Managing Successful Microwave System Deployment
Dr. Harvey Lehpamer, P.Eng, POWER Engineers, Inc.
Abstract Microwave links have been used by utilities
for diverse applications. There is no such thing as an
average microwave link for utilities. Every microwave
system is unique and requires careful planning and
execution. Costs may vary significantly from project to
project. This paper will briefly describe and discuss steps
required for the successful build-out of a microwave
system.
Index Terms Microwave Communications,
Reliability, Availability, Protection
I. INTRODUCTION
Electric and other utilities use microwave radio
communication systems for a variety of functions,
from common voice and data applications, to SCADA
and protective relaying, to security and maintenance
[1]. The role of microwave communications is to
provide reliable communications in places where
fiber-optic communications are either not available or
too expensive or when there is a need to increase
reliability of the fiber-optic system by providing
alternate physical connection.
II. MICROWAVE SYSTEMS
A. Basics of Radio Propagation
Figure 1 represents a typical high-level diagram of
a communication system using microwave links.
Figure 1 Chain of microwave links
Prepared for and presented at ENTELEC 2015, Houston, Texas
Clear line-of-sight (LoS) is a preferred propagation
mechanism in every radio network. Some systems
absolutely require clear LoS, while others can
function without it.
Terrestrial microwave point-to-point systems
operate under the assumption of a clear line-of-sight
(LoS) and require a clear first Fresnel zone (see Figure
2). The concept of the Fresnel ellipsoid is an integral
part of the terrestrial microwave point-to-point link
design.
The most common use of Fresnel zone information
on a profile plot is to check for obstructions that
penetrate the zone and calculate a possible
diffraction. Diffraction theory indicates that the direct
path between the transmitter and the receiver needs a
clearance of at least 60 percent of the radius of the
first Fresnel zone to achieve free-space propagation
conditions.
Figure 2 First Fresnel zone
Natural obstacles, like terrain and trees, and man-
made obstacles like buildings, wind farms [2], and
electric transmission towers have to be avoided
during the microwave link path design.
B. Microwave Radio Configurations
Microwave radios come in three different
configurations all-indoor, all-outdoor, and split
configuration (Figure 3).
From a design perspective, split configuration does
not use high-loss waveguide (especially at higher
frequencies) and can provide longer microwave links.
From a maintenance perspective, the all-indoor
configuration is generally considered to be the most
reliable and easiest to maintain, though it depends on
circumstances [3].
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 Unprotected microwave systems (1+0) are used for
lowest priority applications, those that can wait until
the system is repaired in case of hardware failure. An
extensive spare parts inventory should be available at
any moment, as well as a repair team that may need
to climb the tower to repair outdoor radio units.
Figure 3 Three types of microwave radio configurations
Protected microwave systems (1+1) double the
required radio equipment and offer protection
against hardware failures but do not protect
microwave links from radio propagation problems.
Redundant (protected) microwave links provide
higher reliability than unprotected microwave links,
but at higher cost since almost double the amount of
equipment is required.
C. Licensed vs. License-Exempt Microwave
Radio Systems
Terrestrial microwave point-to-point radio links
can be from a few miles to tens of miles long. They
operate in two major categories licensed, or license-
exempt frequency bands.
Radios that utilize the license-exempt bands
provide convenient solutions because they do not
require FCC registration and corresponding
operation fees. License-exempt frequency bands are
not coordinated and, therefore, are not given any
legal recourse by regulating bodies in the event of
interference. License-exempt radio systems can be
used for non-critical applications and/or as a
temporary solution.
Near urban areas it is common to use licensed
microwave radios to achieve increased reliability.
Licensed frequency bands are coordinated by
regulating bodies to ensure interference-free
operation.
D. Communication Channel Parameters
Some of the important parameters that need to be
considered when building digital communications
systems include: availability, latency (delay time),
resynchronization time, and bit error ratio.
