Design and Realization of Filtering Units in a Triple-Band Master Head

Amplifier System for BTS of Mobile Communications

Stefano Tamiazzo1, Giuseppe Macchiarella2
1
Commscope, Agrate Brianza (Mi) – ITALY
2
Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica e Informazione, Milano – ITALY
Abstract — In this paper the design and realization of the • TX Branch: ensure system stability (attenuation in
filtering units included into a Master Head Amplifier (MHA) for RX band)
base stations (BTS) is discussed. This device allows to improve
the overall noise figure of the BTS transceiver by connecting the
low noise amplifier at the antenna output, so eliminating the G
contribute of noise produced by the feeding cable. The task of the
filtering units is to separate/recombine TX and RX paths at the 3 4
antenna port, allowing the use of a single antenna by the
transceiver.
Index Terms — Microwave Filters, Combiners, Duplexers,
RXa RXb To BTS
Multiplexers To ANT
node
1
node TX 2
I. INTRODUCTION
The improvement of the overall uplink noise figure of Base
Transceiver Stations (BTS) can be obtained by placing the low Fig. 1. Basic scheme of a MHA
noise amplifier (LNA) of the receiving chain as close as
possible to the antenna port (so eliminating the noise Concerning the last requirement, it must be observed that an
contribute of the feeding cable). Being the antenna used also MHA is a closed loop system which may become instable in
by the TX, a selective dividing/combining system allowing the the RX band if an insufficient attenuation is presented in the
by-pass of the LNA for the power signal coming from the TX rejection band of TX branch.
Basically the 4-port network constituting a MHA may be
must be realized. This system is referred as a Master Head
regarded as a double duplexer with a shared filter. It must be
Amplifier System (MHA). This device must comply with the
however observed that the design of such a network is, in
very tight specs of last generation mobile networks, which
general, more complex than that of two duplexers separately
typically operate in a context multi-band, multi-service and because the shared filter introduces an interaction between the
multi-operator. In this paper the design and implementation of two duplexers which must be accounted for during the design.
a triple-band MHA is discussed with reference to the filtering A possible approach to the design of a MHA is based on the
units included. Typical issues concerning the practical polynomial characterization of the filters composing the 4-port
implementation in coaxial technology of this device are network; these polynomials can be evaluated by imposing
addressed and the consequent design choices are illustrated. suitable conditions to the scattering parameter S11 (or S22) of
The expected performances obtained through simulation are the MHA, similarly to the synthesis algorithm developed for
reported. the star-junction multiplexers [1]. In this case, however, the
algorithm must be optimization-based, being the polynomial
expression of S11 or S22 not suitable for an analytical synthesis.
II. MHA CONCEPT
A MHA is schematically depicted in fig. 1; the filtering units
are constituted by three filters connected through two nodes, III. A TRIPLE-BAND MHA
resulting in a 4-port reciprocal and passive network (in the The basic configuration of a MHA manages a single pair of
following the term MHA will be used to refer to this network). TX-RX channels. The environment of mobile networks is
The basic task of the MHA is to separate TX and RX paths at however becoming, in the last years, more and more large and
the antenna port and recombining them at the BTS port. complex, and the coexistence of different technologies (2G,
Moreover, the RX path must reject, at the BTS and Antenna 3G, 4G-FDD, 4G-TDD) and frequency bands (700, 900,
ports, the signal coming from the power amplifier (PA), while 1800,2100, 2300, 2600 MHz) must be taken into account in all
the TX path must present very low losses in the transmitting the new developed equipments. Also the MHAs are then
band. Other tasks requested to the two braches are: requested to deal with more than a single pair of TX-RX
channels. In particular, this work shows the design of a triple
• RX Branch: Protect LNA input & output; provide
band MHA, whose frequency planning is shown in fig. 2.
gain for the RX signal (LNA); eliminate IMD
generated by PA in the receiving band

