Owj101107 Wcdma RNP Antenna Type Selection Issue1.1

Course OWJ101107
WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection

ISSUE 1.1

OWJ101107 WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection ISSUE1.1 Table of Contents

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Table of Contents
Course Description........................................................................................................................... 1
Course Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1
Targets of the course .................................................................................................................. 1
References.................................................................................................................................. 1
Chapter 1 Overview.......................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Antenna Classification........................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Major Technical Performances of the Antenna..................................................................... 2
1.2.1 Frequncy Bands ......................................................................................................... 2
1.2.2 Gain ............................................................................................................................ 2
1.2.3 Pattern ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.2.4 Relationship between Beam Width and Gain............................................................. 5
1.2.5 Polarization Type........................................................................................................ 6
1.2.6 Downtilt ....................................................................................................................... 7
1.2.7 Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) ...................................................................... 7
1.2.8 Port Isolation............................................................................................................... 8
1.2.9 Max Power.................................................................................................................. 8
1.2.10 Connector Type........................................................................................................ 8
1.2.11 Passive Inter-modulation (PIM) ................................................................................ 8
1.2.12 Antenna Size and Weight ......................................................................................... 8
1.2.13 Wind Load ................................................................................................................ 9
1.2.14 Working Temperature and Humidity......................................................................... 9
1.2.15 Lightning Protection.................................................................................................. 9
1.2.16 Three-Proof Capability.............................................................................................. 9
Chapter 2 Antenna Type Selection ............................................................................................... 10
2.1 Guidelines for Frequency Bands Selection......................................................................... 10
2.1.1 Outdoor Antennas .................................................................................................... 10
2.1.2 Indoor Antennas ....................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Guidelines for Gain Selection.............................................................................................. 10
2.3 Guidelines for Beam Width Selection ................................................................................. 11
2.4 Guidelines for Polarization Type Selection ......................................................................... 11
2.5 Guidelines for Downtilt Type Selection ............................................................................... 11
2.5.1 Comparison between Mechanical Downtilt and Electrical Downtilt.......................... 11
2.5.2 Comparison between Fixed Electrical Downtilting and Null Filling........................... 13
2.5.3 Planning and Optimization of Downtilt Angle ........................................................... 13
2.6 Guidelins for Front-to-back Ratio Selection ........................................................................ 14
2.7 Guidelins for Antenna Size Selection.................................................................................. 14
2.8 Guidelins for Antenna Impedance Selection....................................................................... 14
2.9 Guidelines for Antenna Selection at Special Occasions..................................................... 15
Chapter 3 WCDMA Antenna Type Selection at Different Scenarios.......................................... 17
3.1 WCDMA Antenna Type Selection for Urban Coverage...................................................... 17
3.2 NodeB Antenna Type Selection for Suburb Coverage ....................................................... 18
3.3 NodeB Antenna Type Selection for Rural Areas ................................................................ 18
3.4 Antenna Type Selection for Highway Coverage ................................................................. 19
3.5 Antenna Type Selection for Rural Coverage ...................................................................... 20
3.6 Antenna Type Selection for Offshore Coverage ................................................................. 21
3.7 Antenna Type Selection for Tunnel Coverage.................................................................... 21
3.8 Antenna Type Selection for Indoor Coverage..................................................................... 22

OWJ101107 WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection ISSUE1.1 Course Description


1
Course Description
Course Introduction
Targets of the course
References

OWJ101107 WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection ISSUE1.1 Chapter 1 Overview


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Chapter 1 Overview
Antenna is the interface between a radio transceiver and free space. Antenna can both
emit and receive radio waves at the same time. When emitting radio waves, it converts
the high-frequency currents into electromagnetic waves; when receiving radio waves, it
converts electromagnetic waves into high-frequency currents.
Network coverage is finally realized through antennas. Therefore, the network
coverage quality and interference control depend largely on the correctness of antenna
type selection.
1.1 Antenna Classification
Similar with antennas of GSM base stations, WCDMA antennas can also be classified
into omni antennas and directional antennas according to the feature of pattern.
Based on the polarization mode, antennas can be classified into vertical polarization
antennas (also called mono-polarization antennas) and cross polarization antennas
(also called dual polarization antennas).
According to the outlines, antennas can be classified into whip antennas, plate
antennas and cap antennas.
1.2 Major Technical Performances of the Antenna
The technical performances of an antenna include: frequency bands, gain, polarization
type, beam width, electrical downtilt angle, the downtilt adjustment range, front-to-back
ratio, side lobe suppression , null filling, return loss, max power , impedance and third
order intermodulation. The mechanical performances include: size, weight, connector
type and wind load.
1.2.1 Frequncy Bands
Frequency bands of WCDMA system:
1. For Europe and China
Uplink: 1920 ~ 1980 MHz
Downlink: 2110 ~ 2170 MHz
2. For North America
Uplink: 1850 ~ 1910 MHz
Downlink: 1930 ~ 1990 MHz
1.2.2 Gain
As a passive device, antenna itself cannot increase the energy of emitted signals. It
only can centralize the energy to a certain direction by combining the antenna dipoles


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and changing their feeding mode. Gain is one of the most important parameters of an
antenna. It indicates the antennas capability of centralizing energy to a certain
direction. Two units are often used to antenna gain: dBi and dBd. The relationship
between them is shown as follows:
0 2.15 dBd dBi (0.1)
dBi is defined as the energy centralizing capability of the actual directional antenna
(including omni antenna) in relation to isotropic antennas. i stands for isotropic.
dBd is defined as the energy centralizing capability of the actual directional antenna
(including omni antenna) in relation to dipole antennas, and d stands for dipole.
The relationship between the two units for antenna gain is illustrated as follows:

