Mobile Radio Propagation

Outline

Speed, Wavelength, Frequency

Types of Waves
Radio Frequency Bands
Propagation Mechanisms
Radio Propagation Effects
Free-Space Propagation
Path Loss
Two Ray Model
Fading: Slow Fading / Fast Fading
Delay Spread
Doppler Shift
Co-Channel Interference

Speed, Wavelength, Frequency

Light speed = Wavelength x Frequency
= 3 x 108 m/s = 300,000 km/s

System
AC current

Frequency
60 Hz

Wavelength
5,000 km

FM radio

100 MHz

3m

Cellular

800 MHz

37.5 cm

Ka band satellite

20 GHz

15 mm

Ultraviolet light

1015 Hz

10-7 m

Types of Waves

Ionosphere
(80 - 720 km)

Sky wave

Mesosphere
(50 - 80 km)
Stratosphere
(12 - 50 km)

Space wave
tter
i
m
s
Tran

Ground wave
Earth

Rece
iv

er

Troposphere
(0 - 12 km)
4

Radio Frequency Bands

Classification
Band
Extremely low
Infra low
Very low
Low
Medium

Initials

Frequency Range

ELF
ILF
VLF
LF
MF

< 300 Hz
300 Hz - 3 kHz
3 kHz - 30 kHz
30 kHz - 300 kHz
300 kHz - 3 MHz

High
Very high
Ultra high
Super high
Extremely high
Tremendously high

HF
VHF
UHF
SHF
EHF
THF

3 MHz - 30 MHz
30 MHz - 300 MHz
300 MHz - 3 GHz
3 GHz - 30 GHz
30 GHz - 300 GHz
300 GHz - 3000 GHz

Characteristics

Ground wave

Ground/Sky
wave
Sky wave

Space wave

Propagation Mechanisms
Reflection
Propagation wave impinges on an object which is large as
compared to wavelength
- e.g., the surface of the Earth, buildings, walls, etc.

Diffraction
Radio path between transmitter and receiver
obstructed by
surface with sharp irregular edges
Waves bend around the obstacle, even when LOS (line of sight)
does not exist

Scattering
Objects smaller than the wavelength of the
propagation wave
- e.g. foliage, street signs, lamp posts
6

Radio Propagation Effects

Building

Direct Signal
Reflected Signal

hb

Diffracted
Signal

Transmitter

hm
Receiver

Free-space Propagation

hb
hm
Transmitter

Distance d

Receiver

The received signal power at distance d:

Pr

AeGtPt
4d 2

where Pt is transmitting power, Ae is effective area, and Gt is the

transmitting antenna gain. Assuming that the radiated power is uniformly
distributed over the surface of the sphere.
8

Antenna Gain
For a circular reflector antenna
Gain G = ( D / )2
= net efficiency (depends on the electric field distribution over the
antenna aperture, losses, ohmic heating , typically 0.55)
D = diameter
thus, G = ( D f /c )2, c = f (c is speed of light)
Example:
Antenna with diameter = 2 m, frequency = 6 GHz, wavelength = 0.05 m
G = 39.4 dB
Frequency = 14 GHz, same diameter, wavelength = 0.021 m
G = 46.9 dB
* Higher the frequency, higher the gain for the same size antenna
9

Land Propagation
The received signal power:

Gt Gr Pt
Pr
L
where Gr is the receiver antenna gain,
L is the propagation loss in the channel,
i.e.,
L = LP LS LF

Fast fading
Slow fading
Path loss

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Path Loss (Free-space)

Definition of path loss LP :

Pt
LP ,
Pr
Path Loss in Free-space:

LPF (dB ) 32.45 20 log10 f c ( MHz ) 20 log10 d (km),

where fc is the carrier frequency.
This shows greater the fc , more is the loss.

11

Path Loss (Land Propagation)

Simplest Formula:

Lp = A d-
where
A and : propagation constants
d : distance between transmitter and receiver
: value of 3 ~ 4 in typical urban area

12

Example of Path Loss (Free-space)

13

Path Loss (Urban, Suburban and Open areas)

Urban area:
LPU (dB) 69.55 26.16 log10 f c ( MHz ) 13.82 log10 hb (m) hm (m)
44.9 6.55 log10 hb (m) log10 d (km)

where

1.1 log10 f c ( MHz ) 0.7 hm (m) 1.56 log10 f c ( MHz ) 0.8,

hm (m) 8.29 log10 1.54hm (m) 2 1.1, for f c 200MHz

,

2
3.2 log10 11.75hm (m) 4.97, for f c 400 MHz

Suburban area:

LPS (dB) LPU (dB ) 2 log10

Open area:

f c ( MHz )
28

for l arg e city

for small & medium city

5. 4

LPO (dB) LPU (dB ) 4.78 log10 f c ( MHz ) 18.33 log10 f c ( MHz ) 40.94
2

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Two Ray model or ground reflection

model

Path Loss
Path loss in decreasing order:

Urban area (large city)

Urban area (medium and small city)
Suburban area
Open area

16

Example of Path Loss (Urban Area: Large City)

Path Loss in Urban Area in Large City
180

fc=200MHz

Path Loss Lpu (dB)

170

fc=400MHz

160

fc=800MHz

150

fc=1000MHz

140

fc=1500MHz
fc=150MHz

130
120
110
100
0

10

20

30

Distance d (km)

17

Example of Path Loss

(Urban Area: Medium and Small Cities)
Path Loss in Urban Area for Small & Medium Cities

Path Loss Lpu (dB)

180
170

fc=150MHz

160

fc=200MHz

150

fc=400MHz

140

fc=800MHz

130

fc=1000MHz

120

fc=1500MHz

110
100
0

10

20

30

Distance d (km)
18

Example of Path Loss (Suburban Area)

Path Loss in Suburban Area
170

Path Loss Lps (dB)

160

fc=150MHz

150

fc=200MHz

140

fc=400MHz

130

fc=800MHz

120

fc=1000MHz

110

fc=1500MHz

100
90
0

10

15

20

25

30

Distance d (km)
19

Example of Path Loss (Open Area)

Path Loss in Open Area
150

Path Loss Lpo (dB)

140

fc=150MHz

130

fc=200MHz

120

fc=400MHz

110

fc=800MHz

100

fc=1000MHz
fc=1500MHz

90
80
0

10

15

20

25

30

Distance d (km)
20

Fading
Fast Fading
(Short-term fading)

Slow Fading
(Long-term fading)

Signal
Strength
(dB)

Path Loss
Distance
21

Slow Fading

The long-term variation in the mean level is known as slow fading

(shadowing or log-normal fading). This fading caused by shadowing.
Log-normal distribution:
- The pdf of the received signal level is given in decibels by

p M

1
e
2

M M

2 2

where M is the true received signal level m in decibels, i.e., 10log10m,

M is the area average signal level, i.e., the mean of M,
is the standard deviation in decibels

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Fast Fading
The signal from the transmitter may be reflected from
objects such as hills, buildings, or vehicles.
When MS far from BS, the envelope distribution of received signal
is Rayleigh distribution. The pdf is

r
p r 2 e

r2
2
2

, r 0

where is the standard deviation.

Middle value rm of envelope signal within sample range to be
satisfied by

P (r rm) 0.5.
We have rm = 1.777
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