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Antenna Tiltguide
Antenna Tiltguide
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 3
ANTENNAS...................................................................................................... 3
2.3
2.4
Theoretical tilt-effects............................................................................................... 8
MEASUREMENTS ......................................................................................... 12
3.3
RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................. 20
4.1
General recommendations..................................................................................... 20
CONCLUSION................................................................................................ 23
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INTRODUCTION
With an increasing capacity demand, and a limited frequency spectrum,
the operators are forced to utilise the frequency spectrum more
efficiently. High capacity frequency planning techniques are often based
on tight frequency reuse. The networks become interference limited, and
in order to maximise the capacity, every available technique to minimise
interference becomes important.
As the capacity demand increases, the network plans also become
tighter. A macro-cell site-site distance down to 400 meter or less is not
unusual. With shorter site-to-site distances, limiting the interference from
each cell becomes more and more important. When the cells are very
small, down tilt can be applied without loss of coverage. Compared to no
tilt at all, downtilt can even improve coverage in these dense networks.
A well-chosen overall tilt-strategy can lower the overall interference in
the network. A too aggressive down tilting strategy will however lead to
an overall loss of coverage. In addition to a general down tilt strategy,
applied in all cells, down tilt can be used to solve specific problems, for
example local interference problems or cells that are too large.
ANTENNAS
2.1
2.1.1
Gain
The antenna diagrams show the antenna gain, in a given direction,
relative an isotropic antenna. The maximum gain for an antenna can be
increased by narrowing the horizontal and/or the vertical beam width.
Typical for a three sector site is a 65horizontal beam width with a
maximum gain of 15 or 18 dBi.
2.1.2
Horizontal beamwidth
The standard antennas for a three-sector site has a horizontal beam
width, also referred to as the half power beam width, of 65. This
means that the gain is 3 dB less at +/- 32.5(i.e. half power) than the
maximum gain in the 0direction. At 60(i.e. the theoretical cell border
between the sectors), the gain is suppressed typically 10 dB.
2.1.3
Vertical beamwidth
The most interesting part of the antenna pattern when it comes to tilting
is the vertical antenna-gain pattern in the forward direction. A 15 dBi
antenna usually has a vertical half power beam width of around 15(i.e.
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+/- 7.5 ). The high gain 18 dBi antennas have a narrower vertical beam
width, typically 6-8(i.e. +/- 3- 4).
Below is an example of two typical antennas with 15.5 and 18 dBi gain.
-25
-20
-15
-10
dB
5
0
-5
-5
0
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
10
15
20
25
GAIN 15 dBi
GAIN 18 dBi
Degrees
Figure 1. Vertical gain for two typical 15 dBi and 18 dBi antennas.
If the antenna tilted for example 5, the gain in the horizontal direction,
relative the maximum gain, equals the gain at 5in the antenna
diagram. For the antennas above, a 5downtilt would mean
approximately 1.5 dB for the 15.5 dBi antenna, and 8.5 dB for the 18
dBi antenna.
Below is an example of what an 18 dBi vertical antenna diagram will look
like with 0, 5and 8down tilt.
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-5
10
15
20
-5
dB
-10
GAIN 18 dBi, 5 degrees
GAIN 18 dBi, 0 degree tilt
GAIN 18 dBi, 8 degree tilt
-15
-20
-25
-30
degrees
2.1.5
Null-fill
Some antennas use null-fillin order to make the first null under the
horizon smaller. This is to limit the loss of signal strength that the mobile
may experience if it is located at a position where the vertical angle from
the basestation antenna corresponds to the first null under the horizon in
the antenna diagram. Such antennas do however tend to loose some of
its maximum gain. Most of the large antenna manufacturers such as
Kathrein, has a the first null specified to be > -25 dB relative the
maximum gain. This figure is however somewhat theoretical, since the
actual antenna diagram for these low power dips is effected by the
antenna mounting. Moreover, the reflections and diffractions in the wave
propagation will even out the dip in the antenna diagram, and the
receiving mobile will not experience such a dramatic decrease in signal
strength.
