Agilent

89600 Series Vector Signal Analysis

Software for IEEE 802.16 OFDMA
Evaluation and Troubleshooting

Self-Guided Demonstration

Measure, evaluate, and troubleshoot

IEEE 802.16 OFDMA “Mobile WiMAX”
compatible signals with the 89600
Series Vector Signal Analysis (VSA)
software and its 802.16 OFDMA
modulation analysis Option B7Y. This
software runs on a PC and works with
a variety of measurement hardware
platforms, including Agilent
Technologies spectrum analyzers,
Infiniium scopes, logic analyzers, and
the 89600 VXI-based VSA systems.
 IEEE 802.16 OFDMA “Mobile WiMAX”

Table of Contents Many people refer to IEEE 802.16e There are several differences
as “mobile WiMAX.” IEEE 802.16e between OFDM PHY layer used in
IEEE 802.16 OFDMA
is a document being developed fixed WiMAX and OFDMA PHY
“Mobile WiMAX” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
within the IEEE as an extension layer used for Mobile WiMAX.
IEEE 802.16 OFDMA concepts . . . . . . . . . 3
to the original OFDM PHY
Demonstration Preparation . . . . . . . . . . 5 layer that was described in • WiMAX OFDM always has
Setup Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 IEEE 802.16-2004. Its purpose is to 256 subcarriers that are
Recall the OFDMA example signal . . . . . 6 add PHY and MAC enhancements compressed or expanded to fit
Connecting the signal to the analyzer . . . 6 to support nomadic and full into 20 bandwidths from 1.25
Measurement and Troubleshooting mobile operation for broadband to 20 MHz. In OFDMA, only
Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 wireless access, also known as four bandwidths are defined,
Frequency, Frequency and Time “last mile” access. and each bandwidth has half
Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 the carriers of the next highest
Set up the RF measurement parameters 8 Currently IEEE 802.16e is bandwidth. Further, OFDMA
Triggering on the signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 focused on the licensed bands subcarrier spacing is always
Measuring signal bandwidth . . . . . . . . . 11 between 2 to 6 GHz. Frequency constant (approximately
Measuring CCDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 bands of 2.3, 2.5, and 3.5 GHz are 11 kHz).
Basic Digital Demodulation . . . . . . . . 14 the most likely candidates. It has
Advanced and four different FFT sizes (128, 512, • OFDMA adds a dimension of
Specific Demodulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 1024, and 2048) and multiple time allocation of subcarriers
Multiburst analysis: bandwidths. These different that was not used in OFDM.
one burst at a time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 bandwidths are why IEEE In OFDM, users are assigned
Multiburst analysis: 802.16e is sometimes called a subchannel which is an
all bursts at once . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
“scalable OFDMA” – scalable allocation of subcarriers. In
Adjacent carrier amplitude
difference trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
refers to the number of carriers OFDMA, users are assigned
changing with the system “slots” or “tiles,” which are an
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
bandwidth. allocation of subchannels for a
Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 certain number of symbols.
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Related Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 • OFDMA adds modes or “zones”
which dynamically allocate
Support, Services, and Assistance . . 28
data and pilot subcarriers for
a variety of applications and
channel conditions.

2
IEEE 802.16 OFDMA “Mobile WiMAX” (continued)

IEEE 802.16 OFDMA concepts
Subchannelization
• The subcarriers in a symbol
are organized (assigned) into
logical subchannels. The
subcarriers assigned to any
single subchannel are usually
NOT adjacent subcarriers;
instead they are distributed
across the entire bandwidth.
See Figure 1.
• This capability was optional in
OFDM, and very few vendors
have implemented it. In
OFDMA, subchannelization
is mandatory.
Figure 2. User data is mapped Logical subchannel 1
into slots in ascending order,
starting with n, n+1,…etc., up to
the number of slots that have
been allocated.
This diagram from the OFDMA
definition in IEEE 802.16e
(Figure 3) shows an example
of data regions in a downlink
subframe. The terms data region
and data bursts are used
Logical subchannel 2
interchangeably. This shows how
OFDMA user data is allocated
Figure 1. Nonadjacent subcarriers may
over time. In OFDMA, bursts
be assigned into logical “subchannels”
overlap in time. in OFDMA.

Slots
In OFDMA, the minimum possible Symbol index
data unit is a slot. A slot has two K K+1 K+2 K+3 K+4 K+5 K+6 K+7
0
Logical subchannels

dimensions; one dimension is 1

time, the other is subchannel 2 N N+3 N+6
3 N+1 N+4 N+7
number. (See Figure 2.) There are 4 N+2 N+5 N+8
three different slot sizes: 5
6
7
• one subchannel and one Data region
8
OFDMA Symbol
Figure 2. User data occupies “slots.”
• one subchannel and two
OFDMA Symbols

• one subchannel and three OFDMA Symbol Time

OFDMA Symbols K K+1 K+2 K+3 K+4 K+5 K+6 K+7 K+8 K+9 K+10
S
FCH
S+1
Different zones will use different S+2 DL burst #3
UL-MAP

