February 2016

FILTER AND COMBINER BASICS

1. FILTER

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 Different Types of Kathrein Filter Products Filter

Filter
 A filter is a device that allows passage of
operating frequencies within a certain
frequency range and stops frequencies
outside that range.

Band-pass Filter

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 Filter Characteristics

Frequency  Frequency  Frequency 

Attenuation
Attenuation

Attenuation




Low-pass Filter  Band-pass Filter S-P (stop-pass) Filter

Frequency  Frequency 
Attenuation

Attenuation


High-pass Filter Band-stop Filter

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 Electrical Performance of a Filter

Stop band attenuation

 Filters are required to attenuate any noise or unwanted frequencies above and below
an operating frequency. The stop band attenuation is the attenuation value at an
unwanted frequency.

Stop band attenuation

Pass band frequency
> 58 dB (1920-2170 MHz)
1710-1880 MHz

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 Filter Example

Band-pass Filter for LTE800 with DVB-T

suppression

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2. DUPLEXER

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 Duplexer

Duplexer
 A duplexer is a Tx/Rx combiner consisting of a Tx band-pass Filter and a Rx band-pass
Filter in order to combine Tx and Rx signals onto a common antenna port. Both input
ports are isolated from each other.

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 Duplexer

 Feeder sharing Common Port

 Antenna sharing
Dual Band
Combiner

Isolation between input ports >65 – 90 dB

Duplexer

BTS GSM 1800

Rx path Tx path 1710 – 1880 MHz
Receive path (Rx) BTS GSM 900 Transmit path (Tx)
890 -915 MHz 890 – 960 MHz 935– 960 MHz

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 Duplexer Example

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3. MULTIBAND COMBINER

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 Multiband Combiner

A Multiband combiner consists of a band-pass filter for frequency band 1 and a band-pass
filter for frequency band 2 in order to combine signals of different frequency bands onto a
common antenna port. All input ports are isolated from each other.

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 Advantage of Feeder Sharing

Without With Feeder

Feeder Sharing Sharing

18 feeder cables 6 feeder cables

necessary necessary

Triple Band
Combiners
e.g. 782 10631

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 Multiband Combiner

A Multiband combiner allows several transmitters or receivers of different frequency

bands to be combined onto one common antenna.
Common Port
 Feeder sharing
 Antenna sharing Dual Band Low insertion loss
Combiner 0.1- 0.4 dB

Port 1 Port 2

Isolation between input ports

>45 - >60 dB
BTS GSM 900 BTS GSM 1800
890 – 960 MHz 1710 – 1880 MHz

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 Dualband Combiner

2 input ports – 1 common output port Band1 Band 2

Pass band: Pass band:
Pass band Frequency 470 – 960 1710 – 2170
470 – 960 MHz

Common

Pass band Frequency

1710 – 2170 MHz

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 Dual-Band Combiner

Application Example 1 Sector Configuration

 Feeder sharing
 Available as a single unit, or for Xpol
antennas as a double unit.

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 Triple-Band Combiner

3 input ports – 1 common output port

Band 1 Band 2 Band 3
Pass Band Frequency
Pass band Pass band Pass band
380 – 960 MHz 380 – 960 1710 – 1880 1920 – 2170

Common

Pass Band Frequency

1710 – 1880 MHz
Pass Band Frequency
1920 – 2170 MHz

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 Triple-Band Combiner

Application Example 1 Sector Configuration

 Feeder sharing
 Available as a single unit, or for Xpol antennas
as a double unit

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 Double Unit for XPol Antennas

Xpol Antenna

Triple-band
Combiners
(Double unit)

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 Co-Siting Filter Solutions for various applications

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4. HYBRID & SAME-BAND COMBINER

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 Hybrid Combiner

The opposite to multiband combiners are

in-band combiners.
The simpliest form of an in-band combiner is
a hybrid combiner which operates frequency
independent but produces 3dB loss.
A hybrid combiner consists of a 3dB hybrid
(3dB coupler) and a low intermodulation load.
A duplex hybrid combiner (same band combiner)
provides a solution without 3dB loss on the Tx path.