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2.1.6
Back-lobe
The theoretical back-lobes for two typical 65antennas are shown in the
picture below. However, the actual antenna gain for different vertical
directions is very difficult to estimate. Things like the mounting masts
and the near environment on the roof has a large impact on the radiation
in the backward direction. The actual signal strength behind the cell may
also be the result of reflections from the energy transmitted in the
forward direction. It is therefore difficult to theoretically predict the effect
that down tilting has on the signal strength in the backward direction.
165
170
dB
155
175 -5180
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60
185
190
195
200
205
GAIN 15 dBi
GAIN 18 dBi
degrees
Figure 3. Vertical gain for the back-lobe for two typical 15 dBi and 18 dBi
antennas.
2.2
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-5
10
15
20
-5
-10
dB
6 degrees EDT
18 dBi
-15
6 degrees mechanical
-20
-25
-30
degrees
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10
MDT
No tilt
0
-90
-60
-30
-5 0
30
60
90
EDT
-10
-15
Degrees
2.4
THEORETICAL TILT-EFFECTS
When selecting the optimum tilt angle, the goal is to have as high signal
strength as possible in the area where the cell should be serving traffic.
Beyond the serving area of the cell, the signal strength should be as low
as possible.
The basic theory is that down tilting an antenna increases the signal
strength in the area close to the site, whereas the signal strength
becomes lower at far distances. The relation between the signal strength
and distance from the site depends on:
Down tilt angle
Antenna type
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Antenna height
Near environment (topography and obstacles)
In an open environment, the effects of antenna down tilting can be fairly
accurately estimated by calculating the vertical angle between the
antenna and the mobile at various distances from the site.
Example
Tilt effect, in terms of antenna gain experienced by a mobile, calculated
given the following circumstances:
Effective antenna height: (antenna height mobile height): 50 meter
Distance, site mobile: 500 meter
Antenna down tilt: 8
The vertical angle to the mobile is:
=arctan(50/500) = 5.7
It the antenna was not down tilted, the antenna gain for the mobile would
correspond to 5.7in the antenna diagram. However, since the antenna
is down tilted, the corresponding angle in the vertical antenna diagram
is:
5.7- 8= -2.3
In the figure below, the theoretical antenna gain for different distances
from the site have been calculated for a typical 18 dBi gain antenna. The
antenna gain has been added to a simple path propagation model in
order to show the signal strength in relation to the distance from the site
for different antenna tilt angles.
In the calculations, a 50 meter antenna height has been assumed. A
different antenna height will change the scale of the X-axis, but the
relative gain for the different antenna tilt angles will remain. In order to
make the figure easier to read, two different scales have been plotted.
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500
1000
1500
Max Gain
dBm
-60
0 degrees
-70
8 degrees
-80
14 degrees
-90
-100
Distance from site (meter)
-50 0
dBm
-70
0 degrees
8 degrees
-90
14 degrees
-110
-130
Distance from site (meter)
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500
1000
1500
Max Gain
dBm
-60
0 degrees
-70
5 degrees
-80
9 degrees
-90
-100
Distance from site (meter)
-50 0
2000
4000
6000
dBm
-70
0 degrees
5 degrees
-90
9 degrees
-110
-130
Distance from site (meter)
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MEASUREMENTS
This chapter contains some measurements that where performed in a
large Asian City. The topography is very flat, and has no significant
impact on the results.
The area refereed to as Urbanis dense, but not extremely dense. The
buildings are of various heights, including skyscrapers up to 100 meter
or more. A photo from a typical Urban site is shown in Appendix.
Most of these measurements are from non line-of-site. Areas referred to
as Suburbando not have that many high-rise buildings, and the
buildings are not as densely built.
Five sites were selected for the measurements. These sites where all 3sector, using 65horizontal beamwidth antennas with no Electrical
downtilt. This means that all tilts were done using mechanical downtilt.
For each site, two cells where selected. Two of the sites had 18 dBi
antennas, the other three sites where equipped with 15.5 dBi antennas.
For each cell, the signal strength was measured for three different tilt
angels. If possible, the first measurement was always performed with 0
tilt, as a reference. For some cells, the antenna mounting was however
such that 0tilt could not be applied.