Figure 1-1 Relationship between dBi and dBd
The antenna gain is not only related to the quantity of dipole units, but also related to
the horizontal beam width and vertical beam width.
1.2.3 Pattern
The graph describes the distribution of electromagnetic field of the antenna emission
along the fixed distance on the angular coordinates is called pattern. A pattern
presented by emission field intensity is called field intensity pattern, a pattern presented
by power density is called power density pattern, and a pattern presented by phase is
called phase pattern.
The antenna pattern is a three-dimension graph, but it usually appears as two patterns
in two planes perpendicular to each other, called plane patterns. In general, they are
called vertical pattern and horizontal pattern. There are some special directional
antennas such as heart-shape antenna and 8-shape antenna.
The directionality of an antenna is obtained by means of arrangement of dipoles and
change of the feeding phase of each dipole. This is very similar to the interference
effect of light. Therefore energy will be enhanced in certain directions, while weakened
in other directions, forming lobes (or beams) and nulls. The lobe with the strongest
energy is called main lobe, the upper and lower lobes with the second strongest energy
are called first side lobes, and so on. In case of directional antennas, back lobes exist.
The horizontal and vertical patterns of a directional antenna are as follows:


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Figure 1-2 The horizontal and vertical patterns of a directional antenna
The beam width (also called semi-power angle) includes the horizontal beam width
and vertical beam width. They are defined as the beam width between two points in
horizontal direction and vertical direction respectively which the power are half of the
max emission power. Common horizontal beam widths of NodeB antenna include 360,
90, 65, 60 and 33, and common vertical beam widths include 6.5, 7, 10, 13 and
16.
Front-to-back ratio: It refers to the signal emission strength ratio between the main
lobe direction and back lobe direction, namely the difference between the side lobe
level beam within 180 30 of the antenna backward direction and the maximum beam,
presented by a positive value. In general, the front-to-back ratio is within 18 ~ 45dB. For
dense urban areas, antennas with large front-to-back suppress ratios should be used in
priority.
Null filling: In case of shaped beam design in the vertical plane of a NodeB antenna, in
order to make the emission level in service area more uniform, the first null of lower
side lobe should be filled. As the vertical beam width of high-gain antenna is narrow, the
coverage quality of such antennas in the nearby zone should in particular be improved
by using null-filling antennas. If null depth is greater than -26dB in relation to the main
beam, it means that null filling is used. Some suppliers use percentage to represent null
filling. For example, if the value of null filling is 10%, the relationship between these two
methods is shown as follows:
Side lobes
Nulls
Main lobe
Main lob
max value
Null filling
5dB/scale
Vertical pattern
Front-to-
rear ratio
Horizontal
semi-power angle
5dB/scale Horizontal pattern
-3dB


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( ) ( ) 20 lg % 100% Y dB x (0.2)
For example: If null filling is 10%, X=10, then
( ) 20 lg 10% 100% 20 dB Y
Upper side lobe suppression: In order to improve the efficiency of frequency reuse
and reduce co-channel interference to adjacent cells in micro cell system, the upper
side lobe of antennas should be kept as low as possible when designing the antennas
with beam shaping technology as high side lobe can affect adjacent cells and enhance
the D/U value (strength ratio between useful and useless signals). The first upper side
lobe level should be less than -18dB in relation to the main beam. As for a macro cell
system, there is no such a requirement.
1.2.4 Relationship between Beam Width and Gain
An antenna is an energy-centralizing device. The enhancement of emission in one
direction means the reduction of emission in other directions. In general, we can
enhance the emission strength in a certain direction by reducing the horizontal lobe
width so as to increase the antenna gain. Under a given antenna gain, the horizontal
beam width is in reverse proportion with the vertical beam width, as shown below:
( ) 10 lg 32400
a
G 1
]
(0.3)
Where, G
a
refers to antenna gain, unit: dBi;

refers to the vertical beam width, unit: degree .
refers to the horizontal beam width, unit: degree.
Based on the formula above, when we already know the gain and horizontal beam
width of an antenna, we can estimate its vertical beam width.
For example: If the gain of an omni antenna is 11dBi, and the horizontal beam width is
360, the vertical beam width is:
1.1
32400
7.15
360 10
o

(0.4)
Because of differences in design and manufacturing, the actual vertical beam width of
omni antenna is usually smaller than that of calculation result. The less the difference is,
the better the design is .
Take a dipole antenna as example, the relationship among antenna gain, vertical beam
width and horizontal beam width is shown as follows:


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Figure 1-3 The relationship between antenna gain and beam widths
Therefore, when the antenna gain is low, the vertical beam width and the horizontal
beam width are usually big; when the antenna gain is high, the vertical beam width and
the horizontal beam width are usually small.
In addition, the antenna gain depends on the number of dipoles. The more dipoles, the
higher gain and bigger aperture of the antenna ( the effective receiving area). For omni
antennas, when the gain increases by 3dB, the antenna length increases by one time.
Therefore the gain of omni antenna will not exceed 11dBi generally.
1.2.5 Polarization Type
Polarization is a concept describing the vector direction of electric field of
electromagnetic wave. Unless otherwise specified, the direction of electric field vector
is the polarization direction of electromagnetic wave. Here, the polarization of antenna
refers to the vector direction of electric field along the direction of maximum emission of
the antenna.
If the direction of the electric field vector does not change at any time, the
electromagnetic wave is called linear polarization wave. With the ground as a reference
plane, if the electric field vector is parallel to the ground, the electromagnetic wave is
Vertical
Horizontal semi-power lobe width
Gain (dB)


