Wireless Facilities Incorporated

Link Budget Analysis

for RF Engineers and Managers

Introduction

Definitions and Objectives Review of Decibel (Optional) Inputs Outputs Process Examples

RF Path
PBS
Path Loss Down Link End to End Channel End to End Channel Noise Noise Fading, Fading, Interference, Interference, Hardware Losses Hardware Losses ....... ....... Path Loss Up Link
BS Sensitivity MS Sensitivity

PMS

Objectives and Definitions

Inputs
n

Base and Mobile Receiver Sensitivity Parameters

Minimum Acceptable Signal to Noise Ratio Environmental/Thermal Noise Assumption Receiver Noise Figure

n n n n n

Antenna Gain at Base and Mobile Station Hardware Losses (Cable, Connectors, Combiner,....) Target Coverage Reliability Propagation Characteristics of the Channel Receiving Environment

L B A

Outputs

L B A
n

Coverage Threshold
In-Building In-Car On-Street

n n n n

Base Station ERP Maximum Allowable Path Loss Cell Size Estimate Cell Count Estimate

Path Balancing
Communication is possible only when both links are available.

Uplink Limited: Uplink Limited:

BS Can Reach MS but BS Can Reach MS but MS Cannot Reach BS MS Cannot Reach BS

UNDESIRED

Downlink Limited: Downlink Limited:

MS Can Reach BS but MS Can Reach BS but BS Cannot Reach MS BS Cannot Reach MS

Need dB Review?

How About Reviewing Decibel Units, e.g. dB, dBm, dBw, dBu dBi, dBd Go to Appendix A1

Continue

List of Gains and Losses

Gains
n n n

Losses
n

Base Station Antenna Gain Mobile Antenna Gain Diversity Gains

Hardware
Combiner Cables Connectors Duplexer

Air Interface
Fade Margin Penetration Losses
In-car In-Building Body Loss

Antenna Gains

Mobile Station Antennas

Base Station Antennas

Portable antennas Mounted Vehicle Portable Phones typically have noPhones

Omni Directional

Directional Antenna

gain
-1 to 0 dBd 1-3dBd 0-9 dBd 9-14 dBd

Antenna Gain Units: dBi and dBd

Half-Wave Dipole /4
2 wire Balanced feed /4

dBi

is a unit to measure antenna gain in reference to an isotropic antenna. So: an isotropic antenna has a power gain of unity; i.e., 0 dBi.

dBd
is a unit to measure antenna gain in reference to a lossless HalfWave Dipole antenna. So, a lossless half-wave dipole antenna has a power gain of 0 dBd or 2.15 dBi.

G dBi = GdBd + 2.15 dB

Converting dBd to dBi

Diversity Gain
n

n n n

If we use multiple receiving antennas with certain spatial separation at the BS along with adaptive combining techniques we will have a diversity gain. Diversity gain should be considered in LBA whenever it is used. It is usually used at the base station. Sometimes it is used only for the receiving antennas.

Effective Radiated Power (ERP) Gantenna

ERP PA
Power Amplifier

LCCC

HardWare Losses

ERP=PA - Lccc + GAntenna

ERP vs. EIRP

n

ERP (Effective Radiated Power):

is the transmitted power with respect to a dipole antenna within a given geographic area.

EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power):

is the transmitted power with respect to a dipole antenna within a given geographic area.

EIRP(dBw) = ERP (dBw) + 2.15 (dB)

Converting ERP to EIRP

RF Components in a Typical Base Station

Lightning Arrestor TX/RX2

RX1

LNA

Top Jumper Cables Main Cable

High Power Amplifier

Receiver PA RX 1 RX 2
Duplexer

Connector

Receiver Multicoupler Combiner

Bottom Jumper Cables

Cable Loss

Jumper Cable

Main Cable

Cable

Size

Recommended Use

LDF4-50 LDF5-50 LDF6-50 LDF7-50 HJ12-50 HJ8-50B HJ9-50

1/2 inch Heliax Foam 7/8 inch Heliax Foam 1 1/4 inch Heliax Foam 1 5/8 inch Heliax Foam

Jumper Cables Main Cable < 55 m Main Cable < 75 m Main Cable < 90 m

Loss (per 100 ft. Loss (per 100 at 900 MHz) ft at 1800 MHz) 2.160 dB 1.210 dB 0.907 dB 0.750 dB 0.535 dB 0.510 dB 0.750 dB 1.97 dB 1.45 dB 1.25 dB

2 1/4 inch Air Dielectric Main Cable > 90 m 3 inch Air Dielectric 5 inch Air Dielectric Main Cable > 90 m Main Cable > 90 m

Connector Losses

oConnectors,

used to connect RF components, typically each have a loss of 0.1 dB. oIn US, a typical 50W connector is the N-type coaxial connector. whereas in Europe, it is the 7/16 DIN connector.

