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Radio Propagation
Theory & Model Tuning
RNP&O Engineer Training 2012
www.huawei.com

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Radio Frequencies & Propagation

Band

Frequency

Wavelength

ELF

3 300 Hz

1000 100,000 km

VLF

3 30 kHz

100 10 km

Guided between the earth and the

ionosphere.

LF

30 300 kHz

10 1 km

Guided between the earth and the

ionosphere. Surface waves.

MF

0.3 3 MHz

1000 100 m

HF

3 30 MHz

100 10 m

VHF

30 300 MHz

10 1 m

UHF

0.3 3 GHz

100 10 cm

SHF

3 30 GHz

10 1 cm

Direct wave.

EHF

30 300 GHz

10 1 mm

Direct wave limited by absorption

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Propagation Mode

Surface waves. Sometimes

Ionospheric refraction.
Ionospheric refraction.
Generally direct wave. Sometimes
tropospheric ducting.
Direct wave. Sometimes tropospheric
ducting.

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Propagation Path

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Characteristics of Radio Propagation

Actual Environment
LOS & NLOS.

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Characteristics of Radio Channels

Radio channels vary with users
position and time.
Multipath scattering and obstructions
result in several changes to the
received power.
Slow Fading: Obstacles.
Attenuation: Pr is directly
proportional to 1/dn.
Shadowing: obstruction by buildings,
barriers, etc.
Fast Fading: Multipath effect.
Fast changes in amplitude and
phase over short time intervals and
small distances.
Doppler Spread.
Delay Spread.

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Diversity Technology
The effects of fading can be combated by using diversity technologies.

Explicit diversity
Space diversity: Macro diversity, Antenna Arrays, MIMO
Polarization diversity: Used in antennas, Cross polarization (X-Pol)
Frequency diversity: Frequency Hopping (GSM), Spread spectrum (W-CDMA)

Implicit diversity
It uses signal processing technologies to hide diversity functions into signals under
transmissions, such as RAKE reception technology (widely used in W-CDMA), interleaving
and error detection & correction codes (Time diversity)

Space Diversity

Frequency Diversity

Polarization Diversity

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Delay Spread
For an identical signal pulse from the transmitter, multiple copies of signals are received at
the receiver at different moments. The signals on shorter paths reach the receiver earlier
than those on longer paths. The direct effect is the spread of the original signal.
When the receiver fails to distinguish multipath signals, co-channel interference (CCI)
occurs. In W-CDMA system, only multipath with delay larger than one chip period (0.26s,
78m) can be recognized.
Typical values (s): Open & Rural < 0.2, Suburban = 0.5, Urban = 3.

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Doppler Shift
Due to Doppler effect, if a transmitter is moving away from a receiver, the frequency of the
received signal is lower than the one sent out from the transmitter; otherwise, the frequency
is increased.
The lengths of signal path are often different, which correspond to different movement
speeds of transmitter signals, and in turn different frequency shifts on the signal paths. As a
result, a frequency spread is caused in the signal spectrum.

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Propagation Losses
Free Space Loss.
Diffraction Loss.
Penetration Loss.
Clutter Loss.

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Penetration Losses
Indoor signals depend on penetration loss of building. The strength of the signal is stronger
in the windows than in the middle of the room.
Building materials and reference angle of electromagnetic wave have great effect on
penetration loss (The reflection and refraction wave through the wall)

Obstacle losses:
Wall obstruction: 5 20 dB.
Floor obstruction: > 20 dB.
Furniture and others barriers: 2 15 dB.
Thick glass: 6 10 dB.
Train Carriage: 15 30 dB.
Lift (Elevator): 30 dB.
Dense tree leaves: 10 dB.

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Radio Propagation Environment

Radio propagation is influenced by the environment, i.e. building structures and heights, the
usage of the mobile terminal and the positions of the antennas

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Radio Propagation Environment

For each of the different environments two possible scenarios for the mobile are considered.
The users are subdivided into pedestrian and vehicular users. For these two applications the
velocity of the mobile is quite different yielding different Doppler shifts.
The type of propagation mechanism that dominates depends also on the height of the base
station antenna relative to the surrounding buildings.

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Radio Propagation Model

It is a empirical mathematical formula used for predicting the medium value of path loss. It is
a function of frequency, distance and other conditions (Environments)
The main factors that affect the model are: Natural terrain (hills, plain, water land), Manmade buildings (height, distribution, material) Vegetation, Weather, External noise.
Model

Frequency
range

Base
Station
Antenna
Height

Mobile
Station
Antenna
Height

Distance

Okumura Hata

150 1 500
MHz

30 200m

1 10m

1 20 Km

BTS Antenna is taller than the

surrounding buildings.
Macro cell model

Cost 231 Hata

1 500 2 000
MHz

30 200m

1 10m

1 20 Km

BTS Antenna is taller than the

surrounding buildings.
Macro cell model.

Cost 231 Walfish

Ikegami Model

800 2 000
MHz

4 50m

1 3m

0.02 5 Km

Only for Urban environment.

Macro o micro cell model.

Standard
Propagation Model

150 2 000
MHz

15 200m

1 10m

0.5 20 Km

It requires clutter losses,

effective heights of Tx & Rx
antenna, Diffraction Method, etc.

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Characteristics

Standard Propagation Model

For a real prediction of the coverage, we need to

set the losses due to clutter and to calibrate this
model with the Continuous Wave (CW) Test.

