Microwave design considerations

ROUTE AND SITE SELECTION

• MUST HAVE COMPLETED PRELIMINARY FACILITY PLANNING

 OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
 TRAFFIC STUDIES (SYSTEM’S CAPACITY)
 EXPANSION POTENTIAL
 RELIABILITY REQUIREMENTS
 COST STUDIES
• MAPS & AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE SOURCES OF PRELIMINARY
STUDIES
• FINAL SITE SELECTIONS ARE MADE BASE ON FIELD SURVEYS

SITE REQUIREMENTS

• TERMINAL SITES ARE NORMALLY LOCATIONS OF EXISTING

STRUCTURES
• TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FUTURE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
ALONG THE PATH
• SITES SHOULD BE AS LEVEL AS POSSIBLE. COST OF LEVELING MUST
BE CONSIDERED
• PATH DISTANCE IS ABOUT 25 TO 35 mi FROM 2 TO 8 GHz BAND
• ACCESS ROADS, AVAILABILITY OF AC POWER & TELEPHONE
FACILITIES

SITE CONSIDERATIONS

§ GEOGRAPHICAL COORDINATES, POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, ACCESS

ROADS & LANDMARKS THAT WILL IDENTIFY THE SITE
§ UNUSUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS
 MAX WIND VELOCITY, SNOW & ICE ACCUMULATIONS, RANGE
OF TEMP
§ PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
 LEVELING REQUIRED, REMOVAL OF ROCKS. TREES OR OTHER
STRUCTURES
§ CHECK IF SITE IS A POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION TO AIR TRAFFIC
§ MEAN SEA LEVEL ELEVATION AT THE TOWER LOCATION
§ FULL DESCRIPTION FOR AN ACCESS ROAD FROM THE NEAREST
IMPROVED ROAD
§ BUILDING CODE RESTRICTIONS ON THE SITE
§ NEAREST LOCATION OF COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC POWER
§ NEAREST TELEPHONE FACILITY
 § OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS THAT CAN BE SEEN DURING THE FIELD
SURVEY

LOSSES ALONG THE MICROWAVE PATH

§ WHEN THE SIGNAL GRAZES AN OBSTACLE IT MAY SUFFER A LOSS OF
6 TO 20 dB DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF SURFACE
 KNIFE EDGE DIFFRACTION RESULTS TO A 6 dB LOSS BASE ON
EXPERIMENTS
 SMOOTH SURFACE (FLAT TERRAIN OR WATER) PRODUCE THE
MAXIMUM LOSS
 LOSSES DUE TO TRESS IS ABOUT 6 dB

DIFFRACTION VS REFRACTION

LESS DENSE

MORE DENSE

§ FOG CONDITIONS MAY RESULT TO TEMPERATURE INVERSION (VERY

STILL AIR) ACCOMPANIED BY STRATIFICATION NEGATING
CLEARANCES
§ ABOVE 10 GHz, RAIN ATTENUATION MAY BE SEVERE. THE
ATTENUATION WILL DEPEND ON THE RATE OF RAINFALL, THE SIZE
OF DROPS AND LENGTH OF EXPOSURE
§ ATMOSPHERIC ABSORPTION DUE TO OXYGEN AND WATER VAPOR IS
PROPORTIONAL TO THE PATH LENGTH

FRESNEL ZONE

§ FRESNEL ZONES ARE A SERIES OF CONCENTRIC ELLIPSOIDS

SURROUNDING THE PATH
 THE 1ST FRESNEL ZONE IS THE SURFACE CONTAINING EVERY
POINT FOR WHICH THE SUM OF THE DISTANCES FROM THAT
POINT TO THE TWO ENDS OF THE PATH IS EXACTLY ONE-HALF
WAVELENGTH LONGER THAN THE DIRECT PATH

