Microwave Link Engineering

Contents
1. Introduction
2. Radio Link Engineering
(a) Site selection
(b) Critical Tower Height Calculation
(c) Path calculation
(d) Link Budget analysis.
(e) Performance calculation
(f) Outage Calculation to check the
 Introduction
1. Unlike Cellular Systems, Microwave systems work
on Line of Sight (LOS) principle.
2. Microwave Systems are point to point systems.
3. Wideband Microwave Systems operate between
stations that are hundreds of Kms apart with number
of Repeaters in between.
• StationA, Station B.
• Tx and Rx Antenna.
• Hop Distance.

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 Introduction
Classification of Radio Transmission Equipment

• Low Capacity • 2 Mbps UHF(400-700MHz)

• 8 Mbps 2Ghz

• Medium • 34 Mbps 7 & 13 GHz.

Capacity

• Large • 140 Mbps 4,6 & 11 GHz.

Capacity

• Mini- Links • up-to 16 E1’s 15,18,23&38 GHz.

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 Microwave link
BSNL has been nominated as a major wireless user by the WPC
in 1981 in the following sub base band of the m/w spectrum for
fixed radio communication. Microwave Spectrum Available for
BSNL is shown below:
Bandwidth
Band Available Spectrum Space
2 GHz 300 MHz 2000–2300 MHz
4 GHz 900 MHz 3300–4200 MHz
6 GHz 1185 MHz 5925–7110 MHz
7 GHz 300 MHz 7425–7725 MHz
11 GHz 1000 MHz 10,700–11,700 MHz
13 GHz 500 MHz 12,750–13,250 MHz

In India the first M/w System was completed in December,

1965 between Kolkata and Asansol with a system capacity of
1200 channels.
 Commonly Used Digital MW Systems
 Long Haul Systems Make
i) High Capacity 6 Ghz 140 Mb/s Systems Fujitsu, NEC, BEL, ITI
(carrying 1920 voice channels )
Used in Main Trunk Routes
ii) Medium Capacity
7Ghz, 34 Mb/s Fujitsu, NEC, BEL, ITI
Used in thin Routes
 Short Haul Systems
11 Ghz, 140 Mb/s
Used for satellite End Links NEC & Others
13 Ghz, 34 Mb/s Used for junction Networking

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 Microwave System configuration
Radio equipment required at the terminal :
1. Base Band (BB) Processing equipment.
2. Modulator / Demodulator equipment.
3. UP converter/ Down Converter.
4. Power Amplifier
5. Antenna Sub. System.

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 Antenna
MOD
140 Mbps IF RF P.A. (FET) RF
( Base Band U/C B.P.F.
( 70MHz) (6GHz) Combiner
Processing )

140 EQUALIZER
DEMOD D/C B.P.F. Amplifier
Mbps IF IF RF
( 70MHz) (6GHz)

BLOCK SCHEMATC OF A DIGITAL M/W SYSTEM

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 SYSTEM LINK ENGINEERING
Steps in Engineering of a Digital M/W link
1. Site Selection
After the map survey, a field survey is
usually carried out to check the suitability of
the tentative sites.
• Accessibility
• Suitability for locating tower and building
• Power Supplies
• Maintenance convenience
• Future developments
• Interference consideration
 SYSTEM LINK ENGINEERING

2. Technical considerations
• Calculation of tower heights for LOS
• Calculation of received level
• Reliability of the system Engineered.
 Tower Height Calculation
Critical tower height
Tc = Ep + Clearance criteria + OH + Slope – Ea
where Ep = HASL of critical point
CL = (B)4/3+0.6F1
B = Earth Bulge = d1xd2 / 12.74 K
K= Equivalent earth radius factor,
K=4/3 for standard radio atmospheric condition
For Temperate zone K= 4/3,
For Frigid zone K= 6/5 to 4/3,
For Tropical zone K=4/3 to 2/3
F1 = First freznel zone radius
F1 = 17.3 √ d1d2 / fxD x n n=1 for first freznel zone
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 Calculation of tower heights

F= frequency, D=Hope length

OH = Over head clearance,
Slope = (Ea-Eb)*d1/D
Ea, Eb = HASL of Station A & B
d1, d2 = distance of critical point from
stn A & B respectively.
 Path Profiling
• A Path Profile is effectively a cross section of the
terrain along the line of sight path.

• HASL vs Hope length plot is drawn. Along vertical

axis is HASL and horizontal axis is distance in Km.