S+3
slot sizes.
Logical subchannel

Data Region or Data Burst DL burst #1

Slots are combined together to
Preamble

make a data region. In OFDMA, a DL burst #4

DL-MAP

data region is a two-dimensional

allocation of a group of
contiguous subchannels, in a DL burst #2
DL burst #5
group of contiguous symbols.
Slots are mapped into the data
region in the pattern shown in

Time

Figure 3. Example of multiple data bursts

3
IEEE 802.16 OFDMA “Mobile WiMAX” (continued)
Zones
A Permutation Zone (or simply a
Zone) is a number of contiguous
OFDMA symbols in the downlink
(DL) or uplink (UL) subframe
that use the same permutation
formula. The permutation
formula describes various
configurations of pilot
subcarriers, data subcarriers,
subchannels, and slots.
Currently there are several
different zone types defined,
including, for example:
• PUSC (partial usage of
subchannels)
• FUSC (full usage of
subchannels)
• Optional PUSC with all
subchannels
• Optional FUSC
• AAS (Adaptive Antenna
System)
• AMC (Adaptive Modulation
and Coding)
Zones are used to help implement
base station functionality such
as beamforming, assigning
subchannels to different sectors
of a single cell, and to define
subchannelization that reduces
base station to base station
interference.
We won’t try to understand all
the complexity and flexibility in
4
each of the zone types. The
following definitions are for three
zone types (FUSC, PUSC, and
AMC). The other zone types are
similar (although used for special
purposes such as beamforming,
multicast, etc).
• FUSC or “Fully Used
Subchannelization” is one of
the zone types used in OFDMA.
As the name implies, all the
subchannels and subcarriers
are used.
• PUSC or “Partially Used
Subchannelization” is also a
zone type. In PUSC, only some
of the available subcarriers,
and therefore only some of
the possible subchannels are
used. This would be commonly
used to assign a portion of a
full channel to each sector in
a cell.
• AMC or “Adaptive Modulation
and Coding” uses subchannels
that are made up of adjacent
subcarriers. In a fixed or
nomadic environment, this can
be used to rapidly characterize
and adjust modulation and
coding for each subchannel.
This is useful to continually
maximize efficiency (as
the link conditions change).
The drawback is that the
subchannel doesn’t benefit
from spread spectrum and
is vulnerable to frequency
selective fading. This is not
as useful for full mobility
operation.
Demonstration Preparation

This demonstration uses the

89601A/89601AN/89601N12
Vector Signal Analysis
software and a PC meeting the
minimum requirements shown
in Table 1. No measurement
hardware is required as
the demonstration uses a
recorded signal.

Table 1. PC and software requirements

PC requirements1 Desktop Laptop

CPU 600 MHz Pentium® or AMD-K6 (>2 GHz recommended) 600 MHz Pentium or AMD-K6 (>2 GHz recommended)

Empty slots2 One PCI-bus slot (two recommended) One CardBus type II slot (two recommended)

RAM 512 MB (1 GB recommended) 512 MB (1 GB recommended)

Video RAM 4 MB (16 MB recommended) 4 MB (16 MB recommended)

Hard disk space 300 MB available 300 MB available

Operating system Microsoft® Windows® 2000, SP2, or XP Professional Microsoft Windows 2000, SP2, or XP Professional

Additional drive CDROM to load the software; CDROM to load the software;
license transfer requires 3.5 inch floppy drive, license transfer requires 3.5 inch floppy drive,
network access, or USB memory stick network access, or USB memory stick

Interface support2 LAN, GPIB, USB, or IEEE 1394-1995 (FireWire) LAN, GPIB, USB, or IEEE 1394-1995 (FireWire)

Minimum 89600 Series VSA software requirements

Model 89601A 89601AN 89601N12

Version 6.20 or higher 6.20 or higher 6.20 or higher

Option 200: Basic vector signal analysis X X

Option 300: Hardware connectivity2 X X

Option B7Y: IEEE 802.16 OFDMA modulation analysis 6.20 or higher 6.20 or higher

1 Requirements for use with some Infiniium oscilloscopes are different. See the Infiniium Oscilloscope Performance guide (publication number 5988-4096).
2 Required only if measurement hardware will be used. Interface hardware dependent.

5
Setup Procedure

This procedure is intended to Table 2. Recall recorded demonstration signal

help users get started using the
89600 series VSA software to
evaluate OFDMA signals. Detailed
information and explanations of
the signal and the operation of
the software are available in the
Help files located on the
software’s toolbar.
Recall the OFDMA example signal
Follow the instructions in Table 2
to recall the signal that will be
used in this demo. This is a burst
signal. You may have to wait
several seconds for the burst to
appear. When it does, it should
look something like Figure 4.
Instructions Toolbar menus
Preset the software File > Preset > Preset All
Go to the default signal directory File > Recall > Recall Recording
(c:\Program Files\Agilent
\89600VSA\Help\Signals)
Select the uniform downlink recording Select i80216e_DLPUSCUniformQ64.sdf
Click Open
Start the measurement Click (toolbar, left side)
Activate the recorded signal playback. Control > Player
This adds a new window with
playback controls and playback
progress display.

