Troubleshooting Radio Links Guide

WALKairTM
Troubleshooting Radio Links
Alvarion Ltd. All rights reserved
The material contained herein is proprietary, privileged, and confidential. No disclosure thereof shall be made to
third parties without the express written permission of Alvarion Ltd. Alvarion Ltd. reserves the right to alter the
equipment specifications and descriptions in this publication without prior notice. No part of this publication shall be
deemed to be part of any contract or warranty unless specifically incorporated by reference into such contract or
warranty.
WALKair Troubleshooting)
ii
About This Manual

This manual summarizes the different scenarios that a field
WALKair installer may stumble upon and the corrective actions he
may take in order to have the WALKair link up and running.
The content of this manual starts with step by step trouble shooting
and gradually proceeds to network problems and analysis methods.
The structure of the document is as following:
Step-By-Step Air Link Setup Trouble Shooting – this section is

aimed at basic air link problems; Easy to use as the user is guided
by questions and actions towards the solution to the problem.
Understanding Air Link Setup Process – In this section the user

will find a more detailed description of how the air link is
established following by a relevant LCI message in each phase.
Understanding E1 Alarm Forwarding in WALKair – Many service

problems begin with physical layer problems. This section describes
the E1 alarm mechanism and how it is implemented in WALKair as
a point to multi point system.
Possible Network Problems and Causes – This section introduces

possible problems that occur due to a network problem and not
necessarily a specific link. All are problems that really happened in
the field and are a result of installation, planning or commissioning
problems.
Analysis Methods – This section provides tools and methods for

analyzing the occurrence of network radio problems. Some of the
tools are inherent in WALKair and WALKnet products and some
requires the use of external measurement equipment.
NOTES:
This manual requires the reader to be familiar with the latest WALKair systems
different manuals content and release notes.
Part 1: Air link is not rising
iii
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1..............................................................1
Step by Step Air link Setup Trouble Shooting ....................................... 1
Part 1: Air link is not rising? ................................................................ 1
Is the Terminal scanning frequencies? ....................................................2
Is the Terminal scanning frequencies continually? ..................................3
Is the Terminal scanning intermittently?.................................................4
Part 2: Air link is up, but non-optimized? ............................................ 8
Does the link budget comply with the theoretic value given by the radio
planner (up to ±3 dB)? ............................................................................9
Chapter 2............................................................14
Understanding the Air link Setup Process........................................... 14
Base Station Activities ....................................................................... 14
Terminal Station Activities ................................................................ 15
Chapter 3............................................................20
Understanding E1 Alarm Mechanism in WALKair................................ 20
E1 Interface Modes ............................................................................. 20
Unframed............................................................................................. 20
Transparent – Framed no Signaling ...................................................... 21
Common Channel Signaling – Framed with V5 Signaling....................... 21
Framing Format ................................................................................. 21
Double Frame Format .......................................................................... 22
CRC4 Multi-Frame Format ................................................................... 23
Fractional E1 Alarms .......................................................................... 24
AIS....................................................................................................... 24
RAI ...................................................................................................... 24
iv
Time Slot 0 and Fractional E1 Service ................................................ 24

TS BU Rx direction is disconnected ...................................................... 25
TS BU Tx direction is disconnected ..................................................... 26
Radio Link Loss ................................................................................... 27
Chapter 4 ........................................................... 28
Possible Network Problems and Causes ............................................... 28
Base Station Antenna Coverage .......................................................... 28
Frequency Reuse in the same base station ........................................... 30
Random Interference .......................................................................... 31
Chapter 5 ........................................................... 32
Analysis Methods ................................................................................ 32
Diagnosis of an interference problem.................................................. 32
Measuring Interference ....................................................................... 33
Measuring Uplink ................................................................................ 34
Measuring a WALKair Signal ............................................................... 35
Detecting Cable Gain Configuration Problems..................................... 35
Base Cable Gain Configuration ............................................................ 36
Terminal Cable Gain Configuration ...................................................... 40
1
Chapter 1
Step by Step Air link Setup

Troubleshooting

In this part of the manual step-by-step questions will guide you
through a rising of a link.
Before making any failure analysis at the Terminal side (Why

doesn't the link rise?), make sure that the Base is indeed operative.
This may be done either by:
Having an operative Terminal in the same sector and making
sure that the Base Antenna is aligned correctly (The Terminal
must be within the effective Base Antenna lobe. See Annex B for
further clarifications).
Measuring 48 V at the IF-Cable connector at the BS-RFU side.
Once it has been determined that the Base is operative, the problem
is presumed to be at the Terminal site.
The next phase is to make sure that the Terminal is indeed

scanning frequencies. The next questions shall guide through the
first phase.
In order to see which frequency the Terminal is currently scanning,

connect to the LCI at the TS-BU and press - and <ENTER>, for a
lower level message status (DEBUG).
2
Is the Terminal scanning frequencies?

