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Electrical-Mechanical Downtilt Effect On Pattern Performance WP-103755 PDF
Electrical-Mechanical Downtilt Effect On Pattern Performance WP-103755 PDF
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Inter-sector interference has been a problem for wireless operators ever since RF engineers
deployed the first sector array antennas. Radiation patterns that bleed outside the antenna's
defined sector affect not only the quality of service in adjacent sectors within the same cell, but
can disrupt service in adjacent cells as well.
In an attempt to confine the signal to its specific sector, operators have employed a variety of
techniques, including physically downtilting the antenna. Known as mechanical downtilt, this
technique has been effective to some degree, but has also caused additional problems.
Physically downtilting the antenna occurs along a single horizontal plane. As the front of the
antenna is tilted down, the back is, by default, tilted up. This limitation creates a variety of
radiation pattern irregularities, such as pattern blooming, that are a major source of inter-sector
interference. Even still, mechanical downtilt has become an accepted practice. To help
compensate for the inherent limitations of mechanical downtilt, the industry has developed certain
general guidelines.
The introduction of electrically downtilted antennas gave network operators greater flexibility in
tilting the antenna beam and manipulating the radiation pattern. The electrically downtilted
antenna enables the operator to tilt the antenna pattern along an infinite number of angles, in
effect, creating a three-dimensional cone of coverage. As a result, electrical downtilt allows the
operator greater freedom in shaping the antenna's horizontal radiation pattern to minimize intersector interference and maximize quality of service within the specified sector.
The use of electrically downtilted antennas has increased significantly since the technology was
first introduced. RF engineers, however, continue to apply the same basic guidelines initially
developed to help compensate for the limitations of mechanical downtilt antennas.
Additionally, many operators have begun to use mechanical downtilt in tandem with electrical
downtilt. While combining the two methods can be effective in very limited applications, data
suggests that overall this practice leads to horizontal pattern deformations that can altogether
offset the benefits of electrical downtilt.
This paper has been developed in order to demonstrate the horizontal pattern-shaping abilities of
sector array antennas using electrical versus mechanical downtilt. Specifically, it illustrates how
electrical downtilt can be used to minimize interference in the horizontal plane by systematically
lowering gain at boresite, 180 behind boresite, and at 90 to boresite. Additionally, this paper
seeks to quantify the negative effects of attempting to combine the two technologies.
It also provides a revised and improved guideline for antennas using electric downtilt in order to
help operators reduce horizontal pattern irregularities such as pattern blooming, beam squint and
front-to-back ratios to acceptable levels.
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2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 1 of 15
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Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 3 of 15
independently
and
simultaneously. This allows engineers to manipulate
gain in a full 360 around the tower and to the outer
perimeter of the site. The visual representation of this
coverage resembles a cone as seen in Figure 3.
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In addition to reducing horizontal pattern blooming, the increased beam forming capabilities of
the electrically downtilted antennas have yielded significant improvement in controlling other
negative pattern characteristics. These include beam squint, front-to-back ratio and crosspolarization ratio.
Beam Squint
Beam squint is defined as the difference between the mechanical boresite and the electrical
boresite of an antenna as shown in Figure 5. The mechanical boresite is defined as being
perpendicular to the antennas back tray while electrical boresite is defined as the mid-point of the
3 dB beamwidth.
Horizontal Boresite
Mechanical
Boresite
0/2
Squint
3 dB
340
350
10
Electrical
Boresite
0
20
330
30
320
+3 dB
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310
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Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 5 of 15
In Figure 6, the degree of difference between mechanical and electrical boresites remains
relatively consistent when using electrical tilt only. Figure 7 demonstrates how the beam squint on
the DualPol antenna increases with the degree of mechanical downtilt. At the higher angles of
mechanical downtilt on X-Pol antennas, the squint can exceed 10% of the antennas azimuth
beamwidth, causing coverage holes in some areas and inter-sector interference in others.
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
48 in X-pol Squint
48 in X-pol Squint
48 in V-pol Squint
48 in V-pol Squint
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 6 of 15
340
350
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20
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50
Desired
300
60
290
300
PUndesired
SPR (%) =
60
60
PDesired
300
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90
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250
X 100
Undesired
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240
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150
Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 7 of 15
18
16
14
12
48 in X-pol 850
96 in X-pol 850
48.5 in V-pol 850
10
8
6
4
2
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
18
Sector Power Ratio (%)
16
14
12
48 in X-pol 850
96 in X-pol 850
48.5 in V-pol 850
10
8
6
4
2
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 8 of 15
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Note that the normalized light green pattern for M=0, E=0 and the light blue pattern for M=0, E=7
practically overlay each other. In both cases, the antenna beam has been re-directed using
electrical downtilt only. This substantiates the concept that, when using electrical downtilt only,
the horizontal pattern remains consistent even as the tilt angle increases. By contrast, the other
patterns in Figure 11 illustrate what happens when mechanical downtilt is used by itself or in
combination with electrical downtilt. The patterns in which mechanical downtilt is used (Purple
and Red) indicate blooming of the horizontal pattern as well as worsening of front-to-back ratios.
Investigators also analyzed the effects of combined mechanical and electrical downtilt on the
front-to-back ratio (F/B) and Cross-Polarization Ratio (CPR).
Front-to-back ratio (F/B) compares gain at boresite to gain at point 180 behind boresite as
shown in Figure 12. It is often expressed as the F/B ratio over some angle around the 180 point
(ie. 180 30).