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 number of filters must be accommodated in a single chassis.
RX TX RX TX RX TX Moreover, the specific mechanical installation, i.e. pole-
700 700 850 850 900 900 mounted along the antenna line, suggests that the ANT and
BTS connectors (invariably of the 7/16 female coaxial kind)
be located on opposite sides of the device to facilitate the
703 748 758 803 825 835 870 880 898 915 943 960 [MHz] installation process. Lastly, being a pole-mounted device, it
Fig. 2. Operating TX-RX bands of the triple-band MHA can suffer from wind loading if its width is much greater than
the pole diameter (typical diameters ranging from 40 to 122
Multi-band filters have then to be used in the MHA. Actually, mm). These facts translate into a limited freedom in the
“pure” three-band filters are not convenient from a practical arrangement of filter blocks inside an MHA, whose layout
point of view, due to the difficulties of tuning and debugging. ends up usually as something like that in fig. 4, which displays
Also implementing each filtering unit as the parallel of three some important characteristics of most MHAs. Typically the
single band filters is not a viable choice for the mechanical space allocated to RXa filters is
ANT connector
drawbacks it implies (each node must connect 6 filters). The significantly larger than that
choice has been then a trade-off constituted by the parallel of a occupied by RXb ones. This is due
single-band filter with a dual-band filter for each filtering unit to the different selectivity and
RXA
in the MHA (fig. 3) filter
insertion loss requirements, the
TX
filter
IN LNA
former translating into a smaller
D 3
number of cavities for RXb filters,
4
OUT area
D RXB
filter
the latter translating into smaller
cavities. Also, the TX filter cavities
S
BTS connector
are often necessarily displaced
S along a single raw, due to the TX
Fig. 4 Typical filters
arrangement inside filter relatively weak selectivity
RXa D RXb 2
an MHA requirements (a relatively small
1 number of cavities is usually
enough) and to MHA width
S constraints. Such an in-line structure can pose some
TX difficulties in realizing cross couplings, which are however
required if an efficient MHA is to be designed. Alternatively,
Fig. 3. Scheme of the triple-band MHA. D=dual-band filter. a band-stop structure, which would naturally fit this in-line
S=single-band filter. arrangement, can be used as the TX filter block, but such a
choice is uncommon. An additional constraint for both RXa
The attenuation requirements for each filtering unit are and RXb filters is related to the typical size of LNAs used for
summed up in Table I. MHA applications which dictates the distance from the output
TABLE I taps of RXA and RXB filters (some 50mm to 100mm is
SUMMARY OF ATTENUATION REQUIREMENTS typical).
RX700 TX700 RX850 TX850 880-890 RX900 TX900 The most common technology for MHAs is metal coaxial
cavity filters, due to its reliability, low loss, power handling
RXa 1 dB 80 dB 1 dB 80 dB 50 dB 1 dB 80 dB and low cost.
max min. max min max min Based on the specifications in Table 1 and using a polynomial
RXb 1.5 dB 60 dB 1.5 dB 60 dB N/A 1.5 dB 60 dB model for evaluating the response of the filters composing the
max min. max min. max min. MHA, the electrical parameters of filters have been evaluated
TX 40 dB 0.6 dB 40 dB 0.6 dB N/A 40 dB 0.6 dB and are reported in Tab. II. (for dualband filters the number of
min max min max min max cavities is in the form L+H where L is the number of
reflection zeros in the 850 band and H is the number of
Very general constraints must be considered before to face the reflection zeros in the 900 band). Return loss is 25 dB for all
electrical synthesis of the MHA. These constraints are driven the filters.
by mechanical and environmental specifications that need to The filters polynomials are initially evaluated separately from
be considered at the very initial design stage. Being an the MHA, using a novel procedure developed for multiband
outdoor piece of equipment, it has IP (Ingress Protection) filters [2]. The filters are then connected to the MHA and the
requirements that dictate its mechanical assembly. Such polynomials coefficients are optimized in order to get a
assembly is almost invariably comprised of an aluminum filter “quasi-equiripple” reflection coefficient at ports 1 and 2.
body (possibly with added parts), a tuning cover plus an
external cover or shield that guarantees IP performances. This
assembly requires the filter cavities to be machined on one
side only of the filter body which can be limiting when a large