When connected with LCI to the TS-BU the following message
should appear in DEBUG message status (after the TS-BU
completes its boot process):
Print Display level: INFO
TS#10> Enter Option No: Scanning Frequencies
Scanning Frequencies
Print Display level: DEBUG

TS#10> Enter Option No: Fr#60290: DSP EVENT: long no
power
Fr#60290: Fixed Attenuator Gain: Tx 0.00000 Rx 0.00000
Attempt sync on RF Band Index 18, Freq [Up1030750,
Dn680750]
Fr#60294: Cable Gain: Tx -24.00000 Rx -47.00000
Fr#60311: DSP EVENT: long no power
Attempt Sync on RF Band Index 19, Freq [Up1032500,
Dn682500]
Attempt Sync on RF Band Index 20, Freq [Up1034250,
Dn684250]
In this case:
Enable the Terminals' administrative status.
3
Is the Terminal scanning frequencies

continually?
In this case the terminal scans frequencies and does not detect any
power on each of the frequencies and doesn't "stop" on a specific
frequency. A continuous printout on the screen of the frequency
appears.
If this is the case:

Make sure that all the radio configurations are correct
(especially RFU-Head-Type).
Measure the IF cable for short/cut out.
Measure 48 V (minimum, nominal should be around 56 V) at
the TS-BU IF port.
Measure 48 V (minimum, nominal should be around 56 V) at IF
cable (TS-RFU side). This test shall make sure that 48 V is
supplied to the TS-RFU.
If all the measurements and configurations are OK, do the following:
If there is another operative link in this sector:

Align Terminal Antenna.
Confirm Base Antenna alignment.
Replace TS-RFU.
Replace TS-BU.
If there are no other operative links in this sector:

Confirm Base antenna alignment.
Confirm 48V at the IF cable (RFU-BS side).
Replace BS-BU.
Replace IF-MUX (before replacing, check fuse in back of
IF-MUX).
Replace BS-RFU.
4
Replace BS-Antenna.
Is the Terminal scanning

intermittently?
This is the case when the terminal scans and once in a while stops
and tries to establish a link after synchronizing on a specific
frequency.
Sync on RF Band Index 0, Freq [Up999250,Dn649250] - wait for
SEARCH
Changing the display mode to DEBUG will supply more information

about the cause of the failure.
Each message provided by the TS-BU indicates a different failure.

These messages are divided into two different categories (for each
category a different question is asked and answered):
Misconfiguration problem.
Transmission/Receiving power problem.
Q: Misconfiguration Problem?
There are two different symptoms that indicate two different kinds
of misconfiguration:
1 Having no Terminals at all configured at the base will result in
the next message:
Dn649250]
Fr#11466: DSP EVENT: pwr detect
5
Fr#11759: DSP EVENT: rx ready

Fr#11764: Missing TS number 0
2 Having a Terminal not defined and enabled at the Base (but

other Terminal-Customer-ID are), will result in the following
message:
Dn649250]
Fr#405567: DSP EVENT: rx ready
Sync on RF Band Index 0, Freq [Up999250,Dn649250] -
wait for SEARCH
Fr#415566: Time Out: WAIT_SEARCH
Resolution:
In this case, make sure that the terminal is registered at the BS-BU.
Make sure that this is the correct BS-BU at the sector (by
frequency).
Q: Transmission/Receiving Power
Problem?
Each of the following messages may appear as a result of:
Weak signal received at the Terminal.
Weak signal received at the Base (as a result of a weak signal
transmitted by the Terminal).
Dn649250]
Fr#1904: DSP EVENT: sync fail
6
Print Display Level: INFO
TS#10> Enter Option No: Scanning Frequencies
Sync on RF Band Index 0, Freq [Up999250, Dn649250] -
wait for SEARCH
=>AirLink removed (By RLC, Fr#16).
=>AirLink removed (By Rx-CRC, Fr#13548014).
In order to pinpoint the problem source (Base or Terminal) the next

question needs to be answered:
Q: Are there other TSs operative in the

same sector?
A: Yes, there are other TSs operative at the same sector. (if not
go to the following answer).
In this case:
Verify that the Terminal reaches the next phase upon other
frequencies (BS-BU) at the same sector:
Sync on RF Band Index 0, Freq [Up999250, Dn649250] -
wait for SEARCH
Fr#415566: Time Out: WAIT_SEARCH
If the Terminal does reach such a state:

Verify configuration at relevant BS-BU.
Replace BS-BU.
Replace TS-BU.
If the Terminal does not reach the phase mentioned upon the
operative frequencies:
Align the TS-RFU.
7
Replace TS-RFU.
Replace TS-BU.
Verify alignment of BS Antenna.
Replace BS-BU.
No, this is the only TS in the sector.
In this case:
At the Terminal location:

Align the TS-RFU.
Replace TS-BU.
Replace TS-RFU.
If all the above fails at the Terminal location, at the Base location:
Replace BS-BU.
Replace BS-RFU.
8
Part 2: Air link is up, but non-

optimized?
A WALKair link is approved to be an operative (and optimized) one if
all of the following questions are answered affirmatively:
Does the link budget comply with the theoretical calculation
given by radio planner (up to ±3 dB)?
Are Up and Down SNR figures above 22 dB? If not, see the
WALKair advance troubleshooting manual for more information.
Were errors recorded on the link in the link approval process? If
not, see the WALKair advance troubleshooting manual for more
information.
Is the link stable (does not fail once in a few minutes/hours)? If
not, see the WALKair advance troubleshooting manual for more
information.
NOTE:
If the link was established on an incorrect frequency, check RFU-Head-Type
configuration.
A step-by-step process will guide you through a process to correct

the particular problem of the link.
Part 2: Air link is up, but non-optimized?
9
Does the link budget comply with the

theoretic value given by the radio
planner (up to ±3 dB)?
The theoretic calculation of fade margin is the expected attenuation
between the Base and Terminal Antenna. By pre-knowing the fade
margin, one may predict the power received/transmitted at the
Terminal.
The compliance between the expected power and the power reported
by the system may vary by ±3 dB. Please see Appendix A for an
example of fade margin calculation in cases of free space, clear line
of sight situations and its use in the system.
In a case when the power calculation does not comply with the
power reported by the system the following should be applied.
First make sure that the RFU-Head-Type is configured correctly -

mind the next note:
NOTE:
In v4.2 and below please make sure that for RFU type labeled as A and B the RFU
revision type should be A, and for RFU type labeled as C revision B should be
configured.
In case of another link in the same sector