Combiner
Freq.1 Freq.2 Freq.3
Characteristic
Frequency Range (MHz)

A combiner is a device that enables several transmitters of different frequencies to transmit from the same antenna.

Cavity

Hybrid

806-960 806-1000 150 3.8 to 7.4 1.5:1

Continuous Input Power (W) 150 Insertion Loss (dB) Maximum VSWR 2 to 4.8 1.5:1

Duplexer

Duplexer Characteristic
Isolation (accross all 3 ports, with unused ports terminated at 50 ) Insertion Loss (across all ports) Power handling Input VSWR
n n

Value
> 60 dB 0.5 dB 500 W 1.5:1 (max)

A Duplexter enables us to simultaneously transmit and receive signals on the same antenna. It provides an isolation between the transmitted and received signals.

Coverage Environments

In-Car In-Building On-Street

Table of Penetration Losses

In Building Penetration (dB) In Car Penetration (dB) Body Loss (dB)
n

15-25 3-10 2-5

For all receiving environments a loss associated with the effect of users body on propagation has to be included. This effect is in the form of a few dB loss in both uplink and downlink directions

Contour Coverage Reliability

Normal Distribution

Due to various shadowing and terrain effects the signal level measured on a circle around the base station shows some random fluctuations around the estimated value given by the propagation model. This random signal level along the cell boundary has lognormal variations.

LogNormal Distribution
0 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.25 1 1.2 1.4 0.2 1.6 1.8 0.15 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 0.1 2.8 3 3.2 0.05 3.4 3.6 3.8 0 4 4.2 4.4 0.001031 0.001594 0.00242 0.00361 0.005291 0.007617 0.010774 0.014969 0.020432 0.027397 0.036089 0.046702 0.059369 0.074143 0.090962 0.10963 0.129801 0.150974 0.172508 0.19364 0.21353 0.231314 0.246164 0.6 1.5 2

%50
1.8 2.4 3.6 4.2 4.8 3

%50
5.4 6.6 7.2 7.8 8.4 9.6 6 9

-(x_ x)2 1 p(x) = exp[ ] 2 2 (2)1/2

n n

A lognormal random process when expressed in dBs has a normal i.e. Gaussian distribution. According to this distribution 50% of time the signal level is below its mean value. Therefore by setting the coverage threshold at any level L we can only ensure about 50% of coverage reliability.

1.2

Lognormal Fade Margin

0 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.25 1 1.2 1.4 0.2 1.6 1.8 0.15 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 0.1 2.8 3 3.2 0.05 3.4 3.6 3.8 0 4 4.2 4.4 0.001031 0.001594 0.00242 0.00361 0.005291 0.007617 0.010774 0.014969 0.020432 0.027397 0.036089 0.046702 0.059369 0.074143 0.090962 0.10963 0.129801 0.150974 0.172508 0.19364 0.21353 0.231314 0.246164 0.6 1.5 2

Fade Margin

%20
1.2 1.8 2.4 3

%80
3.6 4.2 4.8 5.4 6.6 7.2 7.8 8.4 9.6 6 9

n n

Therefore by setting the coverage threshold at any level L we can only ensure about 50% of coverage reliability. Usually contour coverage reliability of 70-80% is needed.. Therefore to assure e.g. %80 contour coverage reliability one has to shift the distribution toward higher signal levels so that the dashed area reduces to %20. This requires providing additional signal power called fade margin or lognormal margin.

Area Coverage Reliability

n n

Coverage design objectives are usually defined in terms of Area Reliability. Area Reliability is the percentage of area where the received signal is above the threshold. It can be thought of as the average of contour reliability's for all circles of radii r, 0 < r < R.