This signal is a downlink

subframe containing one PUSC
zone with only one data burst.
All subchannels are used in
this “uniform” burst and the
modulation type is 64QAM. The
center frequency is 2.31 GHz; the
nominal bandwidth is 10 MHz.

The 89600 VSA software can

download this and other recorded
signal files to Agilent’s ESG and
PSG series signal generators. This
may be helpful during early design
phases when an actual signal is
not available. Detailed information
on how to download a signal to
the ESG is available in the 89600
on-line Help text, topic: Source.

Connecting the signal to

the analyzer Figure 4. Recalled recorded signal with playback control bar.
Note that the signal has not yet been autoscaled.
No measurement hardware is
required to analyze the recorded
signal used in this procedure.
If you wish to use hardware,
detailed installation and
connection instructions are
contained in Help > Roadmap >
Installation, Licensing, and
Hardware Setup.

6
Measurement and Troubleshooting Sequence

When measuring and and time) measurements before

troubleshooting digitally
modulated systems, it is
tempting to go directly to
digital demodulation and the
measurement tools.
switching to basic digital
modulation analysis and finally to
advanced and/or standard specific
analysis. This is the sequence we
will use in this demo guide.

It is usually better to follow a This sequence of measurements

measurement sequence: one is especially useful because it
that begins with basic spectrum reduces the chance that important
measurements and continues signal problems will be missed.
with vector (combined frequency

1 Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements

Get basics right, find major problems

2 Basic Digital Demodulation

Signal quality numbers, constellation, basic error vector measurement

3 Advanced and Specific Demodulation

Find specific problems and causes

Figure 5. Measurement and troubleshooting sequence used in this demo guide.

7
Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements

1 Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements

Get basics right, find major problems

2 Basic Digital Demodulation

Signal quality numbers, constellation, basic error vector measurement

3 Advanced and Specific Demodulation

Find specific problems and causes

Set up the RF measurement Table 3. RF measurement parameters setup

parameters
To measure the RF parameters of
the demonstration signal, set up
the 89600 VSA software as shown
in Table 3.
Instructions Toolbar menus
Set center frequency and MeasSetup > Frequency
frequency span ...the MeasSetup Properties dialog box appears
Type 2.31 in the Center field
Select GHz from drop-down menu
Click OK
Type 11 in the Span field
Select MHz from drop-down menu
Click OK
Close MeasSetup Properties dialog box

Set input range Input > Range

...the Input Properties dialog box appears
Type –10 in the Range field
Select dBm from drop-down menu
Click OK
Close Input Properties dialog box

Note:
These parameters can also be changed by double-clicking their label in the trace and entering the value there.

Auto scale trace A Right-click trace A

Select Y Auto Scale

Auto scale trace B Right-click trace B

Select Y Auto Scale

8
Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements (continued)
This is a burst signal. You may
have to wait several seconds for
the burst to appear. Your display
should be similar to Figure 6.
Center frequency
Center frequency does not need
to be exact. The VSA software
will make the final adjustments
automatically.
Frequency span
When preparing to demodulate a
signal, it is usually best to select
a span that is slightly larger than
the bandwidth of your signal.
If you select a span that is too
narrow, your measurement may
have excessive errors or the
software may lose carrier lock.
Use a span set as follows:
Frequency span ≥ signal bandwidth x 1.1
Figure 6. Properly set up signal in the frequency and time domains
Input range
The input range must be set
correctly to obtain accurate
measurements. Input ranges
that are too low, overload the
hardware front-end. An overload
condition is indicated with an
“OV” in the upper right corner of
the trace. Input ranges that are
too high increase noise, which
increases errors reported in error
data results, such as EVM. In
general, set the input range as
low as possible without activating
the “OV” indicator.
Setting the input range is not
required on this pre-recorded
signal. The example sets the input
range only to illustrate how to
use the input range control.
Y auto scale
Right-clicking anywhere on a
trace and then selecting Y Auto
Scale rescales and repositions
the active trace to ensure that all
points fall within the bounds of
the trace display on the Y-axis.
Unlike spectrum analyzers, the
VSA software Y-axis scale is not
tied directly to the input range.
Changing the Y-axis scale does
not change the input range
attenuation of the measurement
hardware.
9
Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements (continued)

