Alternative RF Planning Solutions

for
Coverage Deficiency
Aleksey A. Kurochkin
aakuroch@bechtel.com
Issue Date: December 2002

INTRODUCTION

his paper introduces a few of the more common alternatives to the usual RF (radio frequency) planning
solutions for coverage deficiency problems. These methods are being applied after or concurrently with the RF
design activity, as well as during the implementation and
operations phases of network life.
Five solutions for coverage deficiency problems are
described in this paper, namely:

Microcell Solution - 1
Off-Air Repeater Solution - 2
FO (Fiber Optic)/RF Solution - 3 (with two options)
TMA (Tower-Mounted Amplifier) Solution - 4
Leaky Coax Solution - 5 (with two options)

Each of the solutions is presented in a general description with an illustrative diagram and/or figure, a configuration to suit the proposed example, and implementation
notes. The options demonstrate the flexibility that needs
to be present in RF designs. These examples also provide
valuable points of comparison. General recommendations are provided in the Conclusion. Although the examples are described using U.S. measurement units, the
principles are easily transferred to international applications and metric units.

Example of Coverage Objective and Limitations

A hypothetical town that stretches 1,000 yards along a
relatively straight portion of a two-lane road is chosen as
the example for coverage deficiency. The portion of the
road that runs through the town, as well as the first row
of shops on both sides of the road, should be covered
with street level coverage at -95 dBm with 95 percent
reliability. It will be assumed that the rest of the road is
covered at -95 dBm level or better. Access to the light
poles along the road has been granted, but every other
type of installation is prohibited by the town.

December 2002 Volume 1, Number 1

Solutions Are Versatile

Even though the methods are applied in this paper to
a GSM (global system mobile) telecommunications system in the 1900 MHz PCS (personal communication
service) band for ease of comparison, in principle, these
methods can be used successfully for a range of wireless
systems in PCS and other bands.

MICROCELL SOLUTION - 1

he road and the buildings on each side of the road can

be covered with a 5W microcell. This solution provides
omni coverage, with maximum coverage in the middle of
the town and minimum coverage at the town edges.

Configuration
One 5W microcell should be installed in the middle of
the town at the base of the light pole. One -in. coax
cable will run up to 20 feet on the light pole to the single
3-foot omni antenna. See Table 1 for the detailed link
budget.
According to this prediction, the RSSI (received signal
strength indicator) level of -95 dBm can be expected at
600 yards from the antenna location with 95 percent reliability. (This link budget is provided only as an example.
The RF design software package with its corresponding
link budget should be used to plan the real system.)

Implementation Notes
This design is part of the regular RF planning/design
process, as well as Implementation process, except for
the following stealthing requirements: The coax cable
should be ordered in a specific color to match the light
pole, while the antenna and microcell outdoor cabinet
can be painted for stealthing.
See Figure 1 for an example of the installation.

37

Table 1. Microcell Link Budget

Project Name:
Site Name or Sector Name:
BTS Rx Band Frequencies, MHz:
MHz:
Forward Link

1000 Yard Town

Microcell
1895
1900

What Kind of System is Used?: PCS-1900 BTS

5
4

What Kind of Amplifier is Used?: MICRO

What Kind of CU is Used?: DMCU

2
BTS Antenna Gain (dBd):
4
Max Amplifier Output per Ch. (dBW):
7
Number of RF per antenna:
2
Height of Cell Site Antenna (m):
7
Antenna to Hatchplate Cable Run (m):
7
BTS RF Cable: LDF4-50A "
4
RF to Hatchplate Cable (m):
0
Duplexors Included?:
N
SU Diversity Gain (dB):
0.0
BTS Receive Sensitivity (dBm):
-106

Penetration Loss (dB):

Fade Margin for 95% Area Coverage
Total Margin (dB):

0
14.7
14.7

4.00 <-- Site Area Type

Area Coverage Reliability (60-99):
95%
SU Rx Band Frequencies, MHz:
1980
MHz:
1985
Reverse Link