• Before calculating tower heights, it is essential to

understand the parameters like Equivalent earth
radius factor (K), earth bulge B and concept of
Fresnel zone(F).
 Equivalent Earth Radius Factor K

Terrestrial LOS propagation is influenced by vertical variations in

the refractive index of the atmosphere. Because of refraction
microwaves travel along slightly curved path in the vertical
plane. The degree and direction of beam bending can be
defined by a factor called Equivalent Earth Radius factor (K). K-
factor is a factor which when multiplied by the radius of earth
gives the amount of bending of radio beam as compared to
earth’s curvature. The value of K is dependent upon the
refractive index of the atmosphere under various climatic
conditions.
1
K = ---------------- where dn/dh is refractive index gradient w.r.t.HASL
1+r/R x dn/dh
R= Earth radius, r= Radius of LOS beam
K= 4/3 for temperate climate where atmosphere is referred
as standard.
K= 1 to 2/3 for tropical countries like India.
Earth Bulge (B)
It is the height of earth surface at any intermediate point over
the line joining the two stations.
d1d2
B= ---------
12.74K
Fresnel Zone
The energy propagation path from Transmitting Antenna to
Receiving Antenna is not along a thin straight line but it
spreads in three dimension around this direct path. This leads
to the concept of Fresnel Zones around the centre of the
beam.
d1.d2 n
The radius of nth Fresnel zone Fn = 17.3 √ ----------x
Where d1,d2 &D are in Kms and f is in GHz f.D
 Clearance Criteria(CL)
The radio waves at microwave frequencies get
reflected from smooth surfaces such as water
surfaces large irrigated bodies of land and also from
regions of atmosphere where there is an abrupt
discontinuity in the refractive index. The reflected
waves in such cases interfere with the direct ray at
receiver either enforcing it or cancelling it.
Experimentally, it has been determined that
propagation approaches to free space value if the
following clearance criteria is adopted to provide a
path clearance between LOS beam and the
obstruction at the critical points.
 Clearance Criteria (CL)

There should be sufficient path clearance to ensure the line of sight

operation for large percentage of time. The standard design practice
allows to have at least .6 times the first Fresnel zone clearance above ground.
UHF/VHF CL= B4/3 +.6F1
2GHz CL= B2/3 + F1
4/6GHz CL= B4/3 + F1, or B2/3 +.6F1 which ever is greater
7/11GHz CL= B2/3 +.3F1, or B1 + 1.0F1 whichever is greater

.6F1+OH

Tc Tc
B
Ea Ep
Eb
D Stn B
Stn A

d1 d2
Obstruction Height(OH) = Minimum clearance
required to cater for overheads like trees
or buildings above critical obstacles (20 M).
Path Loss calculation: The factors which affect
the radio path loss are the antenna height,
the curvature of earth, the terrain between
Tx and Rx clearance for first Fresnel zone & fading.
The free space loss between two isotropic
antenna
FSL= 32.4+ 20 log DKM + 20 log FMHz
 Sample calculations
Mathura-Goverdhan Digital UHF link
Hop length=21 km, HASL of Goverdhan (Ea)=179 m,
HASL of Mathura (Eb)=172m, HASL of critical point (Ep)=185m at
a Distance from Ea =18Km
Earth bulge B d1d2 18x3
= ---------
12.74K 12.74 x 4/3 = 3.17 m
= --------
d1.d2 1
First Fresnel zone radius F1 = 17.3 √ ----------x
f.D
18x3 = 43.94 m,
= 17.3 √ ---------
.4x21
CL = B 4/3 + .6 F1 = 3.17+.6x 43.94 = 29.53 m
(Ea-Eb)xd1 = (179-172)x18
Slope = -------------- ---------------- =6 m, OH used= 10m
D 21
Tc = Ep + Clearance criteria + OH + Slope – Ea

Tc = 185+29.53+10+6-179 = 51.53 m
 Receive Level Calculation

The receive level and fade margin depend on the path

parameters and the equipment parameters including
antenna and feeder.
The actual receive input power is given by
Pr = Pt +Gt + Gr –FSL-BFL- FL(t+r)
Pt=Trans power
Gt/Gr= Trans/Receive Antenna gain
FSL=Free Space Loss
BFL= Branching Filter Loss
FL = Feeder Loss
The available fade margin is calculated by subtracting the
threshold receive level from calculated receive level.
Receive Level Calculation:

Problem :
Name of Hop = Lansdown – Moradabad
Hop Distance = 62 Kms.