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 Hybrid Combiner

Hybrid Combiner for decoupled combining Common Port

 frequency independent
 3 dB loss by the laws of physics Hybrid
Insertion Loss 3 dB
Combiner

Isolation between input

ports > 22 dB

890 - 960 MHz 890 - 960 MHz

BTS GSM 900

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 Hybrid Combiner

Application
Example Operator 1 (50 % Tx 1), Operator 1 (50 % Tx 2),
Operator 2 (50 % Tx 3) Operator 2 (50 % Tx 4)

BTS 1 BTS 2

Tx/Rx 1 Tx/Rx 2 Tx/Rx 3 Tx/Rx 4

Operator 1 Operator 2
GSM 900 MHz UMTS 900 MHz

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 Hybrid Combiner

Hybrid Combiner 4:4; 698 - 2690 MHz

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 Same-Band Combiner

Why Same-Band Combiner?

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 Same-Band Combiner

 2 blocks within the same frequency range are

separated by a guard band
 Realization with steep flank filters
 Very low Tx / Rx insertion loss compared to hybrid
combiners

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 Same-Band Combiner Tuning Example

78211370 1710-1880
Rx: 1710-1785 Tx: 1805-1880

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 Solutions for refarming GSM to LTE and IntraBand Carrier Aggregation at Telkomsel

1730 1750 1765 1785 1825 1845 1860 1880

Same Band Combiner: Rx1 Rx3 Tx1 Tx3

78211235
Rx2 Rx4 Tx2 Tx4
Intra Band Carrier Aggregation
for 10 and 5 MHz; 7,5Mhz
GSM with extra Antenna

1710 1740 1755 1785 1805 1835 1850 1880

Same Band Combiner: Rx1 Rx3 Tx1 Tx3

78211230 Rx2 Rx4 Tx2 Tx4

Intra Band Carrier Aggregation

for 10 and 7,5 MHz; 5Mhz
GSM with extra Antenna

LTE and GSM Combining of

7,5 and 10MHz

1718 1743 1745 1785 1713 1838 1840 1880

Factory Tunable SBC:
78211370 Rx2 Rx1 Tx2 Tx1

Intra Band Carrier Aggregation

In BS 10 + 5 MHz 7,5MHz
GSM

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5. TOWER MOUNTED AMPLIFIER

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 Tower Mounted Amplifier

A TMA is a low noise receiver amplifier

used to improve the up-link sensitivity
of a BTS Tower
Mounted RX Gain
 TMA: Tower Mounted Amplifier
Amplifier
 MHA: Mast Head Amplifier

Tx Rx

BTS

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 Tower Mounted Amplifier – Benefits

Why Tower Mounted Amplifiers?

 Improved network quality
 Less dropped calls
 Improved voice quality
 Improved bit error rate
 Improved mobile stand-by time
 Extended cell coverage / Indoor penetration
 Providing network balance
 Increased “Revenue Generating Area” - Operator
 Greater user satisfaction
 Reduces installation cost – less site requirements

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 Tower Mounted Amplifier – Benefits

Network Imbalance without TMA

Uplink
e.g. 2W
Downlink
e.g. 40W – 60W

Uplink imbalance
Due mainly to uplink
Downlink (Tx) feeder loss + handset propagation
Signal from BTS

Uplink (Rx)
Signal from mobile

Usable system coverage

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 Tower Mounted Amplifier – Benefits

Network Imbalance with TMA

Downlink dB dB Uplink

Downlink (Tx) System now in balance with

Signal from BTS up-link equal to down-link

Coverage
improvement Uplink (Rx)
Signal from mobile
when TMA is used
Usable system coverage
New system coverage

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 End

www.kathrein.com

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