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CW Test
The purpose of CW test is to compare the data with the prediction results, and then tune the
propagation parameters in order the improve the accuracy of the coverage prediction. This
process is repeated until the error meets the requirements.
The CW test data must represent the characteristic of the electromagnetic wave in the area
and also the proportion of different clutters.

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Site Selection
Principles of Site Selection:
Number of sites: It is usually agreed that a minimum of 15 sites should be tested in a large
and dense city, but one site is enough in a normal city, which mainly depends on antenna
height and EIRP.
Representation: The Site Selection should aim to cover all types of clutter (from the digital
map) in the coverage zone.
Multiple models: Define the corresponding zone of each model if the test environment
requires multiple models to describe its propagation characteristics.
Overlap: Increase the measurement in overlaps areas between each site as much as
possible, but reasonable inter-site distance should be ensured.
Obstacle: The data should be filtered in the subsequent processing if obstacle exists.

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Site Selection
Criteria for selecting a site :
The antenna height should be greater than 20m
The antenna is at least 5m taller than the nearest obstacle.
Obstacle here means the highest building on the roof of the antenna. The building serving
as a site should be taller than the average height of the surroundings.

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Test Platform
Tx Subsystem: Tx Antenna, Feeder, High-frequency signal source, antenna holder.
Rx subsystem: Test receiver, GPS receiver, test software and laptop.
It is necessary to be aware of the EIRP of the test BTS, and record the data of signal gain
attributable to each part, including signal source transmitting power, RF cable loss,
transmitting antenna gain, and receiving antenna gain.

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Test Route
Rules of selecting a test route:
Landform: The test route must consider all main landforms in the region.
Height: If the landform is very rugged, the test route must consider landforms with different
heights in the area.
Distance: The test route must consider different positions away from the site in the region.
Direction: The test points must be consistent on the horizontal and vertical route.
Length: The total length of the distance in one CW test should be greater than 60km.
Number of test points: The more the test points are, the better (>10 000 points)
Overlap: The test path of different test sites could be preferably overlapped in order to
increase the reliability of the model.
Obstacles: When the antenna signals are obstructed by one side of the building, do not run
to the shadow area behind this side.

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Drive Test
The sampling law is meets the Lee criteria: 50 samples
by 40 wavelengths ()
Upper limit of drive speed: Vmax=0.8 /Tsample.
The test results obtained in exceptional circumstances
must be removed from the data:
Sampling point with too high fading (more than 30dB)
In tunnels.
Under a viaducts.
If using a directional antenna for CW test, the test path is
selected from the main lobe coverage area.

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Test Data Processing

The test data needs to be processed before being able to be
identified by the planning software. The processing procedure is:
Data filtering.
Data dispersion.
Data binning.
Format conversion.
For the Data filtering, we must eliminate the following:
Data tested in places where the GPS is unable to locate
accurately (such as under the overhead rack, in tunnels)
Data obtained when the distance to the antenna is too near or too
far (the average distribution will be impossible)
Data obtained with too weak receiving signals.
Error data caused by inexact antenna pattern.
Other data inconsistent with the requirements during the route.

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Test Data Processing

The principle of Data dispersion processing is as follows:
1st Condition: The receiver speed is far greater than the GPS signal collection speed, and
this will result in multiple test data at one location point.
2nd Condition: The vehicle speed between two locations points is uniform and also the time
interval between every two measurements records is the same.
Equally distribute these records to the route section between two points in time sequence so
that there will be sufficient points in every 6m range on test route.
The main objective of Data binning (or Geographic averaging) is to reserve the impact of
slow fading and eliminate the influence of fast fading. There are two methods:
1st Method: Make grids for the whole area with 6m side, and perform the arithmetic average
for the data located in each grid, and take the grid center as new location.
2nd Method: Divide the route into sections with equal interval of 6m for each, and perform the
arithmetic binning for the data to select some point for the location of mean value.
For the Format conversion we only need the position (X & Y) and the CW power (dBm)

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Propagation Model Tuning

For the Tuning, we use a Network Planning Software, i.e.: U-Net, Atoll, Asset, Planet, etc.
In the software we need to set the Antenna pattern (it varies according to the manufacturer)
and the real transmission parameters of each cell: Height, Azimuth, Tilt, Losses, etc.
After that, we create a copy of the Standard Propagation Model (SPM) and this will be our
model to be tuned by using the CW measurements.

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Propagation Model Tuning

Model Tuning Flow

Then, we set the method of Effective antenna

height and the algorithm for the Diffraction
losses (Default values shown in the figure)

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Propagation Model Tuning

Finally, we import the CW Test Data File (Measurements) into the project, and in order to
have more accurate data, we set the filtering conditions:

Distance range: 100 to 3000m.

Signal strength: -40 to -120 dBm.
Azimuth angle: Defined by BW.
Clutter: Only with points > 300.

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Propagation Model Tuning

We must analyze the reliability of the acquired

model after the calibration.
For this, we evaluate the Std. Dev., which refer
to the binding degree of the acquired model and
the actual test environment.
Make Std. Dev less than 8 as much as possible
in actual model tuning, which indicates that the
tuned model and the actual test are well bound.
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Propagation Model Tuning

We observe that the new propagation model

is more accurate according with the CW
measurements. That is the main purpose of
the Propagation Model Tuning.

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Thank you!

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