Triggering on the signal Table 4. Trigger setup

Instructions
Triggering is fundamental to
Set the trigger level on this
making good spectrum and time
playback signal
measurements on a burst signal.
Table 4 shows how to trigger on
and display the entire burst. Your
display should be similar to
Figure 7.
Auto scale trace A
Auto scale trace B
Select trace B and change its vertical
axis format to log magnitude
View the entire burst by increasing
the number of frequency points
used in the FFT
Adjust the trigger delay to see the
rising edge of the pulse
Auto scale trace A
Auto scale trace B
Toolbar menus
Input > Playback Trigger
...the Playback Trigger dialog box appears
Select Magnitude from Type drop-down menu
Type 10 in Mag Level field
Select mV from drop-down menu
Click OK
Type 1.5 in Hold-off field
Select mSec from drop-down menu
Click OK
Type 0 in Delay field
Click OK
Close Playback Trigger dialog box
Right-click trace A
Select Y Auto Scale
Right-click trace B
Select Y Auto Scale
In trace B double-click the Y axis label
Select LogMag(dB)
Click OK
MeasSetup > ResBW
...the MeasSetup Properties dialog box appears
Select 51201 from Frequency Points drop-down
menu
Close MeasSetup Properties dialog box
Note: this also changes the RBW to 1 kHz
Input > Playback trigger
...the Playback Trigger dialog box appears
Type –380 in Delay field
Select µSec from drop-down menu
Click OK
Close Playback Trigger dialog box
Right-click trace A
Select Y Auto Scale
Right-click trace B
Select Y Auto Scale

Figure 7. Note the

trigger level
reference line on
bottom time trace.
10
Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements (continued)

Measuring signal bandwidth Table 5. Making signal bandwidth measurements

The bandwidth of the signal can Instructions Toolbar menus

be quickly measured with the
Activate the OBW marker Right-click trace A
Occupied Bandwidth (OBW) Select Show OBW
marker function. 10 MHz is the
nominal bandwidth for this Adjust the marker to measure all of Markers > OBW
DL-PUSC signal; its actual the signal without the sidebands ...the Trace A Markers Properties dialog box appears
bandwidth is approximately Type 99.9 in the % Power field
9.2 MHz. Click OK
Close the Trace A Markers Properties dialog box
Activate the OBW marker
Activate trace A OBW summary table Double click the trace B title
functions as shown in Table 5.
(B: Ch1 Main Time)
Your display should be similar to ...the Trace Data dialog box appears
Figure 8. Select Marker in the Type field
Select Obw Summary TrcA in the Data field
The OBW Marker is a generic Click OK
measurement that allows you to
set up the measurement to meet
your specific test requirements.
The targeted percent power
%power property allows you to
specify how much of the signal
power is used to determine the
OBW of the signal. The OBW
Marker readout provides these
data results: the occupied
bandwidth, the centroid (or
mid-point) frequency, and the
offset frequency (difference
between the specified center
frequency and the centroid
frequency).

There is also an OBW Summary

table trace data result that is
available for each OBW Marker
trace. (See trace B in Figure 8.)
Figure 8. Occupied bandwidth (OBW) marker with OBW
The OBW Summary table
summary data table in bottom trace
provides a complete set of data
results including: the OBW, the
OBW Power, the Power Ratio
(OBW power/Total power), the
Upper Frequency, the Lower
Frequency, the Centroid
Frequency, and the Offset
Frequency.

11
Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements (continued)
Measuring CCDF
The complementary cumulative
distribution function (CCDF)
characterizes the power statistics
of a signal by plotting the
peak-to-average power ratio
(PAR) versus probability of
occurrence. This is a key
measurement for power
amplifiers designed for OFDMA
base stations as these devices
must be capable of handling the
PAR of the digitally modulated
signals while maintaining good
adjacent channel leakage
performance.
Set up the CCDF measurement as
shown in Table 6. Your display
should be similar to Figure 9.
In the example the average power
of the signal is –14.03 dBm (top
center of trace C) and the marker
readout at the bottom of the
display shows that all but 97.1 m%
of the signal’s peaks were within
8.5 dB of the signal’s average
power.
12
Table 6. CCDF measurement
Instructions
Change the display to show
three traces
Change trace B to show Main Time
Change trace C to show CCDF
Activate the time gate function
in trace B
Set up the time gate to be 2 ms
long and to start just after the
102.9 µs preamble
Activate a marker on the CCDF trace
Find the Peak to Average Ratio (PAR)
needed to assure the signal will be
clipped <100 m% of the time
If the bottom of the CCDF graph is jagged (looks like stair steps) keep running the measurement. CCDF is a statistical
measurement and gives best results with large sample sizes. The sample size is shown as “Pts” parameter at the top
of the CCDF trace.
The “Avg” parameter shows average measured signal power.
Toolbar menus
Display > Layout > Stacked 3
Double-click the trace B title
(B: TrcA OBW Summary Data)
...the Trace Data dialog box appears
Select Channel 1 in the Type field
Select Main Time in the Data field
Click OK
Double-click the trace C title
(C: Ch1 Spectrum)
...the Trace Data dialog box appears
Select Channel 1 in the Type field
Select CCDF in the Data field
Click OK
Click trace B
MeasSetup > Time
...the MeasSetup dialog box appears
Select the Gate
...in the MeasSetup dialog box
Type 2 in the Length field
Select mSec from drop-down menu
Click OK
Type 482.9 in the Ch 1 Delay field
Select µSec from drop-down menu
Click OK
Close the MeasSetup dialog box
Right-click trace C
Select Show Marker
Drag the marker along the CCDF plot until the
marker readout at the bottom of the display
shows a value just less than 100 m%.
Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements (continued)

The Time Gate function plays an

important role in this example. It
limits the measurement to just
the signal pulse and only the data
carrier portion of the pulse. The
preamble is 102.9 µs long and the
data portion of the pulse is
approximately 2.25 ms long.