99% 97%

95%

94% 90%

From Area to Contour Reliability

Area Reliability
1 0.95 0.9 Area Reliability 0.85 0.8 0.75 0.7 0.65 0.6 0.55
0

/n

Contour Reliability
PX0 (R) = 0.95 0.9 0.85 0.8 0.75 0.7 0.65 0.6 0.55 0.5

0.5

/n

Fade Margin vs Contour Reliability

Contour Reliability Standard Deviation of Fade
20 18 16 Fade Margin in dB 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95

Fade Margin
=12 dB Standard
11 10 9 8 7 6

Deviation

Location Probability at Cell Contour ReliabilityEdge

Summary of Fade margin Calculation

n

For a given
standard deviation for the local mean , the propagation loss factor, n: Compute /n.

For the required area reliability and computed /n

Estimate coverage contour reliability from plot_I

n n

Use the contour reliability and the standard deviation and plot-II to estimate the fade margin Mfade. Enter the Mfade (fade margin) into the LBA work sheet to estimate the maximum path loss & coverage threshold.

Case Study I
n Example:

Check with Plots (I,II)

Let signal attenuation law be 40 dB per decade, i.e. n=2.5 Standard deviation of lognormal fading is estimated as 10 dB. Clients ask for 90% area reliability From Plot _I and /n=4 and 90% area reliability, contour reliability is 80%. From Plot_II with =10 and 80% contour reliability the fade margin is about 8.5 dB.

Case Study II
n Example:

Check with Plots (I,II)

Let signal attenuation law be 40 dB per decade, i.e. n=2.5 Standard deviation of lognormal fading is estimated as 10 dB. Clients ask for 90% area reliability From Plot _I and /n=4 and 90% area reliability, contour reliability is 80%. From Plot_II with =10 and 80% contour reliability the fade margin is about 8.5 dB.

Sample Fade/Log-normal Margin

Terrain Standard deviation (dB) Propogation Law Cell Boundary P(n) for 90% Coverage Fade Margin (dB)

Urban Suburban Rural

6 8 12

3.5-3.75

3.0-3.5 2.5-3.0

70 % 76 % 82 %

4 to 6 6 10

Fade Margin and Cell Coverage

Receiver Sensitivity
n

Receiver sensitivity
is the minimum acceptable input signal level in dBm, at the input of the receivers low noise amplifer, required by the system for reliable communication.

Carrier to Noise Ratio (CNR)

For a given FER, e.g. of about 1%, the each type of modulation and coding requires a minimum signal to noise ratio which at the bit level is stated as Eb/ N0.

RX

Thermal/Environmental Noise:
is a combination of
Antenna Noise (dBm) Receiver Noise Figure(NF) in dB Temprature and System Bandwidth

Receiver Sensitivity Calculation

(S/N)in

kTB All values are in dBs

Receiver NF

(S/N)out

( S N ) in = ( S N )out + NF Sin N in = ( S N )out + NF Sin = N in + ( S N )out + NF

Thermal Noise Noise Figure

Sin = 10 log( k T B ) + NF + ( S N ) out

RX Sensitivity Absolute Sensitivity

or Eb/No

Overview of Up-Link Budget Analysis

Starting with the reverse link n Find the Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL)
Start from MS maximum power Subtract all the losses in due to, RF components Subtract all the margins due to fading and interference for a given target loading Add all the gains in the path e.g. antenna and diversity gains Subtract the receiver sensitivity of the base station for a given FER The result is MAPL.

MAPL=PLUp = PAm --All Losses + All Gains --RXBase MAPL=PLUp = PAm All Losses + All Gains RXBase

Overview of LBA Forward Link

In the forward link: n For each channel
Compute the MS sensitivity for a given Eb/No requirement Add the reverse link path loss and add a path imbalance if needed Add/subtract all losses/gains not considered in the reverse link calculations The result is ERP of base station

Gains and Losses in UpLink

MS Antenna Gain/Loss

ERP
Body Loss PA In-Building/Car Penetration Loss Fade Margin Path Loss

GA

LCCC
RX

RXBase = PAm + GM - LBody - LBldg - MFade - PLUp + GB - LCCC PLUp = PAm + GM - LBody - LBldg - MFade- RXBase + GB - LCCC

Combiner, Cable & Connector Losses

Gains and Losses in Down Link

PA ERP

LCCC
Power Amplifier

Fade Margin

GB
Combiner, Cable & Connector Losses

Path Loss
In-Building/Car Penetration Loss Body Loss

RXMobile = PAB - LCCC + GB - MFade- PLDown - LBldg - LBody + GMMS Antenna

Gain/Loss

PAB = RXMobile + LCCC - GB + MFade + PLDown + LBldg + LBody - G M

RX

Cell Size/Count Estimation

n

Objective:
To determine the number of cells required to provide coverage for a given area.