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called horizontal polarization wave. Sometimes, the electric field vector is not fixed, and
the pathway that the vector endpoint works out is a circle. In this case, the
electromagnetic wave is called circular polarization wave. If the pathway is an ellipse,
the wave is called elliptical polarization wave. Both elliptical polarization wave and
circular polarization wave have the rotating feature.
The electromagnetic waves of different bands propagate in different polarization modes.
Mobile communications systems usually use vertical polarization, while the broadcast
systems usually use horizontal polarization. Elliptical polarization is generally used in
satellite communication systems.
Two polarization types of WCDMA antennas include single polarization and dual
polarization. They both are linear polarization antennas. Single polarization antennas
in WCDMA system adopt vertical polarization, while dual polarization antennas use
polarization diversity to minimize the negative effect of multi-path fading in the mobile
communication system so as to improve the quality of receiving signals. Dual
polarization antennas in the WCDMA system usually are designed with the 45 cross
polarization type.
1.2.6 Downtilt
Antenna downtilt is an important method to strengthen the signal level of the main
service area and reduce interference to other cells. The downtilt modes include
mechanical downtilt, fixed electrical downtilt and adjustable electrical downtilt
(electrically controlled antenna). Mechanical downtilt refers to setting the downtilt angle
by adjusting the antenna bracket . Electrical downtilt refers to controlling the downtilt
angle by changing the phase of the dipole. The electrical downtilt angle of a fixed
electrical downtilt antenna cannot be changed after the antenna leaves the factory,
while the downtilt angle of an electrically controlled antenna can be changed.
Mechanical downtilt and electrical downtilt can be applied together.
1.2.7 Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR)
For a base station antenna, the maximum VSWR should be below 1.5:1. Assume that
Z
A
is the input impedance of antenna and Z
0
is the nominal characteristic impedance
(Z
0
of WCDMA antenna is 50), then the reflection coefficient at the input port of
antenna is:
0
0
A
A
Z Z
Z Z

+
(0.5)
1
1
VSWR
+

(0.6)
Return loss (R.L.) can also indicates the matching characteristic of the port. Return loss
is calculated as follows:
. .( ) 20 lg R L dB (0.7)
When VSWR is 1.5:1, R.L. is 13.98dB.
When the input impedance is not consistent with the characteristic impedance, the
reflected wave and the incident wave overlap on the feeder and form standing wave.


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The ratio between the maximum value and the minimal value of the total voltage is
VSWR. If the VSWR is too big, the communications range will be shortened.
1.2.8 Port Isolation
For multi-port antennas, such as dual polarization antennas, and dual band and dual
polarization antennas, the isolation between ports should be greater than 30dB. For the
case of inter-system sharing, the isolation between inter-system ports should more
than 30dB. Normally, more than 40dB is recommended.
1.2.9 Max Power
It refers to the average power and not peak power . An antenna includes coupling
devices such as matching device, balancing device and phase shift device. Their
bearing power is limited. In view of the actual maximum output power of NodeB
(single-carrier power is 20W), if one port of the antenna supports the input of 4 carriers,
then the maximum input power of the antenna will be 80W. Therefore, the single-port
power handling of the antenna should be greater than 150W (When the ambient
temperature is 65C).
1.2.10 Connector Type
In order to guarantee passive inter-modulation performance and reliability of RF
connection, the connector type should be 7/16 DIN-Female type. Before an antenna is
installed, there should be a closure cap on the connector to prevent oxidation and
ingression of impurities.
1.2.11 Passive Inter-modulation (PIM)
The passive inter-modulation refers to the inter-modulation effect caused by the
passive components such as connector, feeder, antenna and filter due to the
non-linearity of the components themselves when they work under the condition of
high-power signals of multiple carriers. In general, the passive components are
considered to be linear, but under high-power conditions, all passive components are
somewhat non-linear. The causes are as follows: metals made of different materials
contact one with another, the contact surface of the same material is not smooth, the
connection is not firm; and magnetic materials exist.
The existence of inter-modulation products will cause interference to the
communications system. Especially the inter-modulation product falling in the
receiving band will degrade the receiving performance of the system. So there are strict
requirements for the inter-modulation characteristic of passive components such as
connectors, cables, and antennas. The requirements are as follows: The passive
inter-modulation of connector is -150dBc, the passive inter-modulation of cables is
-170dBc, and the passive inter-modulation of antennas is -150dBc.
1.2.12 Antenna Size and Weight
In order to facilitate storage, transportation and installation and ensure the safety, an
antenna should be smaller in size and more light in weight while its electrical
performance is good enough.
At present, operators are more and more picky about the size, weight and appearance
of antennas. So when selecting antennas, we should pay special attention not only to


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the technical parameters, but also to those non-technical factors. WCDMA antennas in
urban areas should be small in size and light in weight and eye attracting, while there
are no such a requirements for antennas in the suburbs and rural areas.
1.2.13 Wind Load
Antennas are usually installed on top of high buildings or iron towers, where the wind is
very strong all the year, especially in coastal areas. Therefore antennas should be able
to work normally at the wind speed of 36m/s and should not be damaged at the wind
speed of 55m/s.
Antennas themselves can normally endure strong wind. In areas with strong wind,
antennas are usually damaged because of iron towers or mono-poles. Therefore in
such areas, antennas with small surface area should be used.
1.2.14 Working Temperature and Humidity
Antennas should be able to work normally at the environment temperature range of
-40C to 65C and within the relative humidity range of 0 to 100%.
1.2.15 Lightning Protection
All the RF input ports of antennas must be grounded directly with DC.
1.2.16 Three-Proof Capability
Antennas should have the three-proof capability, namely: damp proof, salt mist proof
and dust proof.
OWJ101107 WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection ISSUE1.1 Chapter 2 Antenna Type Selection