This is the case when there is another operational link in the same
sector. There are deviations between the expected and reported
power at the Terminal. The deviation may appear in three types (A,B
and C):
Type A
Deviation Type:
Transmit power reported is higher than expected and Received

power is reported lower than expected
10
Resolution
Terminal site:
Make sure that IF-cable gain is configured properly.
Align the Terminal RFU Antenna.
Make sure that there are no near objects in front of the TS-RFU.
Such an object may be a metal bar or buildings that block the
line of site to the Base.
Base site:
Make sure that there are no objects in front of the Base
Antenna.
Figure 1: Antenna With Clear View
Make sure that the Terminal is within the Base Antenna

effective lobe (see Annex B for effective Base Antenna Lobe). If
not, align the Base Antenna (vertically and horizontally).
Type B
Deviation Type:
power reported is as expected.
Transmit power reported is as expected and Received power
reported is higher than expected.
Resolution
11
Check that the cable gain at the Terminal is not higher than
real.
Type C
Deviation Type:
reported is lower than expected.
Transmit power reported is lower than expected and Received
power reported is as expected.
Resolution
Check that the cable gain at the Terminal is not lower than real.
If all other fails:
At the Terminal site:
• Replace TS-RFU.
• Replace TS-BU.
At the Base (only if the current BS-BU is not connected to an
operational Terminal):
• Connect the BS-BU to a different port in the IF-MUX.
• Replace the BS-BU.
There are no other links in this sector.

This is the case when there is only a single Terminal in a sector.
The deviations between the reported and the calculated power
Transmitted/Received by the Terminal are of three types.
Here are the three different types and the resolution of each
deviation type.
Type A
Deviation Type:

power reported is lower than expected
12
Resolution:
Base site:
Make sure that IF-cable gain is configured correctly (see Preface:
Cable Gain for more details).
Make sure that RFU head type is configured correctly as
appears on the silver label on the RFU. (Except 3.5GHz RFU
revision B that has to be configured as revision A)
Make sure that there are no close objects in front of the Base
Antenna (Figure 1).
Make sure that the Terminal is within the Base Antenna
effective lobe (see Annex B for effective Base Antenna lobe). If
not, align the Base Antenna (vertically and horizontally).
Terminal Site
Make sure that IF-cable gain is configured properly.
Align the Terminal RFU-Antenna.
Make sure that there are no near objects in front of the TS-RFU.
Such object may be a metal bar or buildings that block the line
of site to the Base.
NOTE:
Only if all other measure taken have failed:
• Replace BS-BU.
• Replace IF-MUX.
• Replace BS-RFU.
• Replace TS-BU.
• Replace TS-RFU.
Type B
Deviation Type
power reported is as expected
reported is higher than expected
13
Resolution
Check that the cable gain at the Terminal and at the Base is not
higher than real.
Type C
Deviation Type
reported is lower than expected
Transmit power reported is lower than expected and Received
power reported is as expected
Resolution
Check that the cable gain at the Terminal is not lower than real.
If all else fails:
At the Terminal site:
• Replace TS-RFU.
• Replace TS-BU.
At the Base:
• Connect BS-BU to a different port in the IF-MUX.
• Replace BS-BU.
• If all the links in the sector have the same phenomenon,
replace IF-MUX.
• If all the links in the sector have the same phenomenon,
replace BS-RFU. (If possible switch to redundant RFU
and antenna).
• Replace Base Antenna. (If possible switch to redundant
RFU and antenna).
14
Chapter 2
Understanding the Air link

Setup Process
This chapter provides a better understanding of the process in

which the WALKair system sets up an air link between a BS BU and
the TS BU. Various link initialization scenarios are described,
including full descriptions of TS LCI messages during the link
establishment leading to easier trouble shooting.
First the Base Station activities in the process will be described and
next the TS activities.
Base Station Activities

Installing base station and frequency selection
As the BS BU enabled and frequency is selected, a PRBS is
transmitted on the desired channel, resulting a continues 1.75
MHz of bandwidth radio signal, as if traffic is transmitted. (All
information available on Installation Manual and
Commissioning Manual)
Configuration:
List of associated terminal stations
Services (Not mandatory for link establishing)
Terminal Station Activities
15
Search messages are sent to the associated terminal stations,

allocated over the EOC channel. Embedded Operation Channel
(EOC) is used for signaling, Management & Maintenance
EOC/Signaling. The Base Station will provide the Terminal
Station all the necessary service configuration parameters over
the EOC channel (in the end of the process). The Terminal
Station sets EOC signaling bit until it receives an access from
the Base Station. The search message will continued to be sent
to each terminal the haven’t completed initilization with the
base yet.