Prepared for and presented at ENTELEC 2015, Houston, Texas
End-to-end availability; availability is a quotient
of the time when the system is considered operational
and the total time of observation. Availability of the
entire communication circuit depends on many
factors, from the physical transmission medium and
electronic equipment to human error. It is expressed
as a yearly percentage of time [4].
Increased reliability and availability of
communication systems can be achieved by a variety
of methods. Redundancy (Figure 4) is an acceptable
method and design approach that duplicates
components and/or systems to provide alternatives
in case one component and/or system fails [5].
In the case of microwave links, the commonly
quoted five nines (99.999%) availability requirement
refers only to the radio propagation part of the total
microwave system availability and does not include
hardware, maintenance, etc.
Figure 4 Redundant communication system
End-to-end latency; the protective relaying system
must be capable of dealing with the delays and delay
time variations of many digital systems. A difference
may exist between delay times in sending a signal
versus receiving a signal. Delay times can also change
when alternate signal paths (routing) are used.
Interruptions to the communication channel; the
system must be designed to be capable of
resynchronization following a switching operation on
the communication network. Simple switching
techniques require only a few milliseconds for
resynchronization, while others may take tens of
milliseconds.
Bit error ratio (BER); BER is a quotient of the bits
received in error and a total number of bits
transmitted. Excessive BER can cause unwanted
tripping of the relays. Excessive BER could be caused
by, among other things, high attenuation due to long
distances, hardware problems, radio propagation
problems, interference, etc.
The term availability can have different meanings to different
people and in different situations, so it needs to be well defined
from the start.
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 III. DEPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES jurisdiction over the following communication
facilities:
A. Microwave System Planning Activities Towers exceeding 200 feet in height.
Towers located within 20,000 feet of a major
Sign-off the Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) commercial or military airport.
with all parties (Customer, Vendors, Partners, Towers located within 10,000 feet of a general
etc.) involved in the project. aviation airport.
Meet with contractor(s), vendor(s) and/or
partner(s) and determine responsibilities for the The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
network planning, design, and deployment, requires all Federal agencies to consider
logistics and equipment ordering, project environmental impact. FCC rules implementing
management, document control, etc. NEPA requires the licensee to consider the potential
Perform high-level preliminary design using environmental effects from its construction of
maps/terrain data, and create preliminary BoM. antenna facilities or structures, and disclose those
Define the technical requirements, budget, effects in an Environmental Assessment (EA).
schedule, internal and external expertise The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is
requirements, etc. one of the federal environmental statutes
Complete the Responsibility Matrix (whos doing implemented in the FCC's NEPA rules. Under the
what). NHPA, federal agencies are required to consider the
effects of federal undertakings on historic sites.
B. Microwave System Design Activities The FCC requires applicants, licensees, and tower
owners (applicants) to consider the impact of
Define network architecture and topology. proposed facilities under the Endangered Species Act
Define capacity and bandwidth requirements for (ESA).
all the nodes and links.
Define hardware redundancy requirements. V. ENGINEERING SERVICES
Field work site and path surveys.
Complete path design and reliability calculations. Companies quite often face the challenge of
Complete detailed site engineering, including implementing large and/or complex communications
racks, cabinets, shelters, battery backup, towers, system for which, more often than not, they do not
etc. have the proper technical and managerial capacity in
FCC and FAA regulatory clearance and licenses. terms of experience, education, and available work
Other regulatory and environmental clearances. force.
RFQs, create a final BoM, order equipment. Many of the tasks can be given to contracting
and/or consulting companies. If a company already
C. Microwave System Installation has an internal engineering team, it would typically
hire a contractor to execute well known and repetitive
Installation includes all the field activities: engineering tasks (e.g., microwave link design).
Site acquisition (if required). Consultants are typically hired to help with complex
Tower erection or modification. problems, find new and unique solutions, or establish
Equipment staging, installation, and testing. teams of people to undertake projects for which the
Creation of As-built/Record documentation. company has no previous experience.