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Chapter 2 Antenna Type Selection
2.1 Guidelines for Frequency Bands Selection
2.1.1 Outdoor Antennas
Outdoor antennas should be wideband antennas with frequency band 1710 ~
2170MHz . It is helpful to reduce the number of antenna types (reduce the procurement
cost) while such antennas can serve both WCDMA and DCS systems simultaneously.
Although wideband antennas are selected exclusively, for urban coverage, the
strategies and principles for WCDMA network optimization are largely different from
those for DCS1800. If the WCDMA and DCS systems share antennas, there will be
mutual influences in the optimization of the two systems. Therefore, for urban coverage,
antenna sharing for WCDMA and DCS systems is not recommended.
2.1.2 Indoor Antennas
In general, indoor distribution systems all involve antenna sharing requirement, so the
compatibility between forward (GSM/DCS) and backward (WLAN) should be
considered in antenna selection. Therefore the antennas for indoor distribution
systems should be wideband antennas (800 ~ 2500 MHz).
For Green Field operators like China Telecom, wideband antennas are also
recommended. An important reason is that DCS bands after clearing may be adopted
in new mobile communications modes in the future.
2.2 Guidelines for Gain Selection
The gain of outdoor omni antennas is usually within the range of 2~11dBi, the gain of
indoor omni antennas is usually within the range of 0~8dBi, and the gain of outdoor
directional antennas is within the range of 3~22dBi.
Low-gain antennas are usually used for micro cellular networks for indoor coverage
and coverage of outdoor hot spots. This kind of antenna is small in size and easy to
install.
Mid-high-gain antennas are suitable for urban areas (the system simulation results
from HUAWEI network planning department shows that antennas with higher gain can
better control interference). The horizontal beam width of this kind of antennas is
generally 65.
High-gain antennas are suitable for wide coverage. They are applied for coverage of
highways, railways, tunnels and long and narrow landforms. The horizontal beam width
of this type of antennas is normally 33 or lower, resulting in many nulls. Therefore, if
the antenna installation height is very high, antennas with null filling or fixed electrical
downtilt should be selected to avoid null depth effect on the near-end coverage
(tower-bottom shadow effect). In addition, this type of antenna has many dipoles and
the volume is very large, so we should pay attention to the installation feasibility and
wind load.


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2.3 Guidelines for Beam Width Selection
Selection of beam width includes selection of width of horizontal beam and vertical
beam, which are closely related.
In urban areas, for 3-sector configuration , antennas with 65 horizontal beam width are
recommended. For 6-sector configuration, antennas with 33 horizontal beam width
are recommended. In suburbs, antennas with 90 horizontal beam width are
recommended for 3-sector configurtion.
After determining the horizontal beam width, select the vertical beam width based on
the requirements for gain and interference control. The narrower the vertical lobe is, the
higher the antenna gain will be, and the better the directionality will be (it is easier to
control interference). However, the null depth will be more obvious. The fixed electrical
downtilt technology and null filling technology should be used.If the narrower the
vertical lobe is, the longer, heavier and more expensive the antenna will be. In this case,
we should consider the installation feasibility of the antennas.
2.4 Guidelines for Polarization Type Selection
From the signal emission point of view, mobile stations match the vertical polarization
signals more easily because perpendicular to the ground; vertical oolarization
antennas give better coverage effect than any other non-vertical polarization antennas,
especially in open mountainous areas and rural areas. Tests show that the vertical
polarization antennas give better coverage effect than dual polarization (45)
antennas in open mountainous areas and rural areas. However, in urban areas, due to
large number of dense buildings, the electromagnetic waves are reflected from the
surfaces of the buildings many times. Metal objects and metal oxide film plated glass all
cause polarization rotation, so there is no obvious difference between vertical
polarization antennas and 45 polarization antennas in the coverage ability.
From the receiving point of view, because two vertical polarization antennas must be
for diversity receiving, while only one dual polarization antenna can do this, so single
polarization antennas need more installation space and more maintenance work than
dual polarization antenna do. In addition, there is no difference between space diversity
gain and polarization diversity gain in urban areas. As the antenna size is concerned, a
dual polarization antenna is not bigger than a single polarization in size.
Suggestion: For urban coverage, 45 dual polarization antennas are preferred; for
suburbs, rural areas and highways, vertical polarization antennas are preferred.
2.5 Guidelines for Downtilt Type Selection
2.5.1 Comparison between Mechanical Downtilt and Electrical Downtilt
Three ways and their combinations are usually used for antenna beam downtilt:
Mechanical downtilt, fixed electrical downtilt and electrically controlled downtilt (for
electrically controlled antennas). During adjustment of the electrically controlled
antenna downtilt angle, the antenna itself will not move, but the phase of the antenna
dipole is adjusted. The emitted signal power from the antenna is increased or
decreased equally in every direction so that there will be little change in the antenna
pattern after the downtilt angle is changed. The horizontal semi-power width is
unrelated with the downtilt angle. However, during mechanical adjustment of the
downtilt angle, the antenna itself will be moved. It is necessary to change the downtilt


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angle by adjusting the bracket of the antenna. When the downtilt angle is very large,
although the coverage distance in the main lobe direction changes obviously, yet
signals in the direction perpendicular to the main lobe almost keep not change, the
antenna pattern deforms seriously, and the horizontal beam width becomes greater as
the downtilt angle is increased. A fixed electrical downtilt antenna is similar to an
electrically controlled antenna in working principle, but its downtilt angle can not be
adjusted electrically.
The advantages of an electrically controlled antenna are as follows: When the downtilt
angle is very large, the coverage distance in the main lobe direction will be shortened
obviously and the antenna pattern will not remarkably change, so the interference can
be reduced. On the other hand, mechanical downtilting may deform the pattern. The
larger the angle is, the more serious the deformation is. Hence it is difficult to control the
interference. The change of horizontal patterns under the two adjustment ways is
shown in Figure 2-1. Certainly, it is related to the vertical beam width.

Figure 2-1 Changes of the horizontal pattern in case of different downtilt angles
In addition, electrically controlled downtilting and the mechanical downtilting have
different influence on the back lobe. Electrically controlled downtilting allows further
control of the influence on the back lobe, while mechanical downtilting enlarges the
influence on the back lobe, as shown in Figure 2-2:

Figure 2-2 Different influences of different downtilt modes on back lobe
If the mechanical downtilt angle is very large, the emission signals of the antenna will
propagate to high buildings in backward direction through the back lobe, thus resulting
in additional interference.
In addition, during network optimization, management and maintenance, when we
need to adjust the downtilt angle of an electrically controlled antenna, it is unnecessary
Electr. downtilt Mechanical downtil
Back lobe
peak value l
Mechanical
downtilt
Horizontal
pattern
Main lobe
peak value
Rotation axis
Back lobe
peak value
Electr.
downtilt
Main lobe
peak value
Horizontal
pattern


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to shut down the entire system. So we can monitor the adjustment of the antenna
downtilt angle using special test equipment for mobile communication, so as to ensure
the optimum value of the downtilt angle value of the antenna. The step degree of
downtilt adjustment of an electrically controlled antenna is 0.1, while that of a
mechanical antenna is 1 or bigger. After installing an electrically controlled antenna,
the maintenance personnel can adjust the downtilt angle on the ground, without
climbing to the antenna installation position. The maintenance personnel can also
monitor and adjust remotely NodeB antennas on high mountains and in remote areas.
During mechanical adjustment of the downtilt angle, the power amplifier of the cell
should be shut down. Monitoring cannot be carried out during adjustment of the
downtilt angle. The downtilt angle of a mechanical antenna is a theoretical value
calculated by means of computer simulation and analysis software, with a certain
deviation from the actual value. In addition, it is troublesome to adjust the downtilt angle
of a mechanical antenna. The maintenance personnel usually have to climb to the
antenna installation position to adjust the downtilt angle in the night. Whats more, in
some cases, after antennas are installed, it is very difficult to adjust the downtilt angle,
for example, when the antennas are installed on mountain top, on special buildings,
and so on.
WCDMA system is a interference limited system. If three or more sector signals with
similar level exist in a certain area, pilot pollution will occur and the cell capacity will
decrease. Therefore, in urban areas, during antenna selection, electricity downtilt
antennas are preferred. An electrically controlled antenna is expensive (twice the price
of a non-electrically controlled antenna). Therefore, if the project is investment
sensitive, we should select fixed electrical downtilt antennas in priority.
2.5.2 Comparison between Fixed Electrical Downtilting and Null Filling
We can solve the problem of tower-bottom shadow effect caused by nulls by using fixed
electrical downtilt or null filling antennas. But the two methods are different from each
other. The use of fixed electrical downtilting can shorten the coverage range of the main
lobe, but in occasions where downtilt angles are generally large, it can expand the
downtilt angle adjustment range. Through null filling, a kind of pattern shaping
technology, we can obtain a good pattern. In this case, the upper side lobe can be
suppressed, so this kind of antennas will influence other aspects. Certainly it cannot
expand the downtilt angle adjustment range. At present, manufacturers all provide
WCDMA antennas with null filling and upper side lobe suppression as necessary
features.
In wide-coverage occasion, the null depth effect of antennas is a sensitive point, so we
recommend antennas with null filling, without any special requirement on the upper
side lobe suppression.
For urban coverage, a large downtilt angle adjustment range is required, so we
recommend antennas with characteristics of fixed electrical downtilt and upper side
lobe suppression, and preferably with the null filling characteristics.
2.5.3 Planning and Optimization of Downtilt Angle
For an omni antenna, we cannot adjust the mechanical downtilt angle, but we can
select fixed electrical downtilt antennas.
For a directional antenna, in different occasions, requirements for the downtilt angle
adjustment range are different. The downtilt angle planning can be analyzed based on
two occasions: coverage limited and capacity limited.


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In case of coverage limited, the downtilt angle should be adjusted, so that the main lobe
can point to the cell border:
arctan
h
R

,
(1.1)
In case of capacity limited, the downtilt angle should be adjusted so that the upper
semi-power point on the vertical side of the main lobe is directed to the cell border:
arctan
2
h V HPBW
R
_
+

,
(1.2)
For a fixed electrical downtilt antenna, we should deduct the electrical downtilt angle
when setting the mechanical downtilt angle. If the required downtilt angle is smaller
than the fixed eletrical downtilt angle, we can obtain the required downtilt angle by
means of mechanical uptilting.
2.6 Guidelins for Front-to-back Ratio Selection
In occasions where sites are densely distributed, if the back lobe is too high, it will be
likely to cause pilot pollution and the network quality will be influenced. In urban areas,
the antenna front-to-back ratio should be 25dB. In suburbs or rural areas, the antenna
front-to-back ratio can be appropriately lower.
The front-to-back ratio is in reverse proportion to the beam width. The narrower the
beam is, the higher the front-to-back ratio is.
2.7 Guidelins for Antenna Size Selection
Antenna size selection is mainly related to the installation feasiblity. In areas with
restricted installation conditions, for example, for railway and tunnel coverage planning,
this is a very important factor, or the critical factory that determines whether the
antennas can be installed.
Firstly, the antenna size is related to the technical level of manufacturers, so different
manufacturers can produce antennas of different sizes while all other parameters are
the same.
Secondly, the antenna size is related to the antenna gain. The higher the gain is, the
more the dipoles are required, and as a result, the longer the antenna will be.
2.8 Guidelins for Antenna Impedance Selection
The input impedance of a base stayion is 50 normally. In order to keep the standing
wave ratio low, the characteristic impedance of an antenna should match with the input
impedance, namely, it should be 50. In general, the characteristic impedance can
meet this requirement, but attention should be paid to this parameter during selection
or certification of new antennas.


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2.9 Guidelines for Antenna Selection at Special Occasions
In some cases, the area to be covered around the NodeB can be clearly distinguished
from the areas not to be covered. In this case, we can select antennas with beams
matching the landform of such places for coverage. The selection of the shape of main
beam of the horizontal pattern is determined based on the coverage requirement
around NodeB. We can select the pattern according to the location of the NodeB and
the landform of the coverage areas. Namely, the shape of the antenna beam should
match with the landform of the area to be covered. Common landform-matching beams
include 8-shape beam, heart-shape beam and so on. These antennas all are designed
based on omni antennas.
An 8-shape omni reshaped antenna is composed of an ordinary omni antenna and two
auxiliary reflecting metal tubes that are symmetric to each other. The reflecting metal
tubes are used for changing the horizontal pattern of the omni antenna by means of
coupling so that horizontal pattern is in the shape of . For the pure highway
coverage (it refers to the coverage of important highways in non-residential areas),
because the traffic is small, O1 configuration of site is commonly used to reduce the
quantity of NodeBs and thus save the construction cost. It can be seen that 8-shape
antennas are suitable for pure highway coverage. When this kind of antennas is used,
the site location selection is very important. The stretching direction of the highway
should match as much as possible with the antenna pattern.

Figure 2-3 The 8-figure-shape omni antenna pattern (horizontal)
In rural areas, there are many villages by the highway, so village coverage can be
included in highway coverage. We can select heart-shape omni antennas for this
purpose. In the direction of the highway and villages, the antenna gain can be
increased to about 13dBi so that the coverage of the highway and villages is more
efficient.
R
a
i
l
r
o
a
d
/
H
i
g
h
w
a
y



16

Figure 2-4 Heart-shape omni antenna pattern (horizontal)
Highway/Railroad
Highway/Railroad
Village
OWJ101107 WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection ISSUE1.1
Chapter 3 WCDMA Antenna Type Selection
at Different Scenarios


17
Chapter 3 WCDMA Antenna Type Selection at
Different Scenarios
In a mobile communications network, antenna selection is of great importance.
Antennas should be selected based on the actual situations such as the NodeB design
and network coverage requirements and interference conditions. Properly selected
antennas can improve the coverage effect, reduce interference, and improve the
service quality. Based on the landform and distribution of subscribers, the application
environments of antennas can be classified into eight types: Urban (a great number of
buildings, heavy traffic), suburbs (low buildings, open area), rural (little traffic), highway
(banding coverage), mountainous areas (hills, sparse subscribers), offshore (extremely
far-reaching coverage, small number of subscribers), tunnels and indoor.
If not otherwise specified, on-site engineers should select antennas within the range of
antennas types already certified in the antenna database
i
.
3.1 WCDMA Antenna Type Selection for Urban Coverage
Application environment characteristics: NodeBs are densely-distributed, and the
coverage area of each NodeB is small. Cross-cell coverage should be avoided to
reduce pilot pollution so as to improve the network quality and expanse the network
capacity.
Principle for Antenna Type Selection:
z Working frequency
In order to reduce the number of antenna codes, select wideband antennas that work
in the 1710 ~ 2170 MHz band.
z Polarization type
As it is difficult to select the sites of NodeBs and the installation space of the antenna is
limited in urban areas, so we recommend dual polarization antennas.
z Horizontal beam width
In order to better control the coverage range of cells to suppress interference, for urban
3-sector sites, we recommend directional antennas with 60 ~ 65 horizontal beam width.
When the antenna gain and the horizontal beam width are determined, the vertical
beam width is also determined.
z Antenna gain
As large-distance coverage is not required in urban areas, we recommend antennas
with mid-high gain. Based on the currently available antenna types, we recommend
antennas with 13 ~ 18dBi gain depending on the density of NodeBs and building
structures. Micro cell antennas in urban areas can be of 10 ~ 12dBi or lower gain.
z Antenna downtilt
Select antennas with 6 fixed electrical downtilt angle (when the actual downtilt angle is
< 6, it can be adjusted through mechanical uptilting). Meanwhile, the antenna support
should be mechanically adjustable within the range of 0 ~ 15. In such a case, there is
a big possibility of capacity expansion. If the cell splitting is adopted for capacity
expansion at late stages, adjustable electrical downtilt antennas can be used. The
antenna downtilt should be adjustable within the range of 0 ~ 10.
z Null filling and upper side lobe suppress


18
In urban areas, in order to reduce inter-cell interference, large downtilt angle is required
sometimes. When the downtilt angle exceeds half of the width of the vertical beam, we
should consider the influence of the upper side lobe. We recommend antennas with
upper side lobe suppression and null filling characteristics.
z Front-to-back ratio
In urban areas, interference control is a key issue, so there is a strict requirement on
the front-to-back ratio of antennas. We recommend antennas with a front-to-back ratio
of 25dB or higher.
Recommendation: Working frequency at 1710 ~ 2170 MHz / 45 dual polarization /
65 horizontal beam width / 15 dBi gain / fixed 6 electrical downtilt or 0 ~ 10
electrically controlled downtilt and 0 ~ 15 adjustable mechanical downtilt / upper side
lobe suppression and null filling / 25dB or higher front-to-back ratio.
3.2 NodeB Antenna Type Selection for Suburb Coverage
Application environment characteristics: The application environment of the suburbs is
between urban environment and rural environment. In some places, the environment is
more close to the urban, where many NodeBs exist. In this case, we should consider
both coverage and interference control when selecting the antenna type. In some other
areas, the environment is more close to rural areas, where coverage is an important
factor. Therefore, the antenna type selection should be carried out depending on the
actual situations for urban areas and rural areas.
Guidelines for Antenna Type Selection:
Based on the NodeB type design, select antennas with 65 or 90 horizontal beam
width. If NodeBs are densely distributed, the antennas should be selected in reference
to antenna selection guidelines for urban areas; if NodeBs are sparsely distributed, and
there is no big capacity expansion potential, the antenna selection guidelines for rural
areas can be used as reference.
z Antenna downtilt
In general, fixed electrical downtilt antennas are not used. Even if downtilt is used, the
downtilt angle is generally very small.
Recommendation: Select the specific antennas by referring to antenna type selection
for urban areas and that for rural areas depending on the distance between NodeBs.
3.3 NodeB Antenna Type Selection for Rural Areas
Application environment characteristics: NodeBs are sparsely distributed, the traffic is
low, and large coverage is required. In some places, single NodeB coverage is adopted.
Coverage is the most important factor. Antennas should be selected depending on the
coverage areas around the NodeBs.
Guidelins for Antenna Type Selection:
z Working frequency
In order to reduce the number of antenna codes, select exclusively wideband antennas
that work at the 1710 ~ 2170 MHz band.
z Polarization type
Buildings in rural areas are relatively low and sparsely distributed. The polarization
effect of electric waves is not obvious, so we recommend vertical polarization
antennas.


19
If a NodeB is required to cover the surrounding area without obvious directionality, and
the traffic is dispersedly distributed around the NodeB, we recommend an omni
antenna For an omni site, because the antenna gain is small, the coverage radius is not
as far as that of a directional one. If the operator requires a longer coverage distance,
directional antennas should be selected. In rural areas, we recommend directional
antennas with 90 horizontal beam width; for special landforms, we recommend
landform matching antennas.
z Antenna gain
Antenna gain should be selected depending on the coverage requirement. In rural
areas, we recommend omni antennas with 11dBi gain or directional antennas with
18dBi gain.
z Antenna downtilt
In rural areas, there is little requirement for downtilt adjustment, both in the adjustment
range and characteristics, so we recommend mechanical downtilt.
z Null filling
If the antenna height is over 50 meters and near-end coverage is required, the antenna
with null filling is recommended.
Recommendation (for directional antennas): Working frequency 1710 ~ 2170 MHz /
vertical polarization / 90 horizontal beam width / 18 dBi antenna gain / 0 electrical
downtilt / null filling
Recommendation (for omni antennas): Working frequency 1710 ~ 2170 MHz /
vertical polarization / 11 dBi antenna gain / 0 electrical downtilt / null filling
3.4 Antenna Type Selection for Highway Coverage
Application environment characteristics: Low traffic, high-speed moving subscribers;
the key point is coverage. High way coverage is mainly belt-shape coverage, so
dual-sector or 8-shape omni antennas can be used; in places where the highway runs
through towns or scenic spots, 3-sector or heart-shape omni antennas can be used.
z Polarization type
For highway coverage, we recommend vertical polarization antennas.
For coverage of railroads and highways, in case of S0.5/0.5 NodeB type configuration,
use directional antennas with high gain and 30~33 horizontal beam width; in case of
O1 NodeB type configuration, use 8-shape antennas with dual 70 horizontal beam
width.
For NodeBs used to cover highways and the towns along highways, select heart-shape
antennas or omni antennas with horizontal beam width of 210 ~ 220.
z Antenna gain
In case of directional antennas, select 21 ~ 22dBi high-gain antennas; in case of omni
antennas, select 11dBi gain antennas; in case of 8-shape antennas, select 14dBi gain
antennas; in case of heart-shape antennas, select 12dBi gain antennas.
z Antenna downtilt
For places where highway coverage is considered mainly, we recommend antennas
with 0 electrical downtilt angle.
z Null filling


20
If the height of antenna is over 50 meters and near-end coverage is required, the
antenna with null filling is recommended.
vertical polarization / 30 horizontal beam width / 21 dBi antenna gain / 0 electrical
downtilt angle / null filling
Recommendation (for 8-shape antennas): Working frequency 1710 ~ 2170 MHz /
vertical polarization / dual 70 horizontal beam width / 14 dBi antenna gain / 0 electrical
Recommendation (for heart-shape antennas): Working frequency 1710 ~ 2170 MHz
/ vertical polarization / 210 horizontal beam width / 12 dBi antenna gain / 0 electrical
For highway and railway coverage, we recommend S0.5/0.5 NodeB configuration with
high-gain directional antennas or O1 NodeB with 8-shape antennas to avoid handover
of high-speed moving subscribers under towers.
3.5 Antenna Type Selection for Rural Coverage
Application environment characteristics: In remote hilly and mountainous areas, due to
serious obstruction of mountains, the propagation attenuation of the electromagnetic
wave is very large, so it is difficult to cover such as areas. Common situations are as
follows: NodeB sites in basin areas, NodeB sites on high mountains, NodeB sites at
mountainside and NodeB sties in common mountainous areas. For NodeB sites at the
center of a basin area, if the basin area is not large, we recommend omni antennas; if
the basin area is very large or coverage of a trunk road that runs through the basin is to
be considered, we recommend directional antennas. Restricted by microwave
transmission sometimes, a NodeB site must be located on a rather high hill. In this case,
the antenna will be over 150 meters above subscriber distribution. If the target area of
coverage is near the foot of the hill, an omni antenna with fixed electrical downtilt angle
is required to avoid the tower-bottom shadow effect. In case of a NodeB site at the
mountain side, the antenna elevation is lower than the mountain top, and it is
impossible to cover the other side of the mountain. Therefore, a directional sector
antenna with wide beam width should be used to cover the valley.
z Polarization mode
For mountainous area coverage, we recommend vertical polarization antennas.
In case of directional antennas, 90 horizontal beam width is recommended.
z Antenna gain
In case of omni antennas, 11dBi gain is recommended; in case of directional antennas,
gain of 15 ~ 18dBi is recommended.
z Antenna downtilting and null filling
For NodeB sites on the mountains while the place to be covered is at the foot of the
mountains, antennas with the null filling and fixed electrical downtilt characteristics are
recommended. The fixed electrical downtilt angle depends on the relative height of the
antenna compared with the altitude of the coverage area. The bigger the antenna
relatively height is, the bigger the downtilt angle should be.
vertical polarization / 90 horizontal beam width / 15 dBi antenna gain / fixed electrical
downtilt / null filling