Required Input:
Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL) Propagation Loss Model

Cell Size Estimatation

n

Using Hatas Empirical Formula

PL = 69.55 + 26.16 log10 f c 13.82 log 10 hb + ( 44.9 6.55 log 10 hb ) log10 R a ( hm )

Solve it backward to Cell radius estimate based on Hatas formula:

MAPL 69.55 2616log10 fc + 13.82log10 hb + a(hm ) . log10 R = 44.9 6.55log10 hb

Cell Count Estimation

Link Budget Analysis

Max Allowable Path Loss)

3 2 1 5 4 8 11 9 12 6 10 7

Estimate Cell Radius

Estimate Cell Count

Market Boundary

Outline

dB Unit for Gains and Losses

Decibell (dB) is a logarithmic unit for representing power gains and losses. n Gain Glinear=Pout/Pin is equivalent to GdB where Subsystem Pout Pin Pout GdB= 10 Log ( GLinear) =10 Log ( ) Pin
n

Examples:
A gain of 100 is equivalent to 20dB gain A 10 times attenuation in power = -10 dB loss

dB Units for Signal Power

n By

fixing P0 as a reference power, e.g.... to 1 Watt or 1Miliwatt, one can define similar units for power. n Examples:
(P) dBw = 10 log P/(1Watt) (P) dBm = 10 log P/(1mW)
P0
W mW

Name of unit Example Interpretation

dBw dBm 10dBw 20dBm 10:1 over 1W or 10W 100:1 over 1mW or 100 mW

Decibel in reference to a power unit

dB Units for Signal Level (Voltage)

n n n

dB is also a logarithmic unit for voltage gains and losses. Gain G=V/V 0 = g dB where g=20 log (P/P0) Since power is proportional to voltage squared the two definitions are consistent. Similarly by fixing V0 as a reference voltage, e.g.... to 1 volt or 1microvolt, one can define similar units for voltage. Examples:
(V) dBV = 10 log V/(1Volt) (V) dBu = 10 log V/(1W)
V0
V V

Name of the unit

dBv dBu

Example
20dBv 20dBu

Interpretation
10:1 over 1V or 10V 10:1 over 1V or 10 V

Decibel in reference to a voltage unit

Relation between dBv and dBw

n

Converting a voltage in dBV to its received power in dBm with 50 terminal impedance is given by:
0dBu =20log(V/V0) where V0 = 1 V 0dBu = 10 log[(10-6)2 (1000)/50]dBm = -107 dBm where P(mW) = V2/R * 1000 mW for R = 50 50

Converting a field strength in dBV/m to its received power in dBm with a 50 optimum terminal impedance and effective length of a half dipole: /.
0dBu = 10 log[(10-6)2 (1000)(/)2/(450)] dBm At 850MHz: 0dBu (=) -132 dBm 39dBu (=) -93 dBm 32dBu (=) -100dBm

Common Mistakes Regarding dB Units

dBm+dBm dB*dB dBm/dBm dBm+dB=dBm dBm-dB=dBm dB+dB=dB
n n n

Incorrect

Correct

Remember the difference between dB as a unitless measure of gain or loss and dBm as a unit of power or voltage. Also note that addition in the logarithmic scale e.g.... in dB domain is like multiplication in the linear scale. Therefore the following are meaningless and not correct:
Adding two signal levels in dBm domain. Multiplication of gains or losses expressed in dBs Looking at the ratio between two signal in dB domain.

dB to linear conversion & vice versa

n

Lets consider two signals

S1 with power P1 Watts or Q1 dBm S2 with power P2 Watts or Q2 dBm

From Watts to dBm

(Q1)dBm =10 log (P1 W/1mW)=10 log(103 P1)=30 + 10 log P1

n n

From dBm to Watts

(P1)mW= 10(Q1/10) and (P1)W=10-3 x 10(Q1/10)

Adding two signals has to be in the linear domain:

S1+S2 = P1 + P2 = 10 Q1/10+ 10 Q2/10 Q1 +Q2

The ratio between two signals or signal to noise ratio has to be calculated in the linear domain
S1/S2= P1 / P2 = (Q1-Q2) dBm Q1/Q2