Suburban High Dense

What Kind of SU is Used?: Standard Portable

8
SU Antenna is
Outside
SU Antenna Gain (dBd):
Amplifier Output max (W):
Height of SU Antenna (m):
SU to Antenna Cable Run (m):
SU RF Cable: None

0
1.2
1.5
0
9

BTS/4-way Diversity Gain (dB):

SU Receive Sensitivity (dBm):

0.0
-103

Reliability (s=10), (dB):

0
14.7
14.7

LINK BUDGET CALCULATION AREA

Central RF for Calc. (MHz)
RF to Hatchplate Cable loss (dB)
Two connectors (dB)
3m antenna jumper loss (dB)
BTS Duplexor Tx loss (dB)
BTS Tx filter loss (dB)
Combiner loss (dB)
BTS RF Cable loss (dB)

1800.0
0.0
0
0
0
0
2.2
0.7

FW Max Allowable Path Loss (dB)

Sugg. Amplifier Output/1 ch. (dBW)
Sugg. Amplifier Output/1 ch. (W)
Balanced Model ERP (dBm)
Balanced Model ERP (W)

126.4
6.7
4.7
37.8
6.1

Hata Model Calculation Output

SU RF cable loss (dB)

RV Max Allowable Path Loss (dB)
Closest Amplifier Setting (dBW)
System Amplifier Output/1 ch. (W)
System ERP (dBm)
System ERP (W)

0
0
0.0
126.1
6.7
4.7
37.8
6.1

8.3

Balanced Link (dBm)

Min RSSI for the Model (dBm):

126.1
-88.3

Approx. Cell Site Radius, km

0.6

Min RSSI for the System (dBm):

-94.4

ff-air repeaters are bi-directional power amplifiers

with gains varying from 50 to 90 dB. They provide
coverage by repeating the frequency of the base station
in areas that lack coverage. There may be some overlap,
but this overlap should be minimal. This solution requires
two off-air repeaters and the assumption that there is
sufficient signal level from the two donor cells on each
side of the town for the repeaters to operate.
38

BTS Duplexor Rx loss (dB)

BTS Rx filter loss (dB)

Karea

OFF-A
AIR REPEATER SOLUTION - 2

1800.0

Configuration
One off-air repeater should be set up in the area of the
reliable signal received on the donor antenna outside of
the town. The transceiver coverage antenna of the
repeater should be directed toward the town center. If
one repeater does not provide satisfactory coverage, the
second repeater should be installed using the other cell
as a donor.
Figure 2 shows a system drawing of an off-air repeater
system.
Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

'

Repeater
Coverage
Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Base Station
TX/RX
Antenna
Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Figure 1. Microcell Solution

F1
F1

di gi t a

Repeater
Donor
Antenna

Vertical
Antenna
Separation
Requirement

a N
B
t w
e
r k
o
s

Radio Tower
tower

Base
Station

Base Station Coverage Area

Repeater
Repeater Coverage Area

Figure 2. Off-Air Repeater Diagram

December 2002 Volume 1, Number 1

39

Repeater
Coverage
Antenna

Antenna

Base Station
TX/RX
Antenna
Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Figure 3. Off-Air Repeater Solution

F1
F1

Fiber
RF Coupler

RF/Optical
converter
Converter

y N
a
B
t w
e
r k
o
s

di gi t a l

Radio Tower
tower

RF/Optical
Converter

Base
Station

Base Station Coverage Area

Repeater

Repeater Coverage Area

Figure 4. Single FO/RF Repeater Option Diagram

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Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