Figure 9. CCDF measurement on a gated signal analyzes only the

data portion of the signal.

Turn off the markers in Table 7. Turn off markers

preparation for demodulating the
signal. This is to provide a less Instructions Toolbar menus
cluttered display. Table 7 shows
Turn off the OBW marker Right-click trace A
the steps to follow.
Clear Show OBW

Turn off the Time Gate function Right-click trace B

in trace B Clear Enable Time Gate

Turn off the marker in trace C Right-click trace C

Clear Show Marker

13
Basic Digital Demodulation

1 Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements

Get basics right, find major problems

2 Basic Digital Demodulation

Signal quality numbers, constellation, basic error vector measurement

3 Advanced and Specific Demodulation

Find specific problems and causes

This part of the procedure shows Table 8. Recall and demodulate OFDMA downlink signal
how to set up a constellation
display and measure basic Instructions Toolbar menus
modulation quality parameters.
Change the display to show Display > Layout > Grid 2x2
four traces
The 89600 VSA’s IEEE 802.16
OFDMA modulation analysis Select the demodulator MeasSetup > Demodulator >
capability can analyze single Broadband Wireless Access >
burst PUSC zones where all 802.16 OFDMA
subchannels are active and
modulated with only one Set up the demodulator MeasSetup > Demod Properties
modulation type, as well as ...the 802.16 OFDMA Demodulation Properties
dialog box appears
multiple burst PUSC zones
Select the Format (tab)
containing multiple data bursts
Select IEEE 802.16e OFDMA from
and a variety of modulation the Standard drop-down menu
formats. This Basic Digital Click Preset to Standard
Demodulation section uses a Select 802.16e:10MHz
uniform burst; the Advanced
Demodulation section covers Select downlink analysis Select the Downlink box
multiburst analysis.
Deactivate multiburst analysis Select Zone Definition (tab)
Clear Data Burst Analysis
You should always view the signal
Close Demodulation Properties dialog box
spectrum before selecting a
demodulator signal to be sure
that the signal is present and that
the center frequency, span, and
input range are correct.

14
Basic Digital Demodulation (continued)
After selecting the demodulator,
you need to set its configuration
parameters. The software does
this automatically for the
recorded signal used here. You
can configure the demodulator
manually using the MeasSetup >
Demod Properties menu.
To set up a constellation
display and measure basic I/Q
parameters, set up the 802.16
OFDMA demodulator as shown
in Table 8. The modulation type
is 64QAM.
Your display should be similar to
Figure 10.
Figure 10. Demodulated PUSC DL signal showing 64QAM constellation
plus BPSK pilot subcarriers.
Trace A: Ch1 OFDM Meas
Trace A shows the constellations
for all carriers. The 64QAM
constellation is for the data
carriers; the BPSK constellation
is for the pilot subcarriers.
Trace B: Ch1 Spectrum
Shows the spectrum of the signal.
Useful for verifying signal
bandwidth and center frequency
if the signal fails to demodulate.
Trace C: Ch1 OFDM Err Vect Spectrum
OFDMA Error Vector Spectrum
shows the signal Relative
Constellation Error (RCE (EVM))
vs. frequency where subcarriers
represent frequency. It provides
both the RMS average Error
Vector Magnitude ((EVM) blue
line) and the individual EVM for
each subcarrier. This provides a
convenient way to view the
overall EVM behavior of the
signal. Ideally the RMS average
line should be flat, horizontal,
and close to 0 percent. The
individual carrier RCE’s should
be low with no large spikes.
Trace D: Syms/Errs table
The Symbols/Errors table
displays the I/Q parameters and
EVM of the overall subframe and
the raw data bits.
For more information on the
parameters in this table refer to
the 89600 software on-line Help.
15
Advanced and Specific Demodulation

1 Frequency, Frequency and Time Measurements

Get basics right, find major problems

2 Basic Digital Demodulation

Signal quality numbers, constellation, basic error vector measurement

3 Advanced and Specific Demodulation

Find specific problems and causes

As we saw in the last section, the

89600 VSA software’s IEEE
802.16e modulation analysis
capability analyzes single burst
uniform PUSC zones where all
subchannels are active and
modulated with a single
modulation type. But it can also
analyze multiple burst PUSC
zones containing multiple
data bursts.

The example in this section uses

a recorded signal containing a
multiburst PUSC zone with BPSK
pilots and signals with QPSK,
16QAM, and 64QAM modulation
types. There is also an FUSC zone
with three data bursts which we
will not use, but it is available as
an example for you.

