Tower Mounted Amplifiers in GSM Systems

Application Note on noise figure improvements, estimated uplink range increase, and spreadsheet formulas By Mark Bowers

TABLE OF CONTENTS Comparison of GSM BTS Receive System with and without Tower Mounted Amplifiers Verification of Results Using Standard Noise Figure Computations Estimated Range Increase Using Tower Mounted Amplifiers Formulas for Inclusion of a TMA n a System Spreadsheet FIGURES Figure 1: System without TMA Figure 2: System with TMA TABLE Table 1: System Noise Figure Computations for Various TMA Configurations, Cable Feed Lengths, and BTS Noise Figures 4 2 3 1 4 5 7

COMPARISON OF GSM BTS RECEIVE SYSTEM WITH AND WITHOUT TOWER MOUNTED AMPLIFIERS The following graphs document the signal levels, noise levels, and signal-to-noise ratios at the antenna/receiver system of a GSM BTS system. In these viewgraphs, the system parameters include: 9 dB signal-to-noise ratio into the receiver for minimum acceptable BER out 200 kHz system bandwidth BTS receiver noise figure of 5 dB TMA noise figure of 2 dB, and a TMA gain of 12 dB Cable losses from the antenna to the BTS of 3 dB The system performance is limited by noise In the system WITHOUT a TMA, the required signal level out of the antenna is: 104 dBm. In the system WITH a TMA, the required signal level out of the antenna is: 109 dBm. In this example, the net system improvement using a TMA is: 5 dB.

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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Figure 1: System Without TMA

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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Figure 2: System with TMA

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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VERIFICATION OF RESULTS USING STANDARD SYSTEM NOISE FIGURE COMPUTATIONS

System Noise Figure without a TMA: Systems in which a loss element (for example, cable loss) precedes the first gain stage(s) have an overall noise figure that is computed by adding the input loss to the receiver noise figure, in dB. NF(system) = Loss + NF(receiver) = 3 dB + 5 dB = 8 dB = NF (system)

System Noise Figure with a TMA: The system noise figure of a system with cascaded gain or loss elements can be computed using the following formula:
1

F = F(1) + [F(2) - 1] / [G(1)] + [F(3) - 1] / [G(1) x G(2)] + Where F(n) is the noise figure of stage n (expressed numerically, not in dB) G(n) is the gain or loss of stage n (expressed numerically, not in dB) In this example: F(1) = F(TMA) = 1.6 (2 dB) F(2) = F(line loss) = 2 (3 dB) F(3) = F(BTS) = 3.1 (5 dB) G(1) = G(TMA) = 16 (12 dB) G(2) = G(line loss) = 0.5 (-3 dB)

F(system) = 1.6 + [ 2 -1 ] / (16) + [ 3.1 - 1 ] / (16 x 0.5) = 1.925 ===> NF(system) 3 dB

System Noise Figure Improvement = 8 dB -3 dB = 5 dB

Taub & Schilling, Principles of Communications Systems, McGraw-Hill, 1971.

Table 1: System Noise Figure Computations for Various TMA Configurations, Cable Feed Lengths, and BTS Noise Figures
BTS Noise Figure 7 dB TMA No TMA TMA at tower base Configuration 100 ft (1.5 dB) 8.5 dB 4.2 dB Cable Feed Length (Cable Loss) 150 ft (2.2 dB) 9.2 dB 4.9 dB 200 ft (2.8 dB) 9.8 dB 5.5 dB 250 ft (3.5 dB) 10.5 dB 6.0 dB

TMA at tower top

3.0 dB

3.1 dB

3.2 dB

3.4 dB

5 dB TMA

No TMA TMA at tower base

6.5 dB 3.9 dB

7.2 dB 4.6 dB

7.8 dB 5.2 dB

8.5 dB 5.9 dB

TMA at tower top

2.6 dB

2.6 dB

2.7 dB

2.8 dB

3 dB TMA

No TMA TMA at tower base

4.5 dB 3.7 dB

5.2 dB 4.4 dB

5.8 dB 5.0 dB

6.5 dB 5.7 dB

TMA at tower top

2.3 dB

2.3 dB

2.4 dB

2.4 dB

Assumptions:

- Calculated cable loss uses nominal cable loss for 1 5/8 coax of 1.3 dB/100, plus 0.1 dB per connector - Calculations use nominal TMA gain and noise figure of 12 dB and 2.0 dB, respectively.