Acceptance testing and commissioning. A contractor can be a junior-level engineer with a
few years of engineering experience. A consultant
The installation team must have enough people would be expected to have many years of relevant
skilled in the different aspects of the microwave engineering experience. Expectations and pay would
project, i.e. installers, riggers, and commissioners to be significantly different in these two cases [6].
ensure that the project is completed in a professional
manner and on schedule. VI. PROJECT KICK-OFF MEETING

IV. REGULATORY CHALLENGES The project manager is most likely the first person
appointed if a new microwave system is being
Under authority granted by the Federal Aviation considered. It is all about expectations; the owner has
Act, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has expectations concerning delivery times, installation

Prepared for and presented at ENTELEC 2015, Houston, Texas Page 3

schedules, related costs, and equipment performance,
and the contractors have expectations concerning site
access, material delivery, and material suitability and
working schedules.
The project manager works through any
conflicting expectations by coordinating the owner's
desires with the contractor's abilities. When the
unexpected happens, the project manager adjusts
schedules and expectations.
The project manager must understand the basics of
the microwave system build-out process, know
which specialists need to be brought into the project,
and understand basic timeline and critical path
activities. Regardless of whether it is a new
microwave system or an upgrade or expansion of
existing facilities, microwave deployment (build-out)
is a multidisciplinary activity that involves a number
of specialized experts in their respective fields.
A kick-off meeting is a good opportunity for the
team to meet and see who else will be working on the
project. In addition, this is a good time to identify any
missing links in the project, i.e., equipment,
experts, or anything else that might have been
omitted by the project manager or previously thought
not to be required.
The project system engineer should be present at this
meeting, since this person will be responsible for
ensuring that the design and installation is performed
according to industry, customer, and supplier
standards and practices. The project engineer is the
key technical person on the project and has overall
responsibility for the technical integrity of the system
design provided.
VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Microwave systems can provide reliable
communication channels even on long routes of
hundreds of miles between sites. Microwave point-to-
point systems have been deployed by
telecommunications companies as well as electric and
other utilities long before optical fibers were invented
(in the 1960s) and became popular communication
media (in the 1980s).
Today, the role of microwave links is to provide
reliable communications in places where fiber-optic
communications are either not available or when
there is a need to increase reliability of the fiber-optic
system by providing an alternate physical connection.
Design, installation and testing have to be
performed by experienced people and reputable
contractors.
The project manager and project engineer should
work closely together, ensuring that all phases of the
Prepared for and presented at ENTELEC 2015, Houston, Texas
microwave deployment are executed as planned and
on time.
IX. AUTHOR INFORMATION
Dr. Harvey Lehpamer, P.Eng, is a licensed
Professional Engineer of the Province of Ontario,
Canada. He is working as a Senior Project Engineer at
POWER Engineers, Inc., San Diego, California.
He has published a number of technical articles
and books in the telecommunications arena,
including: Microwave Transmission Networks -
Planning, Design and Deployment, McGraw-Hill, and
Transmission Systems Design Handbook for Wireless
Networks, and RFID Design Principles, both Artech
House.
Dr. Lehpamer is teaching an on-line course
Microwave Transmission Engineering, at
University of California - Extension, San Diego, and
Utility Communications course at Gonzaga
University, Spokane. He can be reached at
harvey.lehpamer@powereng.com
X. REFERENCES
[1] Akyol, B.A., et al., A Survey of Wireless
Communications for the Electric Power System, Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory, prepared for the U.S.
Department of Energy, January 2010
[2] Lehpamer, H., Wind Farms and Microwave Links,
presented at ENTELEC, Houston, Texas, 2013
[3] Lehpamer, H., Microwave Transmission Networks
Planning, Design, and Deployment, 2nd ed., McGraw-
Hill, 2010
[4] Lehpamer, H., Transmission Systems Design
Handbook for Wireless Networks, Artech House, 2002
[5] WECC, Guidelines for the Design of Critical
Communications Circuits, 2013
[6] Lehpamer, H., How to Build a Reliable and Cost-
Effective Microwave Network, presented at ENTELEC,
Houston, Texas, 2006
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