16
Advanced and Specific Demodulation (continued)
Multiburst analysis: one burst
at a time
Download the multiburst
signal, select the 802.16 OFDMA
demodulator and set it up to
analyze one of the data bursts as
shown in Table 9. You will also
need to recall the setup file as
it includes the User Map File
describing the bursts in the region.
Once recalled, you will need to
change the six display format
to the four displays we have
been using.
The recorded signal is a downlink
subframe with one PUSC zone and
one FUSC zone. The PUSC zone has
a Frame Control Header (FCH), a
DL MAP, a UL MAP, and 3 bursts.
The FCH, DL MAP, UL MAP, and
burst 1 all use QPSK modulation,
while burst 2 and 3 use 16QAM and
64QAM, respectively. The signal's
center frequency is 2.31 GHz, and
its nominal bandwidth is 10 MHz.
Trace A: Ch1 OFDM Meas
Display showing the constellation
for the selected data burst
including the pilot carriers.
Trace B: Ch1 OFDM Data Burst Info
Summary of important
information for each burst. In this
case, there’s only one burst.
Table 9. Making multiburst measurements
Instructions
Go to the default signal directory
(c:\Program Files\Agilent
\89600VSA\Help\Signals)
Select the recording
Download the setup file which
includes User Map File
Change the display format to 2x2
Change trace B to display burst data
info table
Start the measurement
Select the Zone Definition Tab
Select the data burst map for
this signal
Activate that map
Select data burst 3 for analysis
Toolbar menus
File > Recall > Recall Recording
Select i80216e_DL10MHz.sdf
Click Open
File > Recall > Recall Setup
Select i80216e_10MHz.set
Click Open
Display > Layout > Grid 2x2
Click trace B
Trace > Data >Ch1:
Select Data Burst info
Click (toolbar, left side)
MeasSetup > Demod Properties
...the 802.16 OFDMA Demodulation Properties
dialog box appears
Select the Zone Definition (tab)
Select i80216e_10MHz (from setup)
from the Current Name drop-down menu
Select the Use Map File box
In the burst list select Burst03
Close 802.16 OFDMA Demodulation Properties
dialog box
17
Advanced and Specific Demodulation (continued)

Trace C: Ch1 OFDM Err Vect Spectrum

The Error Vector Spectrum of the
selected data burst. The error
vector spectrum display shows
the EVM of every active carrier
contained in the signal. Carrier
EVM changes from symbol to
symbol. Every carrier EVM is a
column of dots, where each dot
represents the EVM of the carrier
during a symbol time. The value
of any dot can be read with a
marker. Note that only the
subchannels assigned to the burst
are measured.
Figure 11. Single burst analysis of a multiburst signal. Note the empty data
This trace can be viewed in more
locations in the symbols/errors table.
detail by clicking it and clicking
Display > Layout > Single. Click
Display > Layout > 2x2 grid to
return to the demo setup.

Trace D: Ch1 OFDM Syms/Errs

The Symbols/Errors table
displays the I/Q parameters and
EVM of the selected data burst.
Note that only the subchannels
assigned to the selected data
burst are measured and
displayed. The table also shows
the demodulated raw data bits.
The hex code is the data; the
binary codes are from the pilot
carriers. The demodulated “raw”
bits are demodulated prior
to PRBS de-rotation. That is
why the BPSK pilots are not
demodulated as all 0's.

18
Advanced and Specific Demodulation (continued)

Multiburst analysis: all bursts Table 10. Display all bursts

at once
The 89600 VSA software also
supports examining all of the
data bursts in a zone at one time.
Set up the demodulator to
analyze all of the data bursts at
once as shown in Table 10. Your
display should look like Figure 12.
Instructions Toolbar menus
Select all of the bursts MeasSetup > Demod Properties
...the 802.16 OFDMA Demodulation Properties
dialog box appears
Select Zone Definition (tab)
Right-click the burst list
Select Select All

Trace A: Ch1 OFDM Meas

Display showing the constellations
for all of the data bursts in the
zone including the BPSK pilot
carriers. These bursts are the
bursts defined by the Map File.

Each data burst is assigned a

color code by the VSA software.
This code is used in other traces
to indicate which data burst is
contributing an error/value.

Figure 12. Multiburst analysis showing all bursts simultaneously. Data,

error values, and constellation are color-coded by burst.

19
Advanced and Specific Demodulation (continued)
Trace B: Data Burst Info table
The data burst information table
summarizes the key parameters
of all the data bursts currently
being measured. See Figure 13 for
a more detailed view of this table.
Trace C: Ch1 OFDM Err Vect Spectrum
The combined Error Vector
Spectrum displays of all data
bursts in the zone.
The error vector spectrum display
shows the EVM of every active
carrier contained in the signal.
Carrier EVM changes from
symbol to symbol. Every carrier
EVM is a column of dots, where
Figure 13. The Data Burst Info table
provides a summary of important
parameters for all data bursts selected
for measurement.
20
each dot represents the EVM of
the carrier during a single symbol
time. The value of any dot can be
read using a marker.
Trace D: Ch1 OFDM Syms/Errs
The Symbols/Errors table
displays the I/Q parameters and
EVM of the selected data burst.
It also shows the demodulated
raw data bits. The bits are color
coded by data burst. As with
the previous single burst, the
demodulated "raw" bits are
demodulated prior to PRBS
de-rotation. That is why the
BPSK pilots are not demodulated
as all 0's.
Advanced and Specific Demodulation (continued)