INFLUENCE OF OBJECTS ALONG THE PATH
EARTH PROFILE

§ TYPICAL SCALE: V - 1 INCH: 100 ft

H - 1 INCH: 2 mi
§ TO PRESERVE THE PROPER RELATIONSHIP, IF THE DISTANCE SCALE
IS DOUBLED, THE HEIGHT SCALE SHOULD BE QUADRUPLED
h = d1d2 / 1.50 k
where: d1, d2 - in miles h - in feet
k - the equivalent earth radius factor

FIELD SURVEY OBJECTIVES

§ VERIFY EXACT SITE LOCATION

§ VERIFY LINE OF SIGHT
§ CLASSIFY PATH TYPE
§ CONFIRM SPACE IN EXISTING STATIONS
§ CHECK PROPAGATION CONDITIONS
§ CHECK FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE POSSIBILITIES
§ CHECK SOIL CONDITION FOR NEW TOWERS
§ CHECK SITE ACCESS AND INFRASTUCTURE IN THE AREA

SURVEY PROCEDURES

§ PREPARATION
In order to reduce the field work, a detailed map study is always a good start.
Maps to scale of 1:50,000 (or more detailed) should be used. Critical obstacles must be
marked and possible reflection points should be noted. Preliminary antenna heights can
be determined at this stage.

§ FIELD WORK
- VERIFICATION OF THE SITE POSITIONS AND ALTITUDES
- CONFIRMATION OF LINE OF SIGHT
- PATH CLASSIFICATION (OVERLAND PATHS / COASTALLINKS OR
OVER THE WATER PATHS)
- PROPAGATION CONDITIONS
- FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE PROBABILITIES
- SOIL INVESTIGATIONS
- INFRASTUCTURE IN THE AREA (EX. PRESENCE OF COMMERCIAL
POWER; ACCESS ROADS)
SURVEY EQUIPMENTS

§ MAPS (SCALE OF 1:50,000 OR BETTER)

§ DIGITAL CAMERA
§ BINOCULARS
§ COMPASS
§ ALTIMETERS
§ THERMOMETER
§ SIGNALLING MIRRORS
§ HAND-HELD RADIO COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT
§ TAPE MEASURE
§ GPS RECEIVER
§ ANTENNA HORNS
§ LOW NOISE AMPLIFIER
§ SPECTRUM ANALYZER
§ PORTABLE PERSONAL COMPUTER
§ CELLULAR PHONE OR WALKIE-TALKIE

SURVEY REPORT

§ AFTER THECOMPLETION OF THE FIELD SURVEY, A REPORT IS

NORMALLY PREPARED THAT CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:
- SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
- SITE DESCRIPTION AND LAYOUT
- ANTENNA AND TOWER HEIGHTS
- PATH PROFILES
- SYSTEM PERFORMANCE CALCULATIONS
- FREQUENCY PLANS
- PHOTOGRAPHS

DIFFICULT AREAS FOR MICROWAVE LINKS

OVER THE WATER PATHS

- DUE TO HIGH REFLECTION COEFFICIENT AND PROBABILITY OF
DUCTING
- SWAMP AND RICE FIELDS
- CAUSE STRONG GROUND RFLECTIONS/MULTIPATH FADING.
PROPAGATION CONDITIONS VARIES DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER
CONDITIONS. CRITICAL PERIOD IS THE RAINY SEASON.
- DESERT AREAS
- HIGH PROBABILITY OF MULTIPATH FADING AND DUCTING DUE TO
LARGE TEM[PERATURE VARIATIONS AND INVERSIONS
- HOT AND HUMID COASTAL AREAS
 - HIGH DUCTING PROBABILITY

PRECIPITATION

MICROWAVE SIGNALS ARE VULNERABLE TO PRECIPITATION ABOVE 10 GHz.

RAIN, SNOW, ICE PARTICLES MAY ATTENUATE AND SCATTER MICROWAVE
SIGNALS. THE ENERGY IS ATTENUATED DUE TO RADIATION (SCATTER)
AND ABSORPTION (HEATING).

