Mobile Communications Update November 1988

A Report On Technical Issues Relating to Mobile Communications

In this issue
Brief Overview of the Intermodulation
• Intermodulation
Interference Reduction Techniques Interference Reduction
By Vijay Kulkarni between transmitters. They Techniques
include:
1. Introduction • transmitter shielding Upcoming Issues
• Continuation of
Radio transmitters are becoming • proper antenna installation Intermodulation
ever more prevelant. Towers Interference Issues
carry a variety of radio services • adequate antenna spacing • Propagation Prediction
across a broad spectrum of (vertical & horizontal for a Models for Mobile
frequencies. Attention must be given distance, vertical Communications
given to intermodulation separation achieves greater • Step-by-step guide to
distortion caused by the coupling loss than a filing FCC applications
combination of many of these horizontal separation) relevant to Mobile
frequencies. During the initial • Communications.
design phase it is wise to • proper grounding system
consider all the possible causes (especially for the placed between the antenna
of intermodulation interference transmitter, the larger the system and the transmitter /
and to rule out rare possibilities diameter of the copper receiver)
and take necessary precautions conductor to the ground the
against legitimate possibilities. better) • power line filtering, in case
In this and subsequent editions the power feeds have
of our newsletter we’ll attempt • matching of the antenna induced interference; in this
to clarify the issues, provide systems with the transmitter case the interfering
guidance in practical cases, and ( low standing wave ratio; frequencies must be known.
assess the usefulness of RF frequencies are radiated
computer tools in the analysis. easily, that is, loose • use of isolators, circulators,
connection on coax and harmonic filters
In addition we will review the cables;poor joints; this (isolators are devices that
FCC specifications for usually results in a poor allow signal transmission in
undesired harmonics and SWR. as well ) one direction with
spurious emissions for negligible loss, but
transmitters in each radio • filtering at the transmitter
introduce high loss for
service. and receiver (filtering at the
signals in the opposite
transmitter to reduce the
direction of transmission;
2. Practical considerations intermod output and at the
the isolators are placed
receiver to reduce the
between the antenna system
Intermodulation Interference reception of the undesired
and the transmitter)
reduction methods primarily frequencies that may cause
attempt to reduce the coupling intermod distortion in the
• combiners, multicouplers,
receiver; filters are
duplexers have inherent

818 West Diamond Avenue - Third Floor. Gaithersburg, MD 20878 z (V) 301-670-4784 (F) 301-670-9187
Web Page Address: http://www.gl.com/ z E-Mail Address: [email protected]
 isolation by their very Intermodulation Products
nature.
IM Form Order # of Freq. involved Total # of IM products
3. Brief theory and 2*A-B 3 2 N*(N-1)
background
A+B-C 3 3 N*(N-1)*(N-2)/2
Intermodulation distortion is the
result of the nonlinear 3*A-B-C 5 3 N*(N-1)*(N-2)/2
combination of multiple
A+2*B-2*C 5 3 N*(N-1)*(N-2)
frequencies. Nonlinearities are
used intentionally in many 5 5 N*(N-1)*(N-2)*(N-
A+B+C-D-E
applications such as square law 3)*(N-4)/2
modulators, compandors, and
limiters. Active devices such as
oscillators, mixers and It can be shown that if the can be seen that the harmonic
multipliers are additional magnitudes of the multiple frequencies are not necessarily
examples of intentional non frequency inputs are the the most troublesome. Similar
linearites. However when linear same, then the power of the analysis can be done for fourth
performance is desired such as sum and difference and fifth order intermod
in amplifiers, presence of even frequency products are 6dB products. It can be shown that
weak nonlinearites can limit the greater than the second the most troublesome intermod
use of the amplifiers. harmonic. Since in most products are odd order products.
Nonlinearities commonly occur cases the sum and The table below shows the
at the input of elements such as difference products lie number of intermod products of
diodes, transistors, final stage of outside the bandwidht of each order and form. For
amplifier circuits and coils and interest, these products are example for ten transmit and ten
transformers using ferrous usually not considered. receive frequencies, there are 90
materials. When two However one should be intermod products of the form
transmitter signals are coupled aware of their existance and 2*A-B and 900 comarisions,
by a transmission path such as analyzed on a case by case 360 intermod products of the
antenna system or poor ground basis. form A+B-C and 3600
system, intermod products are comaprision and so on, A
likely to occur and be • third order products consist computer program is essential if
transmitted by the antenna of third harmonics and any sizeable number if
system. 2*A-B, 2*A+B, A+B+C, frequencies are involved.
A+B-C, A-B+C, and A-B-
Intermodulation products are: C cominations; if the 4. Computer Program
magnitudes of the multiple
• Second order products are frequencies are equal then An intermodulation product
Second harmonics and sum the 2*A-/+B magnitude is enumeration program that runs
and difference frequencies; 9.6dB greater than the third on an IBM PC has been written
if A is the fundamental harmonic product; the A+/- to assist in the analysis of
frequency, then 2*A is the B +/- C magnitude is 15.6 intermodulation distortion and
second harmonic; the sum dB greater than the third interference. The program
and difference frequencies harmonic. requires as input all transmitter
are A-B and A+B. frequencies and all receiver
From the above discussions it frequencies for which intermod

818 West Diamond Avenue - Third Floor. Gaithersburg, MD 20878 z (V) 301-670-4784 (F) 301-670-9187
Web Page Address: http://www.gl.com/ z E-Mail Address: [email protected]
 interference is to be considered.
The program computes all
intermod products and
determines if any resulting
intermod is within a given
window of any receive
frequencies. Documentation
provided with the computer
program, guides the user
through a step by step analysis
of the output of the computer
program based on his / her real
situation.
A copy of this computer program
or on the floppy disk, including the
associated documentation, may be
obtained. Contact GL
Communications for more details.

818 West Diamond Avenue - Third Floor. Gaithersburg, MD 20878 z (V) 301-670-4784 (F) 301-670-9187
Web Page Address: http://www.gl.com/ z E-Mail Address: [email protected]