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 TABLE II a coupling configuration with limited frequency variations has
ASSIGNED FILTERS PARAMETERS been adopted, which uses an additional coupling element as
RXa RXa RXb RXb TX TX shown in fig. 6. For a given value of coupling, the parameters
(S) (D) (S) (D) (S) (D) h1 and h2 can be adjusted to provide the desired coupling
Band 702.5-750.5 822.5-837.5 702.5-749.5 822.0-838.0 756.0-804.5 866.0-884.0 value and flatness at the same time.
894.0-920.0 895.0-918.0 940.0-960.0
(MHz) The four nodes of the MHA (ANT, BTS, LNA input and LNA
Order 8 8+6 7 6+5 6 4+4 output) are realized by means of transmission lines connecting
the input port of the six filters. As an example, fig. 7 shows
N. of 3 3 2 2 2 2 the antenna node junction connecting four filters together
TZ (TX(S), TX(D), RXa(S) and RXa(D)).
ANT
The filters are synthesized from the characteristic polynomials
with a crossed-coupled configuration, using well known
techniques available in the literature [3]. The dimensioning is RXA850
+900 Fig. 7. ANT node
then carried over according to the well known techniques junction
based on the computation of coupling coefficients and TX700
resonant frequencies of a system of coupled cavities. TX850
RX 700
+900
Fig. 5 shows the dimensioned layout, where a total of 54
hexagonal cavities have been arranged in conformity with fig.
4 (a bias tee circuit at the BTS port to supply DC power to the For this particular junction, the two TX and the two RXa
LNA is also included). The resonating rods are made of steel filters have been first diplexed, then the resulting TX branch
to minimize the temperature drift and display a bigger and RX branch have been again diplexed selecting the line
diameter at the open end to reduce the cavity height (50 mm lengths and impedances (when helpful) in order to minimize
common to all cavities). the reciprocal reactive loading effect of the different filters in
the three RX+TX bands simultaneously.
RXa 850+900 RXa 700 Currently one prototype is being built. The expected
performances, obtained from circuital simulations, are shown
fig. 8.
850-900
RXb

Frequency Response
0 0
700
RXb

-10 -24
ANT

BTS

-20 -48

-30 -72
TX 850+900 TX 700
DB(|S(1,1)|) (L)

-40 -96
sys
DB(|S(2,1)|) (R)
sys

Fig. 5. Triple band MHA layout (top view) DB(|S(2,2)|) (L)

sys
DB(|S(1,3)|) (R)
sys
DB(|S(2,4)|) (R)
sys
-50 -120
. 680 780 880 980
Frequency (MHz)

h1 Fig. 6. Geometry for Fig.8. Simulated MHA frequency response: red line – TX
controlling both coupling path, green line – RXa path, blue line – RXb path.
value and frequency
variation
REFERENCES
h2
[1] G. Macchiarella, S. Tamiazzo “Synthesis of Star-Junction
Multiplexers” IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., Vol. 58,
n.12, Dec. 2010
Some care need be taken when selecting the coupling element
[2] G. Macchiarella, ““Equi-ripple” Synthesis of Multiband
for dual band filters. In fact the frequency variation of the Prototype Filters using a Remez-like Algorithm” Accepted for
coupling septum, typically employed for coupling coaxial publication on IEEE Microwave and Components Letters
cavities, has a much stronger impact on the filters response [3] R. J. Cameron, C. M. Kudsia, and R. R. Mansour, Microwave
than in case of single band filters. To minimize this deviation, Filters for Communication Systems. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2000

978-1-4673-2141-9/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE