Cogito Communications Limited Line of Site Link Planning

Microwave Link Planning

http://www.cogitocommunications.com

K. Bretherick
Cogito Communications Limited Line of Site Link Planning

Contents

1.0 Microwave Link Planning.....................................................3

1.1 Link Budget....................................................................3
1.2 Fresnel Zone..................................................................5
1.3 K - factor.......................................................................7
1.4 Rain Attenuation.............................................................9
1.5 Practical Examples of Radio Link Planning........................10

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1.0 Microwave Link Planning

1.1 Link Budget

One of the most important design features of a Microwave Link is

the "Link Budget" In recent years several software suites have been
produced that greatly simplify this process. However, in order to
understand the process we will discuss in more detail the various
stages in the "Link Budget" process.

The starting point of any Link Budget are the equipment parameters
of the intended microwave equipment to be used and these are;

RF output power usually expressed in dBm or Watts.

Receiver sensitivity usually expressed as a Bit Error Rate (BER)

against a given RF signal level, for example BER 10-3 -86 dBm.

Antenna to be used, this will usually have a stated gain, for

example 45 dBm. It should be noted that this gain is Isotropic and
not indicating any RF amplification.

The other major factor in calculating the Link Budget is the

operating frequency and the "Free Space Loss"

Frequency will be advised by the National Regularity Authority and

this will impact on the Manufacturers equipment parameters.

Free space loss can be expressed with the simple calculation below

LdB = 32.44 + 20 log D + 20 log f

Where LdB is the loss in dB

D is the distance in Km.
f is the transmit frequency.

Thus calculating the link budget is a simple exercise in arithmetic.

On the plus side:
 Transmitter Output Power.
 Antenna gain, near end + far end.

On the minus side:

 Free space loss
 wave guide losses, near end + far end.
 circulator losses, near end + far end.

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From our equipment parameters we can select the BER figure, 10-6
(errored seconds) or 10-3 ( severely errored seconds) this will then
give us a figure for our fade margin this is the difference from the
calculated figure and the BER signal level.

Antenna Antenna
Gain Gain

Free Space
Loss

Wave guide Wave guide

losses losses
Transmitter Receiver

Receiver
Threshold
Transmit
Output Power

Figure 1: Link Budget

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85
80
75
Elevation (meters)

70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Path Length (17.92 km)
SPF NEDEIA Frequency = 15000.0 MHz PPF BECHET
Latitude 043 50 42 N K = 1.33, 0.70 Latitude 043 45 00 N
Longitude 023 46 27 E %F1 = 60.00 Longitude 023 57 15 E
Azimuth 126.02 deg Azimuth 306.14 deg
Elevation 46 m ASL Elevation 25 m ASL
Antenna CL 30.0, 0.0 m AGL EIRCOM Antenna CL 30.0, 0.0 m AGL

snedpbec.pl3

Figure 2: Path Profile

1.2 Fresnel Zone

What is the Fresnel Zone? The Freznel Zone is the Microwave
energy that arrives at the receiving antenna 180 degrees or a half
wavelength out of phase with the direct wave determines the
boundary of what is called the first fresnel zone, as illustrated. For a
specific frequency, all points within a microwave link from which a
wave could be reflected with a total additional path length of one
half-wavelength, 180 degrees, form an ellipse that defines the first
Fresnel zone radius at every point along the path.

Calculated by:-

nd1 nd2
Fn = 17.3 fD

where
 d1 = Distance from one end of the path to the reflection point
Km.
 d2 = Distance from the other end of the path to the reflection
point Km.
 D = d1 + d2
o f = frequency Ghz
o n= number of fresnel zone 1st, 2nd, etc.
Normal excepted standard is that no obstacle should impinge within
0.7 of the first Fresnel zone radius. Any variation of this will result
in signal degradation.

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85
80
75
Elevation (meters)

70
65
60
55
50 D1
45 D2
40
35
30
25
20
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Path Length (17.92 km)
SPF NEDEIA Frequency = 15000.0 MHz PPF BECHET
Latitude 043 50 42 N K = 1.33, 0.70 Latitude 043 45 00 N
Longitude 023 46 27 E %F1 = 60.00 Longitude 023 57 15 E
Azimuth 126.02 deg Azimuth 306.14 deg
Elevation 46 m ASL Elevation 25 m ASL
Antenna CL 30.0, 0.0 m AGL EIRCOM Antenna CL 30.0, 0.0 m AGL

snedpbec.pl3

Figure 3: Freznel Zone

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1.3 K - factor
Radio waves travelling through the atmosphere do not follow true
straight lines. They are refracted or bent. They may also be
diffracted.

The velocity of an electromagnetic wave is a function of the density

of the media through which it travels. When this coincides with a
transition from one air mass density to an air mass with another
density the difference in refractive index results in the phenomena
of, refraction and diffraction.

The absolute bulge. The amount of earth bulge in metres at any

point may be determined by the formula:- refractive index of a
substance is its index with respect to a vacuum and is practically
the same value as its index with respect to air. It is the change in
the refractive index that determines the path of an electromagnetic
wave through the atmosphere, or how much the wave is bent from
a straight line.

To determine tower height, we must establish the position and

height of obstacles in the path between stations with which we want
to communicate by radio link systems. To each obstacle height, we
will add earth bulge. This is the number of feet or meters an
obstacle is raised higher in elevation (into the radio path) owing to
curvature or earth

h = 0.078 d1d2

This will give the earth bulge based on a unbent radio signal, as we
have stated above the radio signal is subjected to refraction and
diffraction, bending or K factor.

Atmospheric refraction may cause the ray beam to bend toward the
earth or away from the earth. If it is bent toward the earth, it is as
if we shrank earth bulge or lowered it from its true location. If the
beam is bent away from the earth, it is as if we expanded earth
bulge or raised it up toward the beam above its true value. This
lowering or raising is handled mathematically by adding a factor K
to the earth bulge equation It now becomes :-

h = 0.078 d1d2
K

Where K= effective earth radius

True earth radius

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If the K factor is greater than 1, the ray beam is bent toward the
earth, which essentially allows us to shorten radio link towers. If K
is less than 1, the earth bulge effectively is increased, and the path
is shortened or tower height must be increased.

Most designers within the industry refer to "normal refraction" and

equate this to a K factor of 4/3 or 1.33. This follows a "rule of
thumb" that applies to refraction in that a propagated wave front
bends toward the region of higher density, that is, toward the
region having the higher index of refraction.

One should be careful when using a K factor of 1.33 at all times

especially on radio links over water. In order to cater for variations
from the 1.33 norm most path profiles will allow the use of more
than one K factor in these cases the norm is to stipulate K factors of
0.7 and 1.33.

It can bee seen therefore that there are many factors that influence
the "Height" of radio path obstacles, they are summarised below.

Radio Link
Obstructed

Fresnel Zone
K Factor

Earth Bulge

Flat Earth
Figure 4: Factors associated with height

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1.4 Rain Attenuation

This is the final factor that has to be taken into consideration in

radio link design. In general frequencies below 10 Ghz rain
attenuation is considered insignificant. However, above this figure
and rain starts to become a major consideration in the attenuation
of radio signals.

As the reader will realise the incidence and severity of precipitation

varies across the world. as a consequence th ITU and others, most
notably Crane, have produced world maps with tables outlining the
type of climate to be expected. From these tables engineers can
factor in the expected rain patterns and identify expected signal loss
due to rain. This can be anything from 0.001 dB/Km to over 1
dB/Km.

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1.5 Practical Examples of Radio Link Planning

90

80

70
Elevation (meters)

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Path Length (20.10 km)
PPF GALAT I RUT IER Frequency = 15000.0 MHz SPF SIVIT A
Latitude 045 27 46 N K = 1.33, 0.70 Latitude 045 36 32 N
Longitude 028 11 58 E %F1 = 60.00 Longitude 028 02 52 E
Azimuth 323.94 deg Azimuth 143.83 deg
Elevation 1 m ASL Elevation 15 m ASL
Antenna CL 30.0 m AGL EIRCOM Antenna CL 65.0 m AGL

pgarssiv.p l3

Figure 5: Path Profile

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pgarssiv.pl3 PPF GALATI RUTIER SPF SIVITA

Elevation (m) 1.22 15.31

Latitude 045 27 46 N 045 36 32 N
Longitude 028 11 58 E 028 02 52 E
Azimuth 323.94 143.83

Antenna Type 15-E 0.3 15-E 0.3

Antenna Height (m) 30.00 30.00
Antenna Gain (dBi) 32.00 32.00
Radome Loss (dB) 0.50 0.50

Frequency (MHz) 15000.00

Polarization Vertical
Path Length (km) 20.10
Free Space Loss (dB) 142.05
Field Margin (dB) 1.00
Atmospheric Absorption Loss (dB) 0.56
Net Path Loss (dB) 80.62 80.62

Radio Type Model 15-E 15-E

TX Power (watts) 0.06 0.06
TX Power (dBm) 18.00 18.00
Effective Radiated Power (dBm) 49.50 49.50
RX Threshold Criteria BER 10-6 BER 10-6
RX Threshold Level (dBm) -84.00 -84.00
Maximum Receive Signal (dBm) 20.00 20.00

RX Signal (dBm) -62.62 -62.62

Thermal Fade Margin (dB) 21.38 21.38

Geoclimatic Factor 1.26E-04

Grazing Angle (mr) 2.56
Path Inclination (mr) 0.70
Average Annual Temperature (deg C) 5.00

Diversity Type Non Diversity

Worst Month Multipath 1 way (sec) 1077.21 1077.21
Worst Month Multipath 1 way (%) 99.959010 99.959010
Annual Multipath 1 way (sec) 2649.95 2649.95
Annual Multipath 1 way (%) 99.991597 99.991597
Annual Multipath 2 way (%-sec) 99.983194 - 5299.90

Rain Region CCIR Region K

Rain Rate (mm/hr) 34.39
Rain Attenuation (dB) 21.35
Annual Rain 2 way (%-sec) 99.984475 - 4895.82
Annual Multipath + Rain (%-sec) 99.967670 - 10195.72

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