Measurement procedures
Prior to the measurements, the cells to be measured got the BCCH
frequencies configured with cleantest-frequencies. The signal strength
was measured by a TEMS phone, using Scan-mode, and logged
together with GPS readings. After the measurements, the signal strength
was plotted in Map-info, and the result was analysed. In addition to this,
the measurements were also post-processed in Mat-lab. The signal
strength was filtered out for different directions, and plotted as a function
of distance from the site. These plots are presented in this chapter.
These kind of measurements are time consuming. In this measurement
project, a large number of cells have been prioritised rather than
performing a larger number of different tilt-angles for each cell. Due to
the fact that the different tilt-angles were not logged simultaneously, the
measurements are not exact enough to compare the signal-strength
very close to the site. The accuracy of the positioning is limited by the
GPS readings. Each drive-test was not performed with exactly the same
speed. This does also have an impact on the accuracy of the compared
signal strengths for the different tilt-angles. In the measurement graphs,
the signal-strength in each point is the middle value of all samples in a
50 x 50 meter square.
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3.1
3.1.1
18 dBi Antennas
dB
20
10
0
-10 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
-20
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
-110
SS_0
SS_9
SS_14
SS_9 - SS_0
SS_14 - SS_0
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0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
SS_0
SS_4
SS_12
SS_4 - SS_0
SS_12 - SS_0
0.5
1.5
2.5
SS_5
SS_9
SS_14
SS_9 - SS_5
SS_14 - SS_5
dB
0
-10 0
-20
0.5
1.5
2.5
SS_0
-30
-40
-50
-60
SS_5
SS_12
SS_5 - SS_0
SS_12 - SS_0
-70
-80
-90
-100
-110
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15 dBi antennas
dB
SS_0
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
4.5
SS_8
SS_14
SS_8-SS_0
SS_14-SS_0
dB
SS_0
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
SS_8
SS_14
SS_8-SS_0
SS_14-SS_0
dB
3.1.2
20
10
0
-10
-20 0
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
-110
SS_0
0.5
1.5
SS_8
SS_14
SS_8-SS_0
SS_14-SS_0
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SS_1
0.5
1.5
2.5
SS_8
SS_14
SS_8-SS_1
SS_14-SS_1
SS_0
SS_8
SS_14
delta_8
delta_14
SS_0
0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5 3
3.5 4
4.5 5
5.5 6
SS_8
SS_14
SS_8-SS_0
SS_14-SS_0
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dB
SS_0
SS_8
SS_14
delta_8
delta_14
SS_0
SS_8
SS_14
delta_8
delta_14
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dB
3.3
20
10
0
-10
-20 0
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
-110
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
4.5
SS_0
SS_8
SS_14
SS_8-SS_0
SS_14-SS_0
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RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
One general recommendation is not to apply a large down tilt for all
cells in an area. The reason for this is that:
1. It becomes difficult to to fix specific problems, e.g. interference
problems or cells that are too large. If a cell that already has a large
donwntilt applied, needs to be further down tilted due to for example
a local interference problem, this cell would need to have a very
large tilt angle. The effects from very large downtilts are difficult to
predict, and may lead to a significant loss of coverage in the area.
2. If mechanical downtilt is used, the horizontal beam-width of the
antenna becomes wider (see chapter 2.2). This effect is difficult to
consider in the frequency planning, and the wider antenna diagram
probably creates an overall worse C/I distribution in the network.
3. If the cellplan is not very tight (around 700 meter site-to-site distance
or more depending on antenna heights and type), antenna down
tilting will reduce the overall coverage in the network. This is of
course not good for the quality of the network, especially for indoor
areas with weak coverage.
One good strategy is to have a few default tilt values that are
implemented on every site. The default value can be different
depending on the area, the size of the cell, antenna height and which
type of antenna that is used. The general recommendation is
however to keep it simple, and not do to many theoretical
calculations for every site. It is better to start with a low tilt for every
cell (see further the recommendations in chapter 4.2.1, 4.2.2), and
study the actual coverage and interference situation. On a case by
case bases, apply further down-tilt can be applied (and verified
through drive-tests and analysing statistics!).
