH busy threshold of BTS2X). Whether handover and power control parameters are set reasonably: In a wide coverage area, please check whether the Uplink/downlink Edge Handover Threshold, Edge Handover Hysteresis and the Minimum Rx Power Level of the candidate cell are set reasonably. Improper setting will lead to call drop due to handover delay and cause the wrong impression that a certain segment cannot implement continuous coverage. If the Expected Uplink/downlink Power Control Threshold or Upper Power Control Threshold/Lower Power Control Threshold is set to too low a value, call drop also easily occurs.
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Chapter 6 Introduction to Coverage Cases

6.1 Case I An Omnidirectional Antenna Preset with a Down tilt Angle Is Used
Fault description A suburb omnidirectional BTS uses a Katherin/11dBi (gain) omnidirectional antenna with longer coverage distance: The limit distance toward flat terrain can reach 9km. However, the coverage is not so wider in areas nearer to the BTS: In a small town 800 to 1400m away from the BTS, it was measured that the Rx level is about -90dBm. Fault analysis and disposal After on-site survey, it was found that the antenna installation height of the BTS was too greater, the iron tower for installing the antenna was 50m high and the tower is built on a small hill, so the height difference between the antenna and the town was close to 120m. Therefore, we judged that this was the Dark under tower phenomenon of an omnidirectional antenna. After further analysis based on the data collected, the antenna for this BTS was a Katherin omnidirectional antenna, the antenna gain was 11dBi and the vertical half power angle was 7. Calculated according to the effective antenna installation height 120m, the place where the half power angle of the main lobe of the antenna fell to ground was about 2000m from the BTS. Therefore, we judged that the town was beyond the coverage of the main lobe of the antenna. Then, we observed the fluctuation of the Rx levels according to the drive test map, and estimated that the town just fell to the radiation range of a zero power point of the antenna. Furthermore, due to the greater distance from the surrounding mountains, the BTS could not rely on the compensation of reflection signals, so the Rx level in the town was very low. We replaced the original antenna with an omnidirectional antenna with a preset down tilt angel of 5 and tested again. It was found that within 3km, the measured Rx level was increased by 15~20dB. The Rx level was even increased by 30dB in some areas. The improvement was very obvious.
Drive test diagram for BTS coverage lvel

Ancient town H
Before modification
Distance Total
After modification
Figure 6-1 Effective pattern of level test before and after antenna replacement
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6.2 The Antenna Shaping Technology Is Used

Fault description After a BTS was cut over, the town government complained that the signals were too weak, they could not make calls indoors, although the BTS was not far away from the town government. Fault analysis and disposal After test, it was found that signals in other areas of the town were distributed normally. However, signals in the town government near the BTS were not satisfactory. The outdoor signal was about -85dBm, but the indoor signal drops to -95 ~100dBm. It was observed that the antenna height of the BTS was 80m and the antenna installation was normal. We doubt that possibly the town government was exactly in the zero point coverage position of the antenna. The BTS antenna was an ANDREW 11DBi omnidirectional antenna. We replaced it with a zero filling antenna and tested again, and it was found that the field strength had increased by about 20dBm. Thus, the fault was removed.
6.3 Installation Fault of an Omnidirectional Antenna

Fault description A user complained that after a new BTS for a local network was cut over, the coverage distance was shorter and the 2KM signal was less than -90dBm in flat terrains. Fault analysis and disposal According to the complaint of the user, we went to the new BTS. In a place about 2KM from the BTS, the test MS showed that the field strength was about -95dBm, and the surrounding terrains were relatively flat. The BTS really did not meet the coverage requirements. After arriving at the BTS, it was found that the planes of the main Tx antenna and diversity Rx antenna the BTS were in parallel with the highway and furthermore, the main Tx antenna was installed in the opposite direction to the direction in which we came. Obviously, such installation did not meet the engineering installation specifications. The correct installation is shown in the right half part of Figure 6-2.
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Figure 6-2 Installation position of an omnidirectional antenna
6.4 Uplink Loss Increase Caused by Combiner

