June 17, 2013

Targets of this training session

To become familiar with
The Andrew ION-M system
The ATP process
MetroPCS link budget for CDMA and LTE
Hands on experience with Andrew
equipment

Andrew Cabinet

Subrack

MMC

The Subrack houses the

RF components
The MMC monitors and
controls the system

The Subrack
The subrack houses the RF components of
the DAS system such as
OTRx Cards
Splitters
BTS connects
Duplexers
Conversion Modules

Subrack Components
The BTS Connect interfaces
the RF jumpers with the
OTRx Card. It has stepless
attenuators that can help
adjust the system gain to
match the link budget.

BTS Connect

The OTRx (Optical

Transceiver) card converts
the RF into infrared and
communicates with the
RU. It also contains a
variable amplifier to adjust
the DL output power at the
RU.

OTRx Card

MMC ION-M Master Controller

The MMC can monitor alarms and
communicate with other hub equipment. It
can
Adjust settings on either the OTRx card
or RU
Adjust DL gain on the OTRx
Reset the RU
Monitor DL output power
Remotely view alarms
Lost connection with the RU
High fiber loss

ION-M RU Remote Unit

The RU communicates to the OTRx card in the
hub via fiber optics
It converts the infrared signal to RF and viceversa then amplifies it
For the 17HP model the amplifier gains are
DL: +43 dBm (Minimum) + 22 dB variable
UL: +47 dBm fixed
The amplifier gains are dependent on the
specific model so make sure to check the spec
sheet

ATP (Acceptance Test Procedure) Overview

The purpose of an ATP is to
Balance the link budget
Test RF continuity within the DAS system
Test the proper performance for both the
passive and active components

Link Budget
The link budget is the sum of losses and gains of the RF
signal
The Downlink and the Uplink will have separate link
budgets
The DL link budget is determined by the desired EIRP
The UL link budget is in part determined by the BTS
equipment and vendor
The link budget can be thought of as the system gain to
get from the input power to the output power

Link Budget MetroPCS CDMA

MetroPCS link budget for CDMA
DL: +44.7 dB gain
UL: +19.1 dB gain
Applying those gains to some reference signal
DL: -12.7 dBm (pilot power from the BTS) +
44.7 dB (system gain) = 32 dBm (out of the
ION antenna port)
UL: -60 dBm (into the ION antenna port) +
19.1 dB (system gain) = -40.9 dBm (into the
BTS)

Typical Andrew setup for MetroPCS

Simulcast Ratios
1:1 Simulcast

2:1 Simulcast

4 way Splitter about 6.5 dB of loss

Simulcast Ratios
3:1 Simulcast

Simulcast Ratios
4:1 Simulcast

2 way Splitter about 3.5 dB of loss

Simulcast Ratios?
What is the simulcast ratio?

Link Budget MetroPCS CDMA DL

-12.7 dBm Pilot Power

-3.3 dB cable loss
-4 dB cable loss + BTS connect
insertion loss
+9 dBm SRMU gain
+43 dBm RU gain
= 32 dBm out of the antenna port
*All losses and gains should be dB not dBm

Link Budget MetroPCS CDMA UL

-60 dBM from antenna

+47 dBm RU gain
~0 dBm OTRx gain
-1 dB cable loss
-7.6 dB BTS connect attenuation
-16 dB fixed attenuation
-3.3 dB cable loss
= -40.9 dBm into the BTS

Link Budget Quiz

If the desired system gain for the UL is 0dBm, the UL gain on the ION is 44 dBm and
the signal from the antenna port of the ION is -60 dBm.
What power level will you read if you connect your power meter to the front of
the BTS connect with 0 stepless attenuation?
What attenuation (fixed and stepless) should you place on the diversity path?
What attenuation (fixed and stepless) should you place on the Rx path?
What OTRx Gain should be applied to the DL assuming -12.7 dBm input and 32
dBm desired output?

Link Budget Quiz

If the desired system gain for the UL is 0dBm, the UL gain on the ION is 44 dBm and
the signal from the antenna port of the ION is -60 dBm.
What power level will you read if you connect your power meter to the front of
the BTS connect with 0 stepless attenuation? -20 dBm
What attenuation (fixed and stepless) should you place on the diversity path?
-36.7 dB
What attenuation (fixed and stepless) should you place on the Rx path? -31.2 dB
What OTRx Gain should be applied to the DL assuming -12.7 dBm input and 32
dBm desired output? -15.5 dB

ATP Preparation Hub

Required equipment for the hub team
Power meter / spectrum analyzer
Signal generator with a range up to +15 dB
At least two RF Jumpers with SMA connectors, bringing more is
recommended
Adapters for SMA, QMA, N-type and DIN
SMA attenuators of varying ranges, 1dB, 3dB, 6dB 10dB etc.
Spare fiber optic jumpers
Power strip and extension chord
Leveling Adapter
Ethernet cable
Tools such as
Screwdrivers for Phillips / small flathead
SMA torque wrench
1-1/4 Wrench large enough for DIN connectors

Suggested equipment
Fiber optic cleaners
Q-tips to clean dirty RF connectors
Needle nose pliers

ATP Preparation Field

Required equipment for the field team
Power meter
Signal generator that can handle high return power
At least two RF Jumpers with N-type connectors, bringing more
is recommended
Adapters for N-type connectors, M-M, F-F, etc.
50 dB high power attenuator
Fiber optic cleaner
Q-tips + cleaning solution to clean dirty RF connectors
Safety equipment
Tools such as
Multiple screw drivers
Adjustable Wrench
N-type and DIN torque wrench

ATP Entering the hub

Before leaving for the hub make sure to check that you have all of
your equipment, and that you will be able to access the hub
This includes any keys required to gain access to the hub and any
cabinets you may need to access
Are there any special provisions required to get into the hub?