Installing the terminal station
(All information available on Installation Manual and
Commissioning Manual)
Configuration:
Radio parameters
ID Number
In this stage the TS is scanning frequencies and transmits
nothing into the air. The scanning will start from the first
frequency index in the configured frequency sub band to the last
one cyclically and it will continue to do so until power will be
detected and the MODEM is able to synchronize on the received
signal.
On the LCI capture below the “Scanning Frequencies” message

can be viewed, below it, more detailed information is displayed.
By pressing the “-“ symbol, the display level shifts to Debug,
then the following information can be observed:
Attempt sync on RF Band Index 18 – The RF frequency
the TS BU is currently tuned on and waiting for power
detect.
16
The configured cable configured in the system for this

frequency index
DSP EVENT: a series of events that are presented by the
DSP MODEM according to the relevant scenario:
• long no power – No power has been detected.
• pwr detect – Power has been detected. The reason for
the power (modulation, center frequency, etc.). It could
be interference as well.
• sync fail – After power has been detected, the MODEM
attempts to synchronize on the received signal, but fails
to do so.
• rx ready – The MODEM succeeded to demodulate the
tuned signal.
TS#20> Enter Option No.:-
Print Display Level: DEBUG
Attempt sync on RF Band Index 18, Freq [Up3433625,Dn3533625]
Synchronization
Sync on RF Band Index 17, Freq [Up3431000,Dn3531000] –
Synchronization on WALKair air protocol frame succeeded. This
message appears right after the message rx ready.
17
Authentication
wait for SEARCH – In this stage, the TS BU waits for the search
message coming from the base station. The search message
transmitted on the base EOC channel contains an ID number
that is being compared to the ID number of the TS, as they
match the process of link initialization continues.
If a search message was received but ID’s do not match the

following message is displayed:
Missing TS number 0
If it does match the following will be displayed:

DLC search
18
The following is a flow chart describing the three phases,

Scanning, Synchronization and authentication.
Scanning
Frequency
Next frequency
index
"Long no pwr" Power Detect ?
"Pwr Detect"
Synchronization &
"sync fail" Demodulation
Succeeded ?
"rx ready"
"missing TS # 0"
or "wait for
"Time Out: search"
WAIT_SEARCH'
"DLC search"
Continue to Power
Equalization
Figure 2: Link Initialization Phases

19
Power Equalization
In this stage the first transmission of the TS BU begins by
transmitting an initial low power signal. Followed by commands
from the base station the TS BU increases or decreases the
transmitted power in order to meet a desired received power
level at the base station. In other words this is the RTPC process
– Remote Transmit Power Control. This process continues as
long as the link is up.
Distance measurement
The BS BU is measuring the distance to the TS BU in order to
compensate over the various delays to each terminal. Since the
terminal is not mobile, this process happens only during the
initialization phase.
In the end of the measurement the following is displayed:

Estimated dist: 0 Adjustment: 0 symbols. (Debug Init Dist: 0)”;
“DLC distance “; “DISTANCE –8.
Equalizer Training
The BS BU MODEM learns the path characteristics from a
preamble series transmitted from the terminal station. DSP
equalizer in the BS BU compensates over it. The process is
automatic and continues as long as the link is up. No message
is displayed on the LCI.
TS Sends Parameters
Before the base station will provide the Terminal Station all the
necessary configuration parameters over the EOC channel, the
terminal station will send its hardware information to the base.
Operational Service
The service begins as the hardware parameters of the TS BU
meet the requirement of base station service configuration. After
completing and passing this stage, the air link is formally
established.
20
Chapter 3
Understanding E1 Alarm
Mechanism in WALKair
The purpose of this chapter is to describe adherently the signaling
over the E1 and fractional E1 services in general and in WALKair.
The WALKair system is complied with the G703 standard, still the
signaling issue in Point to Multi Point fractional E1 service remains
confusing. The main aspects of the signaling discussed in this
chapter are framing, alarming and CRC (on channel 0), examples
will follow the explanations.
E1 Interface Modes
Unframed
In the unframed mode the E1 Framer is not looking on time slot 0.
It does not reconstruct the 125µsec frame. In this mode there is not
any meaning to the 32 time slot structure. The whole traffic is used
a one 2Mbit/stream.
In the conversion to the BI internal highway the E1 transceiver

generate a 125µsec frame. The frame start is set once bit
synchronization is achieved. Every time a different start location will
be selected. Base on this random frame start the content of the
internal highway timeslots is defined.
Framing Format
21
In unframed mode there is no meaning to FE1 service.
Transparent – Framed no Signaling

In this mode the E1 framer is set to work in framed mode. Hence, in
addition to reconstructing the 2Mbit/Sec stream, the framer also
construct a 125µsec frame based on time slot 0.
The BS/TS BU refers to time slot 16 as a regular traffic time slot.
Common Channel Signaling – Framed

with V5 Signaling
In this mode the E1 framer is set to work in framed mode.
Time slot 16 is assumed to have V5.x HDLC common channel

signaling protocol protocol. The BS/TS BU will terminate this time
slot and will transfer the relevant information over the EOC channel
(Embedded Operation and Control Channel - system over head
channel).
Starting WALKair version 5.4 HDLC signaling is supported over

channels 15 and/or 31 as well, depended on the user configuration.
The same process will be with channels 15 and 31, hence, they will
be terminated by the BS BU and the relevant signaling for each TS
will be sent over the overhead channel respectively.
Framing Format
The framing structure is defined by the contents of time-slot 0
22
Double Frame Format

Table 1: E1 Time Slot zero of double frame format
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Frame Si 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
Containing the
Frame
Alignment
Signal
Note Note 1 Frame Alignment Signal
1
Frame not Si 1 A Sa4 Sa5 Sa6 Sa7 Sa8
Containing the
Frame
Alignment
Signal
Note:
1. Si bits: reserved for international use. If not used, these bits

should be fixed to ‘1’.
2. Fixed to ‘1’. Used for synchronization.
3. Remote alarm indication: In undisturbed operation ‘0’; in alarm
condition ‘1’.
Sa bits: Reserved for national use. If not used, they should be fixed
at ‘1’.
Framing Format
23
CRC4 Multi-Frame Format

Table 2: E1 time slot zero of multi - frame format
Sub- Frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Multi- Num
frame
1 0 C1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
1 0 1 A Sa4 Sa5 Sa6 Sa7 Sa8
2 C2 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
4 C3 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
6 C4 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
2 0 C1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
2 C2 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
4 C3 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
5 E* 1 A Sa4 Sa5 Sa6 Sa7 Sa8
6 C4 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
7 E* 1 A Sa4 Sa5 Sa6 Sa7 Sa8
E: Spare bits for international use.