THE ATTENUATION DUE TO ABSORPTION IS LARGER THAN THE

ATTENUATION DUE SCATTER FOR WAVELENGTH SMALLER THAN THE DROP
SIZE WHILE THE ATTENUATION DUE TO SCATTER IS GREATER THAN THE
ATTENUATION DUE ABSORPTION WHEN THE WAVELENGTH IS LARGER
THAN THE DROP SIZE.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PRECIPITATION

§ OROGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION
- DETERMINED BY THE TERRAIN IN THE AREA OF INTEREST. FORCED
UPLIFT OF MOIST AIR OVER HIGH GROUND GIVES PRECIPITATION WHEN
THE DEW POINT IS REACHED.

§ CONVECTIONAL PRECIPITATION
- HEAVY CLOUDS MAY BUILD UP IN THE AFTERNOON ON A HOT
SUMMER DAY DUE TO CONVECTION OF HOT HUMID AIR. THESE MAY
RESULT TO INTENSE RAIN(HAIL) WITH THUNDER.

§ CYCLONIC PRECIPITATION
- CHARACTERIZED BY LARGE SACLE VERTICAL MOTIONS A
ASSOCIATED WITH SYPNOTIC FEATURES SUCH AS DEPRESSIONS AND
FRONTS
- TROPICAL CYCLONE STORMS
- IN TROPICAL AREAS, MOVING CIRCULAR STORMS WITH INTENSE
CONVECTIVE RAIN MAY OCCUR WITH HEAVY RAIN 5- TO 200 km IN
DIAMETER EXTENDED SEVERAL HOURS A DAY (e.g. MONSOON RAIN)
TYPES OF FADING

NON-SELECTIVE OR FLAT FADING

- ALL COMPONENTS OF THE USEFUL SIGNAL SPECTRUM WILL BE
EQUALLY REDUCED.
- SELECTIVE FADING
- SOME OF THE SPECTRAL COMPONENTS WILL BE REDUCED
CAUSING DISTORTION IN THE SPECTRUM AFFECTING DIGITAL RADIO IN
THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
- REDUCES THE S/N AND INCREASING THE BER
- REDUCES THE CARRIER TO INTERFERENCE
RATIO AND INCREASING THE BER
- DISTORTS THE DIGITAL PULSE WAVEFORM
RESULTING IN INTERSYMBOL INTERFERENCE AND INCREASING THE
BER
- INTRIDUCING CROSSTALK BETWEEN TWO
ORTHOGONAL CARRIERS (THE I RAIL AND Q RAIL) AND CONSEQUENTLY
INCREASING THE BER

REFLECTION POINT CALCULATIONS

K = INFINITY K = 2/3
H1 D1 H1 H2
= - = - D2
H1+H D1+D D1 D1 D2
2 2
K=
4/3
H D H D
- = -
1
D 12 2
D 22
1 2

Where: H1(ft) – elevation of lower antenna above the reflecting surface :

H2(ft) – elevation of the higher antenna above the reflecting surface:
D1(mi) – distance of lower antenna from the reflection point:
D2(mi) – distance of the higher antenna to the reflection point
NON DIVERSITY ANNUAL OUTAGES

ACTUAL FADE
R = PROBABILITY
RAYLEIGH FADE
PROBABILITY
FOR THE WORST
MONTH:

Rm = a (10-5)(f/4)1.5
Where: D – path length, miles f – frequency, GHz
a = 4 (for vey smooth terrain including
overwater)
a = 1 (for average terrain with some roughness)
a = ¼ (for mountainous, very rough or very dry)

OVER A
YEAR:
Ryr = b (Rm)
Where: b = ½ (Gulf coast or similar hot, humid
areas)
b = ¼ (normal interior temperate or northern)
b = 1/8 (mountainous or very dry)
ACTUAL FADE
PROBABILITY:

Undp = ab(1.25 x 10-6)(f1.5)D3(10-FM/10)