Before entering the hub, or shortly thereafter, notify our NOC and
the carriers NOC or the sites tech / engineer
Crown Castle NOC: 1-866-639-8460
MetroPCS NOC: 1-866-672-6727

If the hub is indoor there might be a Tech On Site switch you should
flip
Be careful with any and all components in the hub, and stay away
from anything you will not be working on

ATP Uplink Part 1

Check the fiber connectivity between the RU and the OTRx card
Measure your cable losses for any cables you plan on using
Uplink Frequency: 1735 MHz
Downlink Frequency: 2135 MHz
These frequencies are MetroPCS NY specific
Make sure to write them down in the ATP tracker

Log into the Andrew software, run Auto-Setup and setup the
amplifier
Check the Optical loss to make sure it is within range of the OTRx
(<10 dB of loss) and check the Low RMS adjust
Enter this value into the tracker
Name the RU with the Node ID
Connect your power meter with one of your jumpers to the UL BTS
jumper where it connects to the BTS bulkhead
Set you power meter to 1735 MHz
Tell your field team to transmit 1735 MHz -60 dBm into the ION
antenna port

ATP Uplink Part 2

Read off the value received and determine what attenuation you
need to add or remove
Make sure to take your cable loss into account
Enter the value you receive into the tracker to help you
determine any additional attenuation
If the required additional attenuation is greater than 6 dB, add a
fixed attenuator to make the attenuation difference less than at least
6 dB.
The reason for this is, the stepless attenuator supposedly has up to 10
dB of additional attenuation however in practice it has a range up to 8
dB. The extra 2 dB is leeway for possible future adjustments.

Apply the rest of the attenuation through the stepless attenuator on

the front of the BTS connect
Accuracy should be within 0.1 dB of the desired RF power level
Enter the new power reading into the tracker
Tell you field team to stop transmitting
Re-connect the BTS jumper to the BTS

ATP Uplink with a Leveling Adapter

If you are constrained by time or otherwise do not have access to
either an ION or a field team, the uplink ATP can be performed with
the leveling adapter
Remove the OTRx card of the node that will ATPd and replace it with
the leveling adapter
Connect the signal generator to the appropriate UL port on the
leveling adapter
Set the signal generator to the expected RF power out of the OTRx
card taking into account any cable losses
Perform the ATP the same as with a field team
Be aware that each piece of hardware is not identical, since the
leveling adapter skips both the OTRx card and the ION there can be 5
dB or more of variance from the actual system gain

ATP Downlink
Set the signal generator to 2135 MHz
Set the power level to effectively output -12.7 dBm
If the cable loss is -2 dB then it should be set to -10.7 dBm
Make sure the stepless attenuator on the BTS connect is set to 0 dB
on the DL path
Connect the signal generator to the Downlink RF jumper where it
connects to the BTS Bulkhead
Transmit
Ask your field team what they read
Enter that value into the tracker to determine what additional gain
needs to be added
Add the required gain through the Andrew software
Ask your field team for the new reading and enter it into the tracker
Stop transmitting
Connect the BTS jumper back to BTS
Tell the field team to connect everything back

ATP Exiting the hub

Before leaving the hub, check and double check youve put away all of
your tools
Double check any RF/fiber connections you touched and make sure
they are tightly connected
Throw away any trash you may have left
Make sure each cabinet door is shut and locked
Call the Crown NOC before leaving
Notify the carrier, either their NOC, tech or engineer before leaving
Make sure to lock any doors/gates you opened to get into the hub

ATP Lessons Learned

You tell me, fill out this page at the end of the day and tell me what
you learned or didnt

Questions?

Reference Guides
Use these guides as reference if you are not familiar with the
processes
Perform and Auto-Setup
Setup the amplifier on the SRMU
Read the HW/RF Parameters from the RU
Low RMS Adjust on the RU

Auto-Setup

Connect an Ethernet cable

from your laptop to the
front of the MMC
Type ion.m into your
browser
On the login screen enter
in the login credentials
Username: owner
Password: Apwd4own
Password: Apwd4nyc

Click on this

OTRx Card

Auto-Setup
Click Maintenance
Select Execute Auto-Setup

Auto-Setup
Check ION-M HW Detection
Click Next
This will run the Auto-Setup
program
Auto-Setup will update the
software database
Auto-Setup should be run
whenever new equipment is
added or removed
It should also be run whenever
equipment is changed in
someway e.g.
Moving an OTRx card to a
different slot
Swapping fiber with another
RU

Amplifier Setup
Click on the SRMU
Click on Settings
Select Amplifier

Fill out everything exactly as

shown here
Frequency Band 1:1700MHz-S1
Unit: RU
Amplifier: 1
Click Step 2

Amplifier Setup
Fill out everything in the blue
box exactly as shown here
Standard: Signal
Number of Carriers: 3
Optimization: NF
DL gain can be added in the
Additional Gain input box
Leave it at zero for now

RU - HW/RF Paramters

Select the RU

Click on Settings

Select HW/RF Paramters

RU - HW/RF Paramters
Optical Loss

DL Output power
Low RMS Adjustment
If the Low RMS Adjustment is
anything other than these values
select Edit in the Low RMS
Adjustment box

RU Low RMS Adjust

Fill out the settings exactly as shown

Enabled: Checked
Threshold: 25
Hysteresis: 3
Click Set

RU Low RMS Adjust

Select the RU

Click Settings

Select Unit
Identification

RU Low RMS Adjust

Type in the
Node ID
Click Set