FO/RF SOLUTION - 3

Implementation Notes
The capture antenna (repeater donor antenna in
Figure 2) must be highly directional and have a
front-to-back ratio of more than 25 dB.
The coverage antenna should have a front-to-back
ratio of more than 25 dB.
The isolation requirements should be at least 15 dB
more than the gain setting of the repeater.
As much vertical and horizontal separation as possible should be provided between the capture and
coverage antennas of the repeater.
Better isolation would be obtained if the capture
antenna could be shielded from the coverage
antenna.
The coverage overlap should be minimized.
Balance of the uplink and downlink should be
ensured.
An attenuator at the capture antenna port of the
repeater should be used to increase isolation
between antennas.
There are no means of predicting either the location of
the repeater or its coverage during the standard desktop
RF planning/design process. The town and the donor
cells coverage will need to be drive-tested to select the
best location for the repeaters.
The repeater installation should follow the standard
implementation process. Stealthing would usually not be
required because both repeaters would be installed outside of the town limits.
Once installed, the town area would need to be drivetested again, and the repeater direction may need to be
adjusted to ensure the coverage. This could be an iterative process to achieve best results.
See Figure 3 for an example of the installation.

he FO/RF solution is based on a wireline repeater system. Wireline repeater systems use a hardwire connection between the base station and the repeater. This
is normally used for campus and/or indoor installations.
There are two options for this solution: a single repeater
location and a distributed antenna system.

Single FO/RF Repeater Option

Figure 4 shows that the RF is sampled via a coupler
between the base station and the base station antenna,
then sent to an optical converter where it is converted to
optical signals and sent across fiber to the repeater location. At the repeater location, the optical signal is converted to RF and up-converted to the same RF frequency
and transmitted to the repeater coverage antenna.
Configuration
Assume that one of the neighboring cells has access
to a dark fiber installed along the road of interest. A -in.
coax jumper connects BTS (base transceiver station)
amplifier output with a splitter and connects the splitter
to an RF-to-fiber converter. A fiber string is run from this
converter to the fiber-to-RF converter, which has a nominal 5W of RF power output and will be installed on the
light pole in the middle of the town. A -in. coax cable
connects this converter with 3-foot omni antenna.
The link budget for this application is the same as
shown in Table 1.
According to this prediction, the RSSI level of -95 dBm can
be expected at a 600-yard distance from the antenna location
with 95 percent reliability. The link budget is provided for
example only. The RF design software package with its corresponding link budget should be used to plan the real system.

'

BTS
Figure 5. Single FO/RF Repeater Option Solution
December 2002 Volume 1, Number 1

41

Distributed Antenna System Using Fiber Transport

Equipment at the BTS Location

Antenna
Feeder Cable

RF/Optical Converter
converter

RF Coupler
Radio Tower

Base Station

Composite fiber and power cable

2ft - 3 dBd Omni

Antenna
Jumper cable between
RAU and Antenna

Co
3
m

om
C
3

om
C
3

o
C

Remote Antenna
Unit

28 ft high
Telephone Pole

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

Site 20

Extended Coverage Area

Figure 6. Distributed Antenna System Option Diagram

42

Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

Implementation Notes
A team with a system engineering specialist and an RF
engineer will be needed to design this system. A system
vendor will be needed to install the RF/fiber system and
components. The system installation should follow the
standard implementation process. The coax cable can be
ordered in a color to match the color of the light pole,
while the antenna and fiber-to-RF outdoor box can be
painted for stealthing.
See Figure 5 for an example of the installation.

Distributed Antenna System Option

Distributed antenna systems make use of telephone
poles, lamp poles, or other lower height structures that
do not present any zoning/permitting issues. This system
is basically extending a base station antenna's reach
where coverage would otherwise be lacking. This system
is most useful in towns where zoning/permitting is very
difficult and for areas that are blocked by terrain or buildings.

more remotes. Information to confirm the limitation of

this has not yet been obtained.
The power to the remote antenna unit can be provided
by a composite power and fiber cable. The distance from
the main hub will be limited by the power deterioration,
which, for most manufacturers, is about 12 km. If power
is available at the remote end, then the distance will be
limited by the single mode fiber run.
Implementation Notes
A team with a system engineering specialist and an RF
engineer will be needed to design this system. A system
vendor usually installs the RF/fiber system and components. The system installation should follow the standard
implementation process. The coax cables can be ordered
in a color to match the light pole color, and the antennas
and remote antenna unit box can be painted for stealthing.
Some implementation advantages of this method are:
A low mobile station transmits power throughout
most of the coverage area.
There is flexible traffic capacity planning and ease
of future system/traffic capacity expansion.
Strong protection is provided against blocking from
uncoordinated mobiles.
There is low environmental impact of electronic
equipment and antennas.

