RF & Mobile Networks

Dr. A. Waheed Umrani

Department of ES, TL and BM Engineering
Mehran UET, Jamshoro.
Course Layout
Unit 1: Introduction to Mobile
Communications
Unit 2: Mobile Communication Systems
Unit 3: Mobile Network Planning
Part 1: Capacity Planning
Part 2: Coverage Planning
Unit 4: Case Study
Mobile Network Planning in CDMA 2000
System

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Course Objectives
Unit 1: Fundamentals of Mobile Radio
Communications (e.g., Propagation Models,
Fading etc.)
Unit 2: Understanding of various Multiple Access
Schemes and Mobile Communication Systems
(e.g., GSM, CDMA etc.)
Unit 3: Understand the basic tools of Mobile
Network Planning
Part 1: Capacity Planning
Part 2: Coverage Planning
Unit 4: Case Study (CDMA 2000 Network
Planning)
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Recommended Books
1. Mobile Communication Engineering, by W. C. Y. Lee,
Prentice Hall, 2nd Ed. 2000
2. Principle of Spread Spectrum Communications by A.
Viterbi, Wiley 1st Ed. 1995
3. Wireless CDMA Communication Systems by Ramje
Prasad, Wiley 1st Ed. 1996
4. Wireless Communication Systems by T. S.
Rappaport, Prentice Hall, 2nd Ed. 2003
5. Wireless Communication Systems by X. Wang, H. V.
Poor, Pearson Education, Int. Ed. 2004.
6. W-CDMA and CDMA2000 for 3G Mobile
Networks by M. R. Karim, Mohsen Sarraf,
McGraw-Hill, Int. Ed. 2002
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Unit 1:
Introduction to Mobile
Communications

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Todays Lecture
Brief History
Radio Based Systems
Free Space Communications
RF Spectrum
Radio Propagation
Microwave System
Satellite Communications systems
Cellular Communications systems

Other Systems
Troposcatter Radio
Light based System

Conclusions
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Introduction
Throughout the time, one thing that has distinguished humans from other
animals is their ability to exchange ideas and other information. That is,
humans can communicate. It is this capability that has played perhaps biggest
part in the development of civilization. In fact, as our civilization continues to
grow, so must our communication capacity. The two are intertwined. It comes
as no surprise then that one of first application of the new field of electricity
was to extend our communication range. This was accomplished through the
use of wires and telegraphy. Messages were sent by turning electrical currents
on and off in accordance with a telegraph code. This system gradually evolved
into the telephone system where the electrical currents are varied at audio
rate. Thus the spoken word can be conveyed between two distant points.
However, the telephone system still required wires, which limited its
capabilities. Thus, the next development was to be wireless communications
in the form of radio. This greatly extended the communication range and, for
the first, included ships at sea and remote areas of the world. Wireless or radio
communications represented a significant advancement.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Introduction
Throughout the time, one thing that has distinguished humans from other
animals is their ability to exchange ideas and other information. That is,
humans can communicate. It is this capability that has played perhaps
biggest part in the development of civilization. In fact, as our civilization
continues to grow, so must our communication capacity. The two are
intertwined. It comes as no surprise then that one of first application of the
new field of electricity was to extend our communication range. This
was accomplished through the use of wires and telegraphy. Messages
were sent by turning electrical currents on and off in accordance with a
telegraph code. This system gradually evolved into the telephone system
where the electrical currents are varied at audio rate. Thus the spoken
word can be conveyed between two distant points. However, the
telephone system still required wires, which limited its capabilities. Thus, the
next development was to be wireless communications in the form of
radio. This greatly extended the communication range and, for the first,
included ships at sea and remote areas of the world. Wireless or radio
communications represented a significant advancement.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Brief History
B.C. era- Drums were a primary means of
communications.
Native Americans used smoke signals as form of
communication.
Semaphore flag deepened the scope of communication
but was of Line of Sight.
19th Century- light beams were used for short haul
communications, particularly in military contexts
Early 20th Century- start of Radio communications.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Introduction to Wireless World
Available Wireless Tools

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Radio Based Systems
A transmitter is used to reproduce sound waves and
modulate speech onto a RF. The radio wave could travel
greater distances.
Several portions of RF spectrum were allocated to these
systems. Each carried its own particular capacities and
had distance limitations associated with the band used.
Knowledge of radio principles is critical to
understanding how the various wireless
communication techniques function.
Radio systems propagate information (voice, data,
telegraph, image, fax, and video) in free space.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Types of Radio Systems

A decision must be made on whether to use LOS,

point-to-point, or omni-directional communication
systems
Noise will always be a factor, since it will degrade the
signal
Power output will directly affect the distance that the
signal will travel
Loss or attenuation will be a factor due to obstacles
Heavy rain or snow will absorb some of transmitted
signal in certain bands

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Free Space Communications
The free-space communication obviates some of the
problems faced by wired systems.