Adjacent carrier amplitude Table 11. Set up channel frequency response adjacent difference measurement
difference trace
Instructions Toolbar menus
The Channel Frequency Response Select trace B Click trace B
Adjacent Difference display
Change trace B to show the Double-click the trace B title
shows the difference in power
Adjacent Carrier Difference trace (Ch1 OFDM Data Burst Info)
between adjacent subcarriers.
...the Trace Data dialog box appears
The power difference is computed Select Ch Freq Resp Adj Diff from the Data menu
by scanning through the Channel Click OK
Frequency Response trace and
taking the ratio of each bin to Auto scale trace B Right-click trace B
the previous bin. Set up the Select Y Auto Scale
measurement as shown in Zoom in on a small set of carriers Markers > Tools > Select Area
Table 11. Drag a box around a small group of carriers
in Trace B
Figure 14 gives an example of Select Scale X&Y
data read from this measurement.
The IEEE 802.16 OFDMA
specification has two flatness
specifications. Both can be
measured by the 89600 software.
This Channel Frequency
Response Adjacent Difference
display lets you measure the
much tighter specification for
subchannel-to-subchannel
flatness. You can improve the
Pause the measurement Control > Pause/Single
Adjacent Difference measurement
by using averaging to reduce the Use a marker to measure Right-click trace B
measurement-to-measurement the amplitude difference Select Show Marker
variance of the channel estimation. between carriers Click the waveform to position the marker
Right-click trace B again
Select Move offset to marker
Use the right/left keyboard arrows to select an
adjacent carrier. Read the magnitude difference at
the bottom of the display.

Figure 14. Use offset

markers to determine the
flatness from one
subchannel to another
with the EQ Ch Freq Resp
Adj Diff measurement.

21
Summary
By following an organized
measurement sequence, you can
uncover signal problems with
your OFDMA signals. Begin with
basic spectrum measurements,
then add vector measurements
combining frequency and time,
before switching to basic digital
modulation analysis. After that,
you can take advantage of
advanced or standard-specific
modulation analysis.
22
The 89600 VSA software has
many analysis tools which can
help you to analyze these complex
mobile WiMAX signals. Whether
you are performing uniform zone
analysis where you are analyzing
a zone with all subchannels
transmitting a single modulation
format, or performing more
complex multiburst analysis, the
89600 VSA software can help you
troubleshoot your signals quickly,
and with an unmatched depth
of understanding.
Ordering Information

The 89600 VSA software works In general, an external PC with

with a variety of measurement LAN, FireWire, or GPIB interface
hardware, sourcing hardware, is required to run the software
and other software. and control the hardware.

Vector signal analysis software

89601A VSA software, node locked license

89601AN VSA software, floating license

Option 200 Basic analysis software

Option 300 Hardware connectivity

Option AYA Flexible vector modulation analysis

Option B7N 3GPP modulation analysis bundle

Option B7R WLAN modulation analysis

Option B7S IEEE 802.16-2004 modulation analysis

Option B7T cdma2000/1xEV-DV modulation analysis

Option B7U W-CDMA/HSDPA modulation analysis

Option B7W 1xEV-DO modulation analysis

Option B7X TD-SCDMA modulation analysis

Option B7Y IEEE 802.16 OFDMA modulation analysis

Option B7Z IEEE 802.11n MIMO modulation analysis

Option 105 Dynamic link to EEsof/ADS

89601N12 12 month temporary, floating license, includes all options

Measurement Hardware

Vector signal analyzer bundled systems1 (Two baseband channels and/or two RF channels available)