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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ESTIMATED RANGE INCREASE USING TMAs The improvement in the system noise figure demonstrated in the following examples will yield an increase in the maximum range from the base station site over which the mobiles can operate. In the analysis below, the following assumptions are made:

The uplink (mobile-to-base) path is the limiting factor in the systems range The uplink system range is limited by noise The BTS receive system noise figure improves by 5 dB with the addition of a TMA

Range Equation: The most basic form of any RF range equation is:

Smin
where

Pt x Gt x Gr x c Rn

and

Pt is the transmitted power is the transmitting antenna gain Gt is the receiving antenna gain Gr c is a collection of constants [wavelength, (2)-m, etc.] is the range function rn n is the range power Smin is the minimum antenna signal for acceptable performance

Rearranging terms:

Rn
Or:

Pt x Gt x Gr x c Smin

[
=a

Pt x Gt x Gr x c Smin

For the comparison of uplink range in a system with and without TMAs, the Smin term in the denominator is of interest. In such a comparison, the terms in the numerator remain constant.
1/n

[ Pt x Gt x Gr x c ]

We can now further simplify the equation to:

a r
[ Smin ]
1/n

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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In the previous equation, the reduction in Smin and the range factor n will determine the estimated range improvement when a TMA is added to the system. The value of n varies depending on the environment. In free space, it is 2. However, in mobile communications systems, it varies from 3 at best, to over 4, depending primarily on polarization, angle of incidence of the RF path, surface reflectivity, and surface features (forests, open fields, suburban, or urban). For this example, n = 4 will be used for a conservative estimate of range increase. Previously, a 5 dB (0.31) decrease in the level of signal required for acceptable BER performance was calculated when a TMA was added to the system. Applying this to the following equation to determine the ratio of the estimated ranges with and without the TMA:

a rTMA
1/4 rNO TMA ]

[0.31 x Smin] 1/4 a [ Smin] 1/4

= 3.1

1.33

In this example, the use of a TMA has extended the operating range by an estimated 33%. (Note that actual results will vary depending on terrain factors. A complete analysis should also include computations of downlink budget.)

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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FORMULAS FOR INCLUSION OF A TMA IN A SYSTEM SPREADSHEET The following formulas are for entry into a spreadsheet calculation (for example, Excel) of system performance when a TMA is incorporated into the BTS site equipment. The following system parameters must be known:

The cable loss, L, in dB, between the TMA/antenna and the BTS. The BTS sensitivity, Smin(BTS), in dBm, for specified performance as specified at the input of the BTS (that is, without input cable losses). As an example, a GSM BTS typically would have 107 dBm sensitivity for an acceptable BER. The noise figure, NFBTS , in dB, of the BTS. (Alternatively, the receiver equivalent input S/N for the specified sensitivity can be used. This value may be harder to obtain from manufacturers or specification sheets.) The noise figure, NFTMA, and gain, GTMA, both in dB, of the TMA.

Formulas This series of computation will yield:

System noise figures with the TMA System sensitivity at the input of the TMA for the specified performance Sensitivity into the BTS receiver for the specified performance with the TMA installed System Noise Figure Formula

NFsys = 10 x log10

10exp ( L 10) 1 10exp ( GTMA 10)

10exp ( NFTMA 10) +

10exp ( NFBTS 10) 1 + 10exp ( GTMA 10) 1 x 10exp (-L 10)

Smin(TMA): System Sensitivity at the Input of the TMA Smin(TMA) = Smin(BTS) NFBTS + NFSYS Smin(BTS w/TMA): Sensitivity into the BTS with the TMA Installed Smin(BTS w/TMA) = Smin(TMA) + GTMA - L

Andrew Corporation 10500 W. 153rd Street, Orland Park, IL USA 60462 Bulletin TP-100261-EN (12/04) 2004 Andrew Corporation

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