These include:
Span bodies of water (rivers, lakes), where a cable
facility would require special treatment to prevent
seepage onto the copper conductors.
Overcome transmission obstacles posed by mountains
and deep valleys, where cable costs would be prohibitive
to install and difficult to maintain.
Bypass the basic interconnection to local telephone
provider (Telco) or public telephone company.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Free Space Communications
The use of cable would require an underwater run
of wiring. Or an over water (aerial) pull requiring
extensive support systems.

The use of radio systems to span large bodies of

water
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Radio Frequency Spectrum

The radio wave moves through the air at the speed of

light (186,000 miles/second). It can be produced and
transmitted across a wide range of frequencies, starting
at about 10 KHz up through GHz.

The spectrum is divided into several bands starting from

Very Low Frequency (VLF) to Extremely High Frequency
(EHF).

Why the RF spectrum is divided in sub-bands?

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

 RF Spectrum

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Radio Propagation
The earth and the atmosphere behave differently at
certain frequency ranges. Therefore, each of the
band in the RF spectrum is named.

Depending on the band selected, the characteristics of

propagation will vary.

Signal travel along the earths curvature. As the signal

emanates, the energy follows the earths curvature. In
some cases the reflected power off the earths surface
helps achieve the desired result.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Radio Propagation
At lower frequencies (VLF, LF, MF), the signal follows the curve of
the earths surface (ground wave)

At HF, the ground

wave is absorbed &
attenuated quickly.
However, the
radiated energy
has upward
movement (40-300
miles).

In the ionosphere these waves are refracted at various

angles and bounced back to earth. This enables radio signal
to be directionalized & transmitted at much lower output
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Radio Propagation
At VHF, the signal is transmitted in straight lines. A directional
antenna can be used for LOS path.

The design of this type of transmission requires great care, because

the reflected wave can cause interference (delay).

For LOS transmission, antenna height is critical. The greater the

distance, the higher the antenna
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Radio Propagation

At UHF, the use of microwave signals is more prominent.

Today these systems

use HF point to
point communications

Extensively used by
Telco's, PTTs, and
private
organizations

Applications include broadcast (Radio & TV), mobile, cellular

communication systems
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Microwave Repeater systems
Limitations(power,
path loss,
interference) restrict
the distances
covered.

In order to cover
greater distances a Typical Microwave Distances Before
Repeater Are Necessary
repeater is used. A Frequency Approximate Distance

repeater receives (in GHz)

2-6 30 miles
radio signals,
amplifies and re- 10-12 20 miles

transmit it. 18 7 miles

23 5 miles

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Cellular System (Example)

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Repeater in the Sky
Few attempts, to bounce the radio waves off a
weather balloon met with un-rewarding results
In 1960 radio signals were transmitted up into
the atmosphere to a repeater floating in space.
The repeater called Satellite and the system
Satellite Communications
An orbiting satellite offers several distinct
advantages. A stronger signal can be obtained
over a very large area.

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Satellite Orbits
Equatorial Orbits
Inclined Orbits
Polar Orbits

GEO: Geo-stationary
Earth Orbit - 35,860 km

MEO: Medium Earth

Orbit - 5,000-12,000 km

LEO: Low Earth Orbit

700 1700 km

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Geo-synchronous Orbit

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Geo-synchronous Orbit

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Satellite Frequency Spectrum

L-Band 1-2 GHz MSS, UHF TV, Terrestrial microwave and studio
television links, cellular phones.

S-Band 2-4 GHz MSS, NASA and deep space research

C-Band 4-8 GHz FSS fixed service terrestrial microwave

X-Band 8-12.5GHz FSS military communications, Fixed service

terrestrial earth exploration and
meteorological satellites
Ku-Band 12.5-18 GHz FSS, Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS), Fixed
service terrestrial microwave

K-Band 18-26.5GHz FSS, Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS), Fixed

service terrestrial microwave

Ka-Band 26.5-31 GHz FSS, Fixed service terrestrial microwave, Local

multi-channel distribution service (LMDS)

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Troposcatter Radio
TroposcattersystemtransmitsintheHF/VHFbandand
broadcastthesignalupthroughTroposphere.Atthislayerthe
signalisrefractedbackdowntotheearth.

Theadvantagesinclude
verylongtransmission
path,lowerpoweroutput
andhighlydirectional
communications

PrimarilyusedforMilitary
Communications
(expensive).
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Light based System
Infrared lighthaslongbeenusedasatransmissionmedium
forshort-haulcommunications(inair).

A pinpoint beam generator operates at 1-1000 THz to

produce high speed communications.

The primary advantages are: The primary

Easily Transportable disadvantages is:
Easily install (within in hour) Short distances (20 m)
No licensing is required
Applications: Remote controllers for Radio, TV, lights and
other appliances. These are low-powered controllers used
for point to point communications
RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed
Future of Wireless Communications

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed

Conclusions
Radio systems offer distinct advantages
over its counterpart (i.e. wired)
These systems can be used primarily for
Long-haul communications
With the advent of new technologies,
better wireless communications system
are emerging (e.g., 3G )

RFMN-2007 Umrani A. Waheed