Sa : Spare bits for national use.
C1 …C4 : Cyclic redundancy check bits.
A: Remote alarm indication.
24
Fractional E1 Alarms
AIS
In general, Alarm Indication Signal is transmitted whenever an RAI
is received by an E1 interface.
AIS is different in point to multi point fractional E1 service than full

E1 frame point-to-point service. AIS in point to point systems is
known as transmission of “All Ones” in all time slots except time
slot 0 whereas in fractional E1 service all ones will appear only on
the time slots that service is assigned on them.
RAI
Remote Alarm Indication is transmitted if the incoming E1 interface
losses synchronization of the incoming data, the threshold for that
is FAS error ratio greater than 10e-3. RAI sets bit A of the NFAS to
“1”.
Time Slot 0 and Fractional E1

Service
In case of framed E1 structure WALKair doesn’t transfer time slot 0
from the receive direction of the E1 frame (to the BU TS/BS)
towards the air. In the transmit direction (the outgoing E1 frame
from the BU interface), time slot 0 is recreated. The information of
time slot 0 is created as follows:
CRC is calculated according to the time slots coming assigned to
the port. Hence, the CRC code is different in BS BU port than
from the port in the TS BU containing fractional E1 service.
Time Slot 0 and Fractional E1 Service
25
RAI – Depended on the receive direction of the interface.

AIS – Depended on the AIS alarm coming from the
corresponding E1 interface on the other side of air
communication. The alarms are forwarded from BS to TS BU
and vice versa over the EOC channels.
Alarm forwarding scenarios
The following are examples of signaling scenarios in WALKair. The

sign red X symbol represents the point of failure. In all the
examples E1 service is applied as a physical layer, second layer may
be a Leased Line / V5.X / Frame Relay service.
TS BU Rx direction is disconnected
In this case the incoming E1 frame to the TS BU telecom interface is
disconnected.
The TS BU (ID 20 in the diagram) will transmit RAI to the

corresponding telecom equipment.
The BS BU will transmit AIS, all ones only on the time slots that are
assigned to the TS BU ID 20 with the faulty connection; those time
slots are ones that service is applied to them, V5, Leased Line
service or Frame relay. The other time slots that are assigned to TS
ID 10, the one working free of fault, will continue to transfer
data/voice.This is called fractional E1 AIS.
On the other hand in a vice versa scenario, for instance, if the

equipment in the BS BU side was disconnected in the same way as
the previous scenario, all the TS BU’s will transmit AIS.
26
AIS *
io Link Rad
io L
Rad e ink
ervic E1 S
E1 S ervic
e
ID 10 ID 20
RAI
AIS
Figure 3: TS BU Rx Connection is Disconnected
TS BU Tx direction
is disconnected
The transmitted E1 frame

from the TS BU is
E1 Service
disconnected, the Li
nk
o
di
information doesn’t get to the Ra
telecom equipment in the

CPE side.
AIS
RAI
Figure 4: TS Tx transmission towards its

telecom equipment is disconnected
Time Slot 0 and Fractional E1 Service
27
The telecom equipment

towards the BU will generate
RAI and the BU will transmit
AIS alarm in all time slots in
response.
Radio Link Loss

In radio loss scenario, AIS
will be transmitted in all 32-
time slots of the E1towards
AIS
the telecom equipment in
both sides, BS and TS BU.
Even if the telecom
equipment in the TS side will
E1 Service
be disconnected, AIS will still Li
nk
io
be transmitted. R ad
AIS
Figure 5: Radio Link Loss

28
Chapter 4
Possible Network Problems and

Causes
Some link problems do not concern only a specific air link. Since
the air is shared with other links and probably other systems,
problems can be common to more than one link. Below are
examples of cases with common problems to a few terminals.
Base Station Antenna Coverage

The effective Base antenna lobe is defined as the field in which the
antenna gain is not less than 3 dB from its maximum gain.
The effective lobe is a function of the antenna opening angles

(azimuth and elevation). These angles are dependant on the type of
antenna chosen for a specific radio planning. An installation
mistake can be that the sector antenna is not pointed in the
preplanned heading direction. As a result, the terminals that were
supposed to be covered will have a degraded performance, lower
received power and higher transmit power than expected (measured
value compared to calculated value by radio planning or free space).
See the diagram below:
Base Station Antenna Coverage
29
Heading of Base
Station Antenna
Mistaken Shifted
Sector Coverage
Original Sector
Coverage
Terminals with low

receive power and high
transmit power than
expected
Figure 6: Base Station Antenna Disalignment
Furthermore, the effect of interfering signals on the uplink

performance will be greater as well as the downlink interference to
other sector links. An example of this is when the same frequency
as this sector is used in the opposite sector that is supposed to
point 180° backwards.
30
Frequency Reuse in the same base

station
In the following scenario there is an attempt to reuse the same
frequency between 2 opposite sectors on the same base station.
Mistakenly, the 2 sectors aren’t transmitting the same power (could
be deliberately or a user mistake), so that one sector is causing
greater interference to the other.
The red sector in the illustration below is transmitting at a greater

power than the blue one. The result is a lower C/I ratio to the
terminals associated to the blue sector, hence, low SNR, bit errors,
while the red sectors performance is not degraded.
Naturally it is obvious that frequency reuse will degrade the uplink

and downlink SNR, however the degradation should be symmetrical
to both sectors.
Fundemental
Carrier
Interfering
Carrier
C/I
Base Station
Fundemental
Carrier
Interfering
Carrier
C/I
Figure 7: Frequency Reuse in Same Base Station