Fault description A user complained that a village facing cell 2 of a 312 BTS could not make phone calls, but the MS could receive signals near the highway at the end of the village and could make calls barely enough. The highway was about 50M from the village. The user required that the coverage of the BTS should reach the village. On the site, we understood that this village was on the edge of the coverage of cell 2. When an MS was connected, the TA value was generally above 10. The terrains were very complicated, the village was in a cove and the received signals were signals reflected by the mountains. The configuration of cell 2 was as follows: 2 TRXs, 1 CDU, a triplex TTA (main) and a simplex TTA (diversity) for the antenna feeder, single polarization antenna, the antenna gain is 17dBi and the antenna installation height is 34M. Fault solution: 1. After on-site survey, it was found that there was not much space for adjusting the down tilt angle of the antenna. 2. Considering the actual situations, we determined to change the configuration of cell 2 to improve the coverage. First, we used 1 TRX (60W) and 1 CDU. The TRX was connected to the TX_DUP port of the CDU. Thus, the uplink signal was increased by about 4 dB. After test, it was found that the signals could cover the village, but were not so good. There were signals in the village 20M from the highway, but it was difficult to make conversation. Then, we used the configuration of 1 EDU + 1 PBU + 1 TRX (40W). Since power of the RF signal from the PBU was 80W without any combining loss, the downlink signal was improved by about 6dB, compared to the original configuration of 2 TRX + 1CDU. We also upgraded the BTS version from 03.0529 to 05.0529 to improve the uplink sensitivity and performed test. The test result showed that the BTS could meet the call conditions and subscribers in the village could make calls normally. 3. However, on the next day, the user complained that MSs had signal indication of 2 to three bars in the village, but when a subscriber made a call, the subscriber could only hear two toot tones and then call drop occurred. On-site test indicated that there were -85dB to -95dB signals in the village, but subscribers could not make outgoing calls and even more, the subscribers could not make outgoing calls normally on the side of the highway at the end of the village where they could make call originally.
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Highway
Highway
After remote wireless interface tracing, it was found that severe uplink/downlink unbalance occurred to the cell, with a difference about 20 dBm. However, the tests in recent several days had indicated that the existing equipment could meet the coverage requirements. Based on the analysis according to the present situations, we judged that the uplink could not meet the requirements and some fault had occurred to the uplink Rx channel. Where, the uplink Rx channel mainly included wireless channel, antenna, TTA, feeders, jumper and connectors, CDU, RF cables and connectors, TRXs, etc. Therefore, we should use the exclusive method to remove the fault points. (1) Wireless channel and antenna: Uplink and downlink are consistent, so the fault possibility is lower. (2) TTA: Check whether the data configuration is complete. Possibly the TTA was burned. (3) Others: On-site test is necessary. 4. Check the Antenna Feeder Configuration Table, it was found that the option of TTA available/not available in the table was set to TTA available and the power attenuation factor was set to 0. According to the requirements, after a TTA is used, the power attenuation factor should be set according to the feeder loss. In principle, the power attenuation factor = TTA gain Feeder loss. Where, the gain of a simplex TTA should be 14, the gain of a duplexer TTA should be 14 and that of a triplex should be 12. For a BTS using the CDU system, set the power attenuation factor according to the above-mentioned TTA gain and feeder loss and adjust the CDU gain. If the power attenuation factor is still set to zero when a TTA is used, small signals will be easily blocked and the coverage will be affected. The loss for a 34m feeder and a connector jumper is about 3dB. Set the power attenuation factor to 9. The dynamic setting of the antenna feeder configuration table does not need fill-in of command line parameters. After modifying the antenna feeder configuration table, set the entire table to BSC and then just reset the related site. 5. We modified the Antenna Feeder Configuration Table and then performed test, and it was found that relatively severe uplink/downlink unbalance still existed in cell 2. Considering that at the beginning when the card was replaced, the TTA current was set to too great a value, which led to the generation of a TTA current alarm. And furthermore, the RF connection cable from the EDU to the top of the cabinet might be twisted due to multiple tests. Therefore, we tested the antenna feeder part of the EDU egress. Since the uplink of the village facing the current cell 2 was worse than that of the original 1 CDU + 1TRX (60W), the original CDU and 1 TRX (60W) could be replaced to test whether the antenna feeder part of the CDU egress had failed. The original CDU and 1 TRX (60W) were used for cell 2 and meanwhile the TRX was directly connected to the TX_DUP port of the CDU (such that the combining loss of the Tx channel could be reduced by 3dB). On-site test showed that Outgoing calls could be made on the side of the highway at the end of the village, so we judged that there was a low possibility that the antenna feeder Rx channel had failed after the CDU egress. 6. Thus, we located the fault to fall into the part between the EDU and the TRX, so it was necessary to test the EDU, TRX and the RF Rx cable between them. On the site, we first replaced the TRX and the RF Rx cable and then performed test. The test result showed that the uplink performance was not improved at all. Then, we used 1 TRX (40W) + 1 PBU + 1 CDU (100W) (since no EDU was available, so we used a 100W CDU to replace the EDU) and tested the EDU. The test result showed that the downlink coverage was the same as that when the original EDU was used, i.e., subscribers in the village now could make outgoing calls smoothly and the coverage also met the requirements. 7. Finally, the test result showed that the Rx channel of the EDU had failed, which led to greater uplink signal loss and severe uplink/downlink unbalance in this cell.
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6.5 Poor Uplink Coverage Caused by TRX