Configuration
As shown in Figure 6, the RF path is sampled at the
antenna port of the base station and sent to an optical
hub located at the base station. This RF signal is first
converted to data stream and then converted to optical
signals. The optical signals are sent along optical channels to the remote antenna system, where the optical signals are reconverted to RF and transmitted over a lowgain small omni antenna.
Each hub can support 20 to 24 remote antenna units.
This means that 24 remote antenna units can be simulcasting at the same time to extend the base station's
reach into uncovered areas. The manufacturers indicate
that more hubs can be daisy chained to support many

Two implementation concerns are:

Power must be available to the remote antenna unit.
Overlap must be minimized.

Ant

Ant

Ant

Rx

Tx/Rx

RX BP

Tx/Rx

Duplex

TMA

Duplex

TMA

LNA

TMA
LNA

LNA

Duplex

Rx
Cable
To BTS

Figure 7. Simplex TMA

December 2002 Volume 1, Number 1

Tx
Cable

Rx
Cable

Figure 8. Duplex TMA

Tx/Rx
Cable

Figure 9. Dual Duplex TMA

43

RX

TX

RX BP

Dual Polarized
Antenna

TX/RX

TX/RX

Simplex
TMA

LNA

Antenna

Antenna

Dual Polarized
Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Antenna

Diagram Showing Connectivity of Different TMAs

Duplex

Duplex
TMA

Dual Duplex
TMA

LNA

Duplex
LNA

RX

RX BP

Simplex
TMA

LNA

Duplex

TX

TX

RX

TX/RX

RX

TX

RX

RX

TX/RX

RX

di gi ta l

d gi ta l

BTS

Use of Simplex TMA

BTS

Use of Duplex TMA

di gi t a l

BTS

Use of Dual Duplex

TMA

Figure 10. TMA Usage Diagram

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Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

TMA SOLUTION - 4

MAs can extend the range of the uplink of cell sites

into areas that would otherwise lack coverage with
comparatively very little additional cost. They are typically
low noise amplifiers with band pass filters, duplexers,
and dc blocks.
TMAs are normally used to enhance the receive signal
strength at the antenna where the uplink signal is weak.
Installation of a TMA leads to:

A decrease in dropped calls

An increase in in-building coverage
An increase in in-car coverage
A decrease in output power of the mobile, and
hence an increase in battery life

TMAs can be used to optimize networks, which might

result in a decrease in the number of base stations
where there is some difficulty in obtaining additional sites.
There are basically three types of TMAs:
1. Simplex TMA (Figure 7) is basically a low noise
amplifier. It amplifies the receive signal at the
antenna. This type of TMA is used in the receive
direction only, where the signal at the antenna is
weak enough to cause dropped calls or is close to
the receiver threshold. This is connected to a separate antenna port.
2. Duplex TMA (Figure 8) allows separated transmit
and receive feeder cables to be connected to the
same antenna port, thus eliminating the requirement for additional antenna ports or antennas.
3. Dual duplex TMA (Figure 9) allows a combined
Tx/Rx cable to be used at both ends of the TMA,
which decreases the number of cables and antennas.
Figure 10 illustrates sample connections for TMAs.

Configuration
If the system link budget is uplink limited and transmission line losses are higher than 3 dB, one TMA should
be installed on each of the sites adjacent to the town cell
sites. This allows an increase in the output power of the
respective BTSs. This, in turn, increases cell site coverage.
Once a TMA is installed, it cancels the receive transmission cable loss but adds 1 dB to the BTS receive noise
figure and 0.5 dB to the insertion loss. If each of the sites
increases its coverage by 800 yards, the town will be covered by both cell sites with some overlap.