Random Interference
31
See page 31 for details on how to measure C/I value.
Random Interference
The WALKair system works in regulated frequency bands. Hiring
radio spectrum should assure freedom from external interference
spectrum. A deployed network normally has interferences but
deterministic ones that are due to reuse of frequencies. External
interferences are those that do are not come from signals
transmitted by the deployment of the WALKair system, but probably
by other operators, radars or other kinds of radio transmitter. In
some cases the required spectrum or some of it may not be clear of
interference and errors will occur. Interference can come in variety
of ways; short bursts ones, over wide band of spectrum, constant
ones.
The symptoms of these kinds of interference can be either the

appearance of bit errors or even the loss of the air link for a while.
Interference can be detected easily prior to the deployment of the
system by performing a radio survey as recommended in the
WALKair installation manual. As the spectrum is occupied by the
signals of the WALKair system it becomes very difficult to detect
interference because it requires disabling links/carriers that are
suspected of suffering from interference. The chapter “Analysis
Methods” offers a way to evaluate interference based on the
measurements presented by WALKnet performance monitoring.
32
Chapter 5
Analysis Methods
Diagnosis of an interference
problem
When the symptoms of a problem are detected it is possible to
observe the WALKnet system’s air performance behavior and in
most cases determine whether the cause is radio interference or
something else.
Activate the air performance monitoring for the required terminal

and display in 15 minutes intervals the last 24 hours and follow the
instructions below.
Start by differentiating the performance of the uplink channel from

the downlink channel. In this way the analysis can be more
focused. An interfered with link is characterized by one or more of
the following symptoms:
Bad FER (Frame Error Rate), less than 10e-6
Minimum SNR lower than 22dB in one or more intervals of 15
minutes
More than 1% of Error Seconds
Appearance of unavailable seconds
Measuring Interference
33
It is not enough to conclude only by these symptoms that there is

interference. The same symptoms may appear if the Received signal
of a terminal or base station is varied over a large range of power
and also drops to lower values than expected. In case of low
received power the SNR is degraded naturally to the lower signal.
In the case of random interference usually low SNR along with bit
errors will appear when the received power remains constant, in
other words, the signal level is constant and the interference level is
increasing.
Constant interference is harder to analyze, especially in deployed

networks, because there is no reference of times where the link had
good performance relative to a time where random interference
appears. However certain power levels should match certain values
of SNR and when the SNR value is constantly low and the Received
power is ok, then this might be an indication of interference.
Deployment of a network takes in account during the radio-

planning phase the predicted level of interference (one that is
caused due to reuse of frequencies) for every customer. It is
important to know these values and compare them with the system
performance.
After it is determined that the errors are caused either by a stronger

level of interference than predicted in radio planning or by random
interference we should verify it by measurement. In order to
measure interference we should disable the transmission of the
interfered carrier and use a spectrum analyzer as described in the
next section.
Measuring Interference
In order to rule out an interference problem, one may measure the
interference in the WALKair IF.
34
Measuring Uplink
An Uplink IF measurement is executed by connecting the Spectrum
Analyzer to the Rx port (any free port) of the IF-MUX. An illustration
of the connection appears in the following figure:
Figure 8: Uplink IF Measurement

Measuring a WALKair Signal
35
Measuring a WALKair Signal

The following table summarizes the WALKair signal characteristics
versus the setting of a spectrum analyzer that is used to measure it.
WALKair Signal Characteristics Spectrum Analyzer Settings for

Proper Power Measurement
1.75 MHz wide 64QAM modulated RBW: Optimal is 1.75 MHz. 1 MHz
signal. will give close results.
Pseudo Random Signal. Detection type: normal.
Storage type: Average (more than
100 counts).
TDMA transmission: In case of Downlink the
Downlink is a constant transmission measurement is exact.
of the BS, ergo the signal is In case of Uplink measurement, the
constantly operative. power measured is a function of how
Uplink is operative only when many timeslots are allocated for the
bandwidth is allocated for the TS transmitting TS.
transmitting.
NOTE
Using a calibrated spectrum analyzer with the above settings shall result in a
measurement error of up to ±2 dB.
Detecting Cable Gain

Configuration Problems
The cable gain in WALKair is the configuration as set by the
WALKair commissioner that informs the system of the IF cable
attenuation (connecting the indoor unit (BU) with the outdoor unit
(RFU)).
36
The system uses the configured figure in its calculation of the

overall gain of the system.
NOTE:
Cable gain is always set as a negative figure.
Incorrect cable gain configuration may cause a number of different

scenarios described below:
Base Cable Gain Configuration

At the Base, variation of the configured figures from the real cable
gain shall directly affect the power transmitted by the Base and the
power transmitted by the Terminal.
Transmit Cable Gain

In the Tx path (see Figure 9), a higher configured cable gain (in
absolute value) than the Real cable attenuation (in absolute value)
shall result in higher transmitted power. Lower configured cable
gain (in absolute value) than the real cable attenuation (in absolute
value) shall result in lower transmitted power.
Example:
If the real cable attenuation is 15 dB, and the cable gain is
configured at 10 dB (+10 dB in absolute value), (variation of
5 dB lower), then the power transmitted shall be 5 dB lower.
Thus the power transmitted shall be:
Expected transmitted power - deviation = Real transmitted
power.
+18 dBm (expected by the system) - 5 dB (deviation) = 13 dBm
configured at -20 dB (+20 dB in absolute value), (variation of
5 dB higher), then the power transmitted shall be 5 dB lower.
Thus the power transmitted shall be:
Expected transmitted power + deviation = Real transmitted
power.
Detecting Cable Gain Configuration Problems
37
18 dBm (expected by the system + 5 dB (deviation) = 23 dBm.