Fault description A BTS had been cut over and put into operation for about one or two years in an area. Suddenly the user complained that sometimes it was difficult for subscribers to make calls near the BTS. Subscribers often could not make outgoing calls or call drop often occurred. The probability of such fault was relatively high. This BTS was a BTS20. Analysis based on the traffic statistics showed that in the two or three days when the user complained, the TCH congestion rate in the cell suddenly increased (as high as 41%), the call drop rate was 28% and the TA value is about 1 when call drop occurred. In this case, we emphasized on the check of TRX uplink/downlink balance measurement. It was found that the TRX statistics of non-main BCCH frequencies in this cell was abnormal. In uplink/downlink statistics, the normal TRX statistic rule should be sequential decrease from level 1 to level 11. However, the uplink/downlink statistics of this TRX card showed that the statistic times of level 11 was far greater than that of level 1. According to the definition of traffic statistics, the cause was that the uplink signal strength was far less than the downlink signal strength. Thus, it could be judged that the performance of this TRX card had been deteriorated after running for a period of time. Fault solution: 1. We conducted remote traffic statistics analysis and judged the fault cause. It was judged that the TRX card had failed. 2. We blocked the so-called faulty card at the far end and observed the traffic statistics for three or four hours, and it was found that the traffic statistics of the cell was normal: the congestion rate was less than 3% and the call drop rate was less than 1%. 3. The local maintenance personnel carried a TRX card and replaced the faulty one at the near end. After the TRX card replacement, calls were normal in drive test. 4. Continuous traffic statistics observation did not show any fault again.
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Chapter 7 Appendix A Signal Strength Indication of MSs
Chapter 7 Appendix A Signal Strength Indication of MSs

In idle state, an MS displays the Rx level of the BCCH in the service cell; in busy state, it displays the Rx level of the TCH channel. There are not unified standards for the indication of signal strength (number of bars). Each manufacturer has its own specifications. According to large numbers of tests of mainstream MSs in the market by Huawei, the corresponding relationship between the level strength of MSs and the number of bars displayed is as follows: Relationship between the level strength of MSs and the number of bars displayed
MS type 5 bars NOKIA 8210 and 3210 Samsung Anycall-600 Motorola-L2000 Motorola-7689 Motorola-CD928 Siemens 3518i PHILIPS-Xenium969 Ericsson T28SC Ericsson T18SC 6 bars>-70dBm SAGEM None >-85 >-80 >-80 >-85 None None >-75 -70~-75 >-80 4 bars >-85 -85~-90 -80~-90 -80~-90 -85~-90 >-70 >-80 -75~-85 -75~-85 -80~-90 Level strength (dBm) 3 bars -85~-90 -90~-95 -90~-95 -90~-95 -90~-100 -70~-80 -80~-90 -85~-90 -85~-95 -90~-95 2 bars -90~-95 -95~-100 -95~-100 -95~-100 -100~105 -80~-90 -90~-100 -90~-95 -95~-100 -95~-105 1 bar -95~-100 -100~105 -100~105 -100~105 -100~105 -90~-100 -100~110 -95~-105 -100~105 -110~105
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OMF005002 Coverage Fault Analysis ISSUE1.0

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