Figure 14 demonstrates the degradation in F/B ratio and CPR when mechanical downtilt is
applied to an antenna already having a large amount of electrical downtilt. The patterns are for a
typical 4 foot, 65 antenna employing 15 electrical downtilt and 5 mechanical downtilt.
Color
Dataset Name
Frequency
Pattern
Pol.
0.836
AZ
Co-pol
0.836
AZ
X-Pol
M0E0 0.0%
70%
M4E0 3.0%
M7E0 9.8%
60%
M11E0 32.0%
M9E0 17.9%
M11E0 32.0%
M-tilt (% of VBW)
M9E4 34.4%
50%
40%
M0E4 0.0%
M9E0 17.9%
M4E4 6.3%
M7E4 18.8%
M9E4 34.4%
M7E0 9.8%
M0E8 0.0%
M4E8 12.3%
M5E8 18.5%
30%
M4E4 6.3%
20%
M7E4 18.8%
M7E8 36.7%
M5E8 18.5%
M5E10 24.6%
M4E0 3.0%
M4E8 12.3%
M7E8 36.7%
M4E10 15.4%
M0E10 0.0%
10%
M0E0 0.0%
M0E4 0.0%
M0E8 0.0%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
M0
E1
0 0
.0 %
50%
60%
70%
M3E15 39.4%
M4E10 15.4%
M2E15 16.7%
M5E10 24.6%
M1E15
6.1%
M0
E1
5
0.0
%
80%
90%
M0E15 0.0%
M1E15 6.1%
M2E15 16.7%
100%
E-Tilt (% of VBW)
M3E15 39.4%
10% Blooming
20% Blooming
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2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 12 of 15
M6E2 78.1%
M0E0 0%
60%
M2E0 2.8%
M-tilt (% of VBW)
M4E0 12.8%
50%
M6E0 39.0%
M4E2 25.0%
M4E4 46.9%
M4E0 12.8%
M8E0 96.3%
M0E2 0.0%
40%
M2E2 6.3%
M4E2 25.0%
30%
20%
10% Blooming
M2E0 2.8%
M6E2 78.1%
M2E8 57.8%
M2E4 10.4%
M0E4 0.0%
M2E2 6.3%
M2E4 10.4%
M1E8 15.6%
M4E4 46.9%
10%
M0E8 0.0%
M0E2 0.0%
M0E0 0%
M1E8 15.6%
M0E8 0.0%
M0E4 0.0%
M2E8 57.8%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
20% Blooming
E-Tilt (% of VBW)
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2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 13 of 15
3.5
Mechanical Downtilt
Factor for 10% Horizontal Blooming
X HBW M-tilt10% Bloom = (VBW E-tilt)/k
k Factor
3.0
2.5
k vs HBW
2.0
1.5
1.0
30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90
Rated Azimuth Beamwidth (deg)
Figure 17: Maximum k-factor for non-65 azimuth antennas
CONCLUSIONS
The industry has long been aware of the inherent physical limitations of antennas using
mechanical downtilt and the challenges they present in trying to adequately balance coverage
and interference. In fact, it was this understanding of the shortcomings of mechanically downtilted
antennas that led to earlier engineers developing a basic rule of thumb to try and keep pattern
blooming in check.
Yet, when this rule of thumb was revisited it was found to be somewhat inaccurate and
insufficient in consideration of the use of X-Pol antennas and the demand for more precise RF
containment. More accurate range data shows that, in order to keep pattern blooming to less than
10%, the maximum mechanical tilt is not half (50%) the vertical beamwidth as previously
believed, but it is more precisely the vertical beamwidth divided by 2.5 (40%). This finding in and
of itself is significant as one can readily see how at increased tilt angles, pattern blooming can
quickly get out of hand. Couple it with the fact that many of today's engineers are attempting to
combine mechanical and electrical downtilt which adds much greater degree of pattern erosion
and it becomes clear that a new mathematical model is needed.
While we have suggested an alternative model to the old rule of thumb, one that is more accurate
and consistent with today's more precise antenna designs, the underlying message throughout
Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 14 of 15
this paper does not change: Engineers employing any degree of mechanical downtilt, whether by
itself or in combination with electrical downtilt, must be prepared for unexpected and often
undesirable pattern variances.
This effect holds true beyond pattern blooming and can be seen in other horizontal pattern
characteristics such as front-to-back ratio, beam squint, sector power ratio, and cross-polarization
ratio. Therefore, it would seem that the best and most precise solution would be to eliminate the
use of mechanical downtilt altogether. As noted in this paper, antennas using only electrical
downtilt produce horizontal patterns that maximize sector coverage while minimizing potential
interference, and that their patterns demonstrate a high degree of consistency regardless of the
tilt angle.
As the industry continues to evolve, the need to be able to consistently support high-speed, highcapacity video and data traffic will become a subscriber expectation. In this interference-limited
environment, keeping inter-sector signal disruption to an absolute minimum will become a key
competitive advantage. Those operators who plan now to make exclusive use of electrically
downtilted antennas a part of their deployment strategy will be positioned to reap the benefits in
the near future.
Visit our Web site at www.commscope.com/andrew or contact your local Andrew Solutions representative for more information.
2010 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. Andrew Solutions is a trademark of CommScope. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or
trademarks, respectively, of CommScope. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating
to Andrew products or services.
WP-103755-EN (6/10) Page 15 of 15