NOTE:
One always must have in mind the 1dB compression point when transmitting higher
than optimal transmitted power.
Figure 9: Transmit Cable Gain
Receive Cable Gain

In the Rx path the Base regulates the Terminals' Transmit power
(using the RTPC mechanism). The Terminals' power is set to a point
where the Receive power at the base is the MODEM working point
(default is -80 dBm).
As the gain of each unit in the system is pre-known (RFU, IF-MUX,

cable gain), a power of -80 dBm is estimated by the system. The
system measures the power received by the BU and then subtracts
the pre-known overall gain of the system.
Thus, an incorrectly configured cable gain will cause a wrong

estimation of the power received by the Base.
38
In the Rx path (see Figure 10), a higher configured (larger

absolutely) cable gain than the real cable attenuation shall result in
lower Terminal Transmit power and thus lower "real" received base
power (poorer SNR). A lower configured (smaller absolutely) cable
gain than the real cable attenuation shall result in higher
transmitted Terminal power and thus higher "real" received base
power (better SNR).
Figure 10: Receive Cable Gain
Example:
If the real cable attenuation is 15 dB, and is configured at
10 dB, (variation of 5 dB lower), then the power transmitted by
the Terminal shall be 5 dB higher, and the actual received power
level at the Base antenna shall be 5 dB higher. Thus the power
received shall be:
power receive expected + deviation = power received

-80 dBm + 5 dB = -75 dBm
39
If the real cable attenuation is 15 dB, and is configured at

20 dB, (variation of 5 dB higher), then the power transmitted by
the Terminal shall be 5 dB lower, and the actual received power
level at the Base antenna shall be 5 dB lower. Thus the power
received shall be:
power receive expected - deviation = power received

-80 dBm + 5 dB = -85 dBm
NOTE:
The real power received by the Base may be evaluated by the receive SNR. When
an SNR of 25 dB is obtained, the real power received at the Base antenna is
-80 dBm.
40
Terminal Cable Gain Configuration

At the Terminal the configured cable gain does not directly affect the
power transmitted by the Terminal but only limits it in extreme
cases (see note at the end of the paragraph).
Transmit Cable Gain

In the Tx path (see Figure 11), a higher configured cable gain (in
absolute value) than the real cable attenuation (in absolute value)
shall result in higher reported Transmit power, and does not affect
the power transmitted (set by Base). A lower configured cable gain
(in absolute value) than the real cable attenuation (in absolute
value) shall result in lower reported Transmit power, although the
real Transmit power does not change.
Figure 11: Terminal Transmit Cable Gain

41
Example:
If the real cable attenuation is 10 dB, the power transmitted is
0 dBm (set by Base), and the cable gain is configured at -15 dB
(+15 dB in absolute value), (variation of 5 dB higher), then the
Transmit power reported by the TS-BU shall be 5 dB higher. The
real power transmitted is still 0 dBm. Thus the Transmit power
reported shall be:
real power transmitted + deviation = reported power
0 dBm + 5 dB = 5 dBm
configured at -5 dB (+5 dB in absolute value), (variation of 5 dB
lower), then the power reported by the TS-BU shall be 5 dB
lower. The real power transmitted is 0 dBm. Thus the transmit
power reported shall be:
real power transmitted - deviation = reported power
0 dBm - 5 dB = -5 dBm
42
Receive Cable Gain

In the Rx path (see Figure 12), a higher configured cable gain (in
absolute value) than the real cable attenuation (in absolute value)
shall result in higher reported Receive power, and does not affect
the power transmitted (set by Base). A lower configured cable gain
(in absolute value) than the real cable attenuation (in absolute
value) shall result in lower reported received power, although the
real received power does not change.
Figure 12: Terminal Receive Cable Gain
Example:
If the real cable attenuation is 10 dB, the power received is
0 dBm (received from Base), and the cable gain is configured at
-15 dB (+15 dB in absolute value), (variation of 5 dB higher),
then the Transmit power reported by the TS-BU shall be 5 dB
higher. The real power transmitted is still 0 dBm. Thus the
Transmit power reported shall be:
real power received + deviation = reported power

-65 dBm + 5dB = -60 dBm
43
If the real cable attenuation is 10 dB, the power received is

-65 dBm (received from Base) and the cable gain is configured at
-5 dB (+5 dB in absolute value), (variation of 5 dB lower), then
the power reported by the TS-BU shall be 5 dB lower. The real
power transmitted is still -65 dBm, and the transmit power
reported shall be:
real power transmitted - deviation = reported power
-65 dBm - 5 dB = -70 dBm