Models Frequency range Maximum analysis bandwidth

89610S DC to 40 MHz 39 MHz

89611S 52 to 88 MHz 36 MHz

89640S DC to 2.7 GHz 36 MHz

89641S DC to 6.0 GHz 36 MHz

89650S Up to 26.5 GHz 40/80 MHz2

1 89601A/AN software included

2 Option 140: 40 MHz; Option 122: 80 MHz
Ordering Information (continued)

Measurement Hardware

PSA Series spectrum analyzers

Models Frequency range Maximum analysis bandwidth1

E4440A 3 Hz to 26.5 GHz 8/40/80 MHz

E4443A 3 Hz to 6.7 GHz 8/40/80 MHz

E4445A 3 Hz to 13.2 GHz 8/40/80 MHz

E4446A 3 Hz to 44 GHz 8/40/80 MHz

E4448A 3 Hz to 50 GHz 8/40/80 MHz

ESA-E Series spectrum analyzers

Models Frequency range Maximum analysis bandwidth

E4401B 9 kHz to 1.5 GHz 10 MHz

E4402B 9 kHz to 3.0 GHz 10 MHz

E4404B 9 kHz to 6.7 GHz 10 MHz

E4405B 9 kHz to 13.7 GHz 10 MHz

E4407B 9 kHz to 26.5 GHz 10 MHz

Infiniium Oscilloscopes2

Models Frequency range Maximum analysis bandwidth

8064, 54830B/D DC to 780 MHz 780 MHz

8104, 54831B/D DC to 780 MHz 780 MHz

54832B/D DC to 1.0 GHz 1 GHz

54853B DC to 2.5 GHz 2.5 GHz

54854B DC to 4.0 GHz 4 GHz

54855B DC to 6.0 GHz 6 GHz

80204 0-2 GHz 2 GHz

80304 0-3 GHz 3 GHz

80404 0-4 GHz 4 GHz

80604 0-6 GHz 6 GHz

80804 DC to 8.0 GHz 8 GHz

81004 DC to 10.0 GHz 10 GHz

81204 DC to 12.0 GHz 12 GHz

81304 DC to 13.0 GHz 13 GHz

1 Std: 8 MHz; Option 140: 40 MHz; Option 122: 80 MHz
2 Software can be run on Infiniium internal PC

24
Ordering Information (continued)

Measurement Hardware

6000 Series oscilloscopes

Models Frequency range Maximum analysis bandwidth

601x 0 to 100 MHz 100 MHz

603x 0 to 300 kHz 300 kHz

605x 0 to 500 kHz 500 kHz

610x 0 to 1 GHz 1 GHz

Logic Analyzers

Models Max state speed Max memory Channels

1680† 200 MHz 2M 34, 68, 102, 136

1690 200 MHz 2M 34, 68, 102, 136

16900† 1.5 Gbps 64 M 34 to 9,792

† Software can be run on 16900 or 1680 internal PC

Sources

ESG Series digital RF signal generators

Models Frequency range

E4431B 250 kHz to 2 GHz

E4432B 250 kHz to 3 GHz

E4433B 250 kHz to 4 GHz

E4438C 250 kHz to 1/2/3/4/6 GHz

PSG Series microwave signal generators

Models Frequency range

E8267 250 kHz to 20 GHz

Simulation software

Advanced Design System (ADS) software Advanced RF/µW design and simulation software

25
Glossary

AAS adaptive antenna system

AMC adaptive modulation and coding

BPSK binary phase shift keying

CCDF complementary cumulative distribution function

DL downlink (base station to subscriber transmission)

EVM error vector magnitude

FCH frame control header

FUSC full usage of subchannels or fully used subchannelization

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

MAC medium access control

OBW occupied bandwidth

OFDM orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

OFDMA orthogonal frequency division multiple access

PAR peak to average power ratio

PHY physical layer

PUSC partial usage of subchannels or partially used subchannelization

QAM quadrature amplitude modulation

QPSK quadrature phase shift keying

RCE relative constellation error

UL uplink (subscriber to base station transmission)

26
Related Literature Product Web site
Publication Title Publication Type Publication Number For more information, visit:
89600S Vector Signal Analyzer CD 5980-1989E www.agilent.com/find/89600 and
Agilent, WiMAX Signal Analysis; Application Note 5989-3037EN www.agilent.com/find/wimax
Part 1: Making Frequency and
Time Measurements
Agilent, WiMAX Signal Analysis; Application Note 5989-3038EN
Part 2: Demodulating and Troubleshooting
the Subframe
Agilent, WiMAX Signal Analysis; Application Note 5989-3039EN
Part 3: Troubleshooting Symbols and
Improving Demodulation
89600 Series Vector Signal Analysis Software Technical Overview 5989-1679EN
89601A/89601AN/89601N12
89600 Series Vector Signal Analysis Software Data Sheet 5989-1786EN
89601A/89601AN/89601N12
Hardware Measurement Platforms for the Data Sheet 5989-1753EN
Agilent 89600 Series Vector Signal
Analysis Software
89600 Series Vector Signal Analyzers, VXI Configuration Guide 5968-9350E
How to Measure Digital Baseband and Application Note 5989-2384EN
IF Signals Using Agilent Logic Analyzers
with 89600 Vector Signal Analysis Software
Agilent Infiniium Oscilloscopes Performance Application Note 5988-4096EN
Guide Using 89601A Vector Signal
Analyzer Software
Agilent 6000 Series Oscilloscopes Performance Application Note 5989-4523EN
Guide Using 89600 Vector Signal
Analysis Software
89650S Wideband Vector Signal Analyzer System Technical Overview 5989-0871EN
with High Performance Spectrum Analysis
89650S Wideband Vector Signal Analyzer System Configuration Guide 5989-1435EN
with High Performance Spectrum Analysis
89607A WLAN Test Suite Software Technical Overview 5988-9574EN
89604A/89604AN Distortion Test Suite Software Technical Overview 5988-7812EN

Microsoft® and Windows® are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Pentium® is a U.S. registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

27
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