Implementation Notes
A team with a system engineering specialist and an RF
engineer will be needed to design this system. The system installation should follow the standard implementation process. There are no stealthing requirements,
because TMAs will be installed on the cell sites beyond
the town limits.
Where possible, avoid using TMAs where the feeder
loss is less than 3 to 4 dB. The reason for this is that inband interference will be amplified with the incoming signal
and deteriorate the sensitivity of the receiver in the BTS.

December 2002 Volume 1, Number 1

Care must be taken to utilize TMAs properly. A good

rule of thumb for using a TMA is when the maximum
power of the BTS is greater than the balanced output
power of the BTS. That way, additional Tx power is available to balance the link when the uplink signal is
increased by the TMA.
Here are some guidelines for using TMAs:
Feeder loss greater than 3 dB
BTS maximum power greater than BTS balanced
output power
Weak receiver signal strength at the BTS

LEAKY COAX SOLUTION - 5

lthough leaky coax cable is used mostly for tunnels

and indoor applications, there could be two viable
options for this solution. One option is based on one
microcell located in the middle of the town, with two leaky
coax cables run from the center of the town to the town
edges. The other solution is based on two microcells
installed at the town limits, with two leaky coax cables
run from the town edges to the center of the town.

Central Option Configuration

A 5W microcell should be set up in the middle of the
town at the base of the light pole. A splitter will split the
signal into two -in. coax jumper cables, which will run
up to 10 feet on the light pole to connect the microcell
with 7/8-in. leaky coax cables suspended horizontally
from the light poles. Two 7/8-in. leaky coax cables will
cover up to 1,200 feet via the light poles to the edges of
the town. Link budgets can be calculated similar to those
presented in previous sections.
Implementation Notes
The RF planning engineer should design this system. A
special implementation plan should be developed that
includes the leaky coax installation on the light poles and
the stealthing requirements. The microcell outdoor cabinet can be painted for stealthing. See Figure 11 for an
example of the installation.

Edge Option Configuration

Two 5W microcells should be set up at the base of the
light poles beyond the town limits. Two -in. coax jumper
cables will run up to 10 feet on the light pole to connect the
microcells with the respective 7/8-in. leaky coax cables
suspended horizontally from the light poles. Two 7/8-in.
leaky coax cables will run up to 1,200 feet on the light
poles to the center of the town. Link budgets can be calculated similar to those presented in previous sections.
Implementation Notes
The RF planning engineer should design this system. A
special implementation plan should be developed that
includes the leaky coax installation on the light poles.
There are no stealthing requirements, because both
microcells are installed outside the town limits.
See Figure 12 for an example of the installation.

45

Figure 11. Leaky Coax Central Option Solution

Figure 12. Leaky Coax Edge Option Solution

46

Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

CONCLUSION

he examples show that many methods can be used to

solve a particular coverage deficiency problem. Some
solutions are better suited to a particular situation than
others. Therefore, the more methods that are available to
an RF planning team, the more flexibility the team has in
the design, and the more optimal their design can be
from the standpoint of cost and coverage.
Although these methods are not being used to design
entire networks and cannot be used as a single standard
application, there is a place for each in the system.
Moreover, the individual flexibility of these methods, as
well as their combined flexibility brings value to any professional RF network and operations.

BIOGRAPHY
Aleksey Kurochkin is
currently director, Wireless Planning, in the
Bechtel Telecommunications Technology group,
a group that he originated. Aleksey has experience in international
te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
business management
and network implementation. Between engineering and marketing
Aleksey Kurochkin
positions, he has both
theoretical and hands-on experience with most wireless
technologies. Aleksey came to Bechtel from Hughes
Network Systems, where he built an efficient multi-product
team focused on RF planning and system engineering.
Aleksey is an electrical engineer, specializing in
telecommunications and information systems, with an
MSEE/CS degree from Moscow Technology University.
Acknowledgment: Figures 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were
created by Mustapha Mohammed, formerly associated
with Bechtel Telecommunications.

December 2002 Volume 1, Number 1

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