There is no point in tilting an antenna less than the angle which gives
a 3 dB loss at the horizon. This corresponds to around 7tilt for a 15
dBi antenna, and around 3.5tilt for an 18 dBi antenna. A smaller tilt
gives a limited impact and is hardly worth the effort.
Study the antenna diagram carefully before selecting the tilt-angle.
Most of the tilting effect happens between the angle that corresponds
to the 3dB point towards the horizon, and the angle that corresponds
to tilting the first null towards the horizon. It is sort of like the ketchup
effect. For example 8tilt gives far more than twice the effect
compared to 4.
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Avoid down tilting more than the angle that correspond to having the
first null towards the horizon. Further down tilting can be done in
extreme cases, but if there is a need for further reduction of
interference or cell-size, a reduction of output power, or possibly
lowering of the antenna height, should also be considered. Very
large down tilts (beyond the first null towards the horizon) should be
carefully verified since the effect of such large tilts is difficult to
predict.
Define, for every antenna type, four or five tilt-angles, and do only
use these tilts. This makes it easier to work in a structured way, and
to have better control over all the down tilts in the network. An
example of such fixed tilt-values could be:
Theoretical gain
at horizon
(relative max.
Gain)
Default Tilt-angles
(exact values depends on
the antenna diagram)
15 dBi
antenna
18 dBi
antenna
0 dB
3 dB
3.5
6 dB
9.5
10 dB
11.5
> 15 dB
14
Document all antenna down tilts! It is important not only to know how
much each cell is down tilted, but also WHY the down tilt was
performed. If an antenna tilt was performed in order to solve a local
interference problem due to for example a bad co-channel, this tilt
should possibly be removed when a new frequency plan (without this
co-channel) is implemented. Another example is a cell that has been
down tilted because of congestion. If the cell is expanded with
additional transceivers, it might be possible to reduce the down tilt.
A new site effects the coverage area of all cells that are neighbours
to the new site. The downtilt angles in these sites should be revised.
Additional downtilt should be considered in neighbouring cells that
gets a reduced coverage area.
Verify all the effects after having performed a down tilt of more than
4(18 dBi antennas) or 8(15 dBi antennas). Remember that it is
just as important to check the coverage and quality in the down tilted
cell, as the area where the down tilt is expected to reduce
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RECOMMENDED TILT-VALUES
4.2.1
4.2.2
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In areas where interference is a large problem, and the cells are very
small (often the same area), additional down tilt can be applied.
Additional tilt should be decided on a case-by-case basis, and the
result should always be verified.
Consider using 6Electronic Down Tilt (EDT) antennas (18 dBi, 6
EDT is available in Ericssons product package for 1800 MHz). The
6EDT antenna may result in a overall loss of coverage if used in
every cell in an area. As a default setting, the EDT antennas can
therefore be mechanically up-tilted maybe 2. This corresponds to
around 4down tilt from a conventional non-EDT antenna. If a larger
tilt-angle is desired, the EDT antenna can be down tilted. When
additional mechanical tilt is applied, this mechanical tilt angle is
small, and will not effect the horizontal antenna diagram to a great
extent. In the forward direction, for example a 2downtilt on a 6
EDT antenna will give approximately the same effect as a 6+ 2 =
8mechanical downtilt. An 8mechanical downtilt does however
have a distorted horizontal antenna diagram (see chapter 2.2, Figure
5), while the 2additional mechanical tilt on the EDT antenna will
only have a minor impact on the horizontal antenna diagram.
CONCLUSION
Antenna down tilt can be a good tool in order to keep interference levels
under control in a network. Antenna down tilt does have most effect with
high gain, narrow vertical beam-width antennas. Best result is achieved
in areas with small cells, and/or high antenna positions. With large cells,
antenna down tilt can still be useful in order to solve local interference
problems, or to reduce the cell-size. This is however at the cost of
reduced coverage. The result of an antenna down tilt, if not very minor,
should always be verified. It is especially important to verify the effect
that the down tilt has on the coverage and quality in the area close to the
down tilted cell itself.
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Appendix
Picture from a typical Urbansite. Some of the other Urban cells had
more nearby high-rise buildings, in some cases partly blocking the cell.
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