NOTE:
Although the Terminal Transmit power is automatically set by the Base using the
RTPC process, there is maximal Transmit power limitation at the Terminal Radio
parameters menu - Modem working point option. This option will limit the Transmit
power of the Terminal if the power reported by the TS-BU shall exceed the
limitation. If an incorrect cable gain is inserted (at the Tx path), a link may not rise
as a result of insufficient power transmitted.
44
Appendix A - Calculating received and transmit power levels of a

terminal station based on a clear line of sight link and using free space model.
All calculations of fade margin in this Annex apply to good weather

conditions (that is without rain, snow, fog or any other harsh
conditions).
In order to calculate fade margins in Free Space the following

formula may be used:
LdB 92.5 + 20 log( FGHz × Dkm )
When:
L - The Free Space loss, in dB.
F - The frequency Band (3.5 Ghz; 10.5 Ghz; 26 Ghz).
D - Distance from Base to Terminal, in km.
In order to find the loss between the two antennas (Terminal and
Base), the Gain of each antenna needs to be subtracted from the
Total Fade Margin Loss. All the antenna gains appear in the
following table:
Table 3: Antenna Gains and Opening Angles
Band Gain Elevation Antenna Type and

[dBi] Opening Azimuth Angle
Angle [deg] [deg]
26Ghz 36 ±2.6° Terminal
26Ghz 42 ±1.3° Terminal
26Ghz 18 ±9° Base 45° Vertical
26Ghz 18 ±9° Base 45° Horizontal

45
Band Gain Elevation Antenna Type and

[dBi] Opening Azimuth Angle
Angle [deg] [deg]
26Ghz 15 ±9° Base 90° Vertical
26Ghz 15 ±9° Base 90° Horizontal
3.5Ghz 18 ±20° Terminal
3.5Ghz 16 ±9° Base 60° Vertical
3.5Ghz 16 ±8° Base 60° Horizontal
10.5Ghz 25 ±8° Terminal
10.5Ghz 16 ±4.5° Base 90° Vertical
10.5Ghz 16 ±4.5° Base 90° Horizontal
Thus the loss between Terminal and Base shall be:
LTotal ( dB ) LFade Margin ( dB ) G Base Antenna ( dBi ) GTerminal Antenna ( dB )
Now that the Total Loss is calculated, the power expected to be

transmitted/received by the Terminal may be calculated as well:
PRx ( dBm ) PBaseTx ( dBm ) LTotal ( dB )
PTx ( dBm ) PBaseRx ( dBm ) LTotal ( dB )
Example:
46
In a WALKair 3.5 GHz system, the base antenna lobe is 60° and the
distance between Base and Terminal is 1 km. The Base is working
in default MODEM working point.
What is the expected Terminal Transmit/Receive power?
Figure 13: Example for Calculating Expected Terminal

Transmit/Receive Power
Resolution:
First, calculate the Free Space fade margin:
LFade Margin 92.5 20 log(3.5 × 1) 103 dB
Now subtract the two antenna gains. At 3.5 GHz, the gain of a 60°
is 16 dBi. The gain of Terminal antenna at 3.5 GHz is 18 dBi.
Thus the total loss is:
LTotal 103 dBi − 18 dB − 16 dB 69 dB
Default Base MODEM working point values at 3.5 GHz is -80 dBm
Receive power and +18 dBm Transmit power.
Thus the power received and transmitted at the Terminal should be:
PRx 18 dBm 69 dB 51dBm
PTx 80 dBm 69 dB 11dBm

NOTE:
When reported by the system these values may vary by ±3 dB.
47

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Troubleshooting Radio Links

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About This Manual

The structure of the document is as following:

Step-By-Step Air Link Setup Trouble Shooting – this section is

Understanding Air Link Setup Process – In this section the user

Understanding E1 Alarm Forwarding in WALKair – Many service

Possible Network Problems and Causes – This section introduces

Analysis Methods – This section provides tools and methods for

Time Slot 0 and Fractional E1 Service ................................................ 24

Step by Step Air link Setup

Part 1: Air link is not rising

Before making any failure analysis at the Terminal side (Why

The next phase is to make sure that the Terminal is indeed

In order to see which frequency the Terminal is currently scanning,

Is the Terminal scanning frequencies?

Print Display level: DEBUG

Is the Terminal scanning frequencies

If this is the case:

If all the measurements and configurations are OK, do the following:

If there is another operative link in this sector:

If there are no other operative links in this sector:

Is the Terminal scanning

Changing the display mode to DEBUG will supply more information

Each message provided by the TS-BU indicates a different failure.

Fr#11759: DSP EVENT: rx ready

2 Having a Terminal not defined and enabled at the Base (but

=>AirLink removed (By Rx-CRC, Fr#13548014).

In order to pinpoint the problem source (Base or Terminal) the next

Q: Are there other TSs operative in the

If the Terminal does reach such a state:

No, this is the only TS in the sector.

At the Terminal location:

Part 2: Air link is up, but non-

A step-by-step process will guide you through a process to correct

Does the link budget comply with the

First make sure that the RFU-Head-Type is configured correctly -

In case of another link in the same sector

Transmit power reported is higher than expected and Received

Figure 1: Antenna With Clear View

Make sure that the Terminal is within the Base Antenna

There are no other links in this sector.

Transmit power reported is higher than expected and Received

Understanding the Air link

This chapter provides a better understanding of the process in

Base Station Activities

Search messages are sent to the associated terminal stations,

Terminal Station Activities

On the LCI capture below the “Scanning Frequencies” message

The configured cable configured in the system for this

If a search message was received but ID’s do not match the

If it does match the following will be displayed:

The following is a flow chart describing the three phases,

"Long no pwr" Power Detect ?

Figure 2: Link Initialization Phases

In the end of the measurement the following is displayed:

In the conversion to the BI internal highway the E1 transceiver

In unframed mode there is no meaning to FE1 service.

Transparent – Framed no Signaling

The BS/TS BU refers to time slot 16 as a regular traffic time slot.

Common Channel Signaling – Framed

Time slot 16 is assumed to have V5.x HDLC common channel

Starting WALKair version 5.4 HDLC signaling is supported over