21
vertical polarization / 11 dBi antenna gain / fixed electrical downtilt / null filling
3.6 Antenna Type Selection for Offshore Coverage
Application environment characteristics: Low traffic, wide coverage, good radio
propagation environment; for offshore coverage, the coverage distance is mainly
restricted by the sphere curvature of the earth and the radio propagation attenuation. In
view of the influences of the sphere curvature of the earth, antennas are usually
installed at a high elevation (over 100 meters) for sea surface coverage.
z Polarization type
For offshore coverage, we recommend vertical polarization antennas.
We do not recommend omni antennas. The horizontal beam width of directional
antennas should be selected depending on the coverage requirements.
z Antenna gain
Because the required coverage radius is big, we recommend high-gain (over 18dBi)
antennas.
z Fixed electrical downtilting and null filling
For sea surface coverage, the antenna elevation is usually very high (over 100 meters).
Therefore coverage dead-zones are like to appear at the near end. We recommend
antennas with null filling. Meanwhile, for long-distance and wide coverage, we
recommend antennas with 0 electrical downtilt angle.
Recommendation: Working frequency 1710 ~ 2170 MHz / vertical polarization / 30
horizontal beam width / 21 dBi / with 0 electrical downtilt angle / null filling
3.7 Antenna Type Selection for Tunnel Coverage
Application environment characteristics: The traffic is not heavy, and interference
control is almost not required. As it is rather difficult to install and maintain antennas
inside tunnels, the large-sized antennas are not adopted in most cases. Leaking cables
will be adopted for railroad tunnel coverage, which will not be discussed in this section.
Guidelines of Antenna Type Selection:
z Polarization type
Because the inner wall of tunnels and vehicles can repeatedly reflect signals, causing
obvious polarization effect on electromagnetic waves, the coverage capability of a
vertical polarization antenna is similar to that of a 45 polarization antenna in a tunnel.
For installation inside tunnels, the antenna size and installation feasibility should be
considered. We recommend vertical polarization log-periodical antennas (wideband) or
Yagi antennas (narrowband). For installation outside the tunnel entrance, we
recommend dual polarization plate antennas.
Due to obvious coverage directivity, narrow-beam directional antennas are usually
used. The log-periodical antennas or Yagi antennas with 55 horizontal beam width or
plate antennas with 30 horizontal beam width are recommended.
z Antenna gain


22
We can select high-gain panel antennas (21dBi or higher), Yagi antennas (13~14dBi)
and log-periodical antennas (11 ~ 12dBi). The specific antenna gain can be selected
based on the tunnel length.
z Antenna size
For tunnel coverage, the antenna size is a critical factor. A specific coverage scheme
should be designed for each tunnel, and antenna installation feasibility should be given
due consideration. Select small-sized and easy-to-install antennas which meet the gain
requirement.
Recommendation: Working frequency 800 ~ 2200 MHz / vertical polarization / 55
horizontal beam width / log-periodical antenna with 11.5 dBi (consider sharing with
GSM/DCS).
3.8 Antenna Type Selection for Indoor Coverage
Application environment characteristics: At low stories of high buildings, signals are
usually weak and there are even coverage-hole zones; at high stories of high buildings,
signals are in disorder, interference is serious and the call quality is bad. Most of
underground facilities, like underground parking lots and underground stores, are
coverage-hole zones.
Generally, indoor distribution systems are built to solve indoor coverage problems. With
an indoor distribution system, NodeB signals are directly led in for various indoor areas
through a wired network, and then the signal receiving and transmission are
implemented through various indoor antennas, so as to remove indoor coverage-hole
zones, suppress interference and provide good coverage for indoor subscribers.
There is no receiving diversity or transmission diversity in an indoor distribution system.
The antenna type selection depends on the design of the distributed system. Check the
installability of the antennas and the coverage requirement, and select accordingly the
antenna type and parameters.
Working frequency
In general, indoor distribution systems all involve antenna sharing requirement, so the
compatibility with forward (GSM/DCS) and backward (WLAN) should be considered in
antenna selection. Therefore the antennas for indoor distribution systems should be
wideband antennas (800 ~ 2500 MHz).For Green Field operators like China Telecom,
wideband antennas are also recommended. An important reason is that DCS bands
after clearing may be adopted in new mobile communications modes in the future.
z Polarization type
Vertical polarization mode is adopted for indoor coverage.
z Antenna type selection
Indoor antennas come in three types: ceiling-mounted omni antennas, plate directional
antennas, and high-gain directional antenna.
An omni antenna is installed in ceiling mounted way at the center of the room; a plate
directional antenna, applied in a rectangle environment, is installed on a single-sided
wall by the short edge of the rectangle; a high-gain directional antenna is applied in the
elevator well, and in general it is a log-periodical antenna.
z Antenna gain
Omni antenna: 2dBi; plate directional antenna: 7dBi; log-periodical directional antenna:
11dBi.


23
z Beam width
Omni antenna: 360 horizontal beam width and 90 vertical beam width; plate
directional antenna: 90 horizontal beam width and 60 vertical beam width;
log-periodical antenna: 55 horizontal beam width and 50 vertical beam width.
z Plate antenna unit: Different sizes are available, used in elevator pass ways,
tunnels, subways and corridors respectively.
vertical polarization / 360 horizontal beam width, 90 vertical beam width / 2dBi gain.
Recommendation (for plate directional antennas): Working frequency 800 ~ 2500
MHz / vertical polarization / 90horizontal beam width, 60 vertical beam width / 7dBi
gain.
Recommendation (for log-periodical antennas): Working frequency 800 ~ 2500
MHz / vertical polarization / 55horizontal beam width, 50 vertical beam width / 11.5dBi
gain.

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WCDMA RNP Antenna Type Selection

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