Feeder Length used = 76.00 meters

Feeder loss = 2.28 db
@ 3db/100 meter

Branching filter loss = 3.00 db

Transmitted Power = 30.00 dbm
Antenna dia at Stn. (A) = 3.00 meter
Antenna dia at Stn. (B) = 3.00 meter
Antenna gain for 3.0 M dia = 22.50 db
Threshold level = -82 dbm

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 Receive Level Calculation
Solution:
Free Space Loss = 32.4 + 20 log D (in Kms) + 20 log F (in Mhz)
= 32.4 + 20 log 62 + 20 log 400
= 32.4 + 35.84 + 52.04
= 120.28
Feeder Length used = 76.00 meters
Feeder loss = 2.28 db
@ 3db/100 meter
Branching filter loss = 3.00 db

Total loss = 120.28 + 4.56 db + 6.00

= 130.84db
Antenna gain for 3.0 M dia = 22.50 db
Total Antenna gain = 22.50 + 22.50 = 45 db
Receive level = (30 + 45) – 130.84 = -55.84 dbm
Threshold level = -82 dbm
Fade Margin = -55.84 – (-82)
= 26.16dbm
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 Availability calculation
To calculate percentage availability for non diversity
system, Barnett formula is used.
Fade Margin based on Barnett formula is given by
Undp= 6a.b.f. D3x 10-FM/10 x 10-7
Where Undp represent non diversity annual outage
probability. And a is terrain factor, b is climatic factor.
a=4 for smooth terrain, 1 for average terrain &
.25 for mountains, rough and dry terrain.
b= 0.5 for hot, humid and coastal area,
= .25 for normal, interior temperature &
= .125 for mountains or no reflective dry areas.
D= path length in KM, f= frequency in GHz, FM = Fade Margin
in DB. Availability ratio ( R )= 1-Undp. Fade Margin required to
meet this objective is calculated using the above formula.
 Availability calculation
D=30Km, a=4, f=.4GHz, b=.5, availability=99.99%
Fade Margin=?
Undp= 1-availabilty = 1-99.99 = .01
.01 = 6a.b.f. D3x 10-FM/10 x 10-7
.01 = 6x4x.5x303x 10-FM/10 x 10-7
Fade Margin required = 21.51 db
 Interference consideration

The interference sources which cause degradation in

fade margin are:
1. Intra-system Interference
Antenna front to back interference, adjacent channel
interference etc
2. Inter-system Interference
Systems on adjacent routes & at nodal points.
3. Inservice Interference
Shared bands in the fixed service between satellites and
radio relay systems, spurious emissions.
 Outage Calculation

Method of Outage Calculation: LOS M/W

propagation is subjected to multipath fading due to
the fluctuations in the atmospheric refractive index
or by ground / sea reflections. The effect of fading is
not same at all frequency components in the band
of the received signal and thus fading is selective or
dispersive in nature. Further in co-channel dual
polarized high capacity radio relay systems where
two cross polarized carriers are transmitted on the
same frequency, apart from above fading
phenomena, the cross polarization interference (XPI)
also occurs b/w carriers with the same frequency.
 Outage Calculation

• This interference can be minimized by cross polar

discrimination (XPD) b/w the carriers.

• In such systems the degradation of the performance
is due to cross polar interference, flat fading (causing
increased transmission loss) and selective fading
(causing inter symbol interference).
• In co-channel dual polarized high capacity radio
relay system the system outage can be divided into
three separate groups
i) Outage due to flat fading (Pf) – causing increased
transmission loss and thus increased thermal
noise.
 Outage Calculation

ii) Outage due to selective fading (Ps) – causing

amplitude and group delay distortions resulting
into inter symbol Interference.
iii)Outage due to cross polar interference (Px) -
between the carriers with the same frequency.
Therefore the probability of outage which is equal to
proportion of time during which the SES criterian is
violated, comprises three additive terms.

Ptot = Pt + Ps +Px
 Counter Measures For Fading
Diversity Technique:
Diversity is the simultaneous operation of two or more systems
or part of system. It can also be described as equipment
redundancy or duplication. A microwave path that has been
properly designed with respect to fade margin, path clearances
and reflections may still suffer from poor performance due to
multipath fading.

To improve system performance, systems are designed with

diversity.

There are two types of diversity techniques.

Frequency Diversity
Space Diversity
 
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 Frequency Diversity: Using this method the signal is transmitted
& received on two different frequencies. Thus both the
frequencies do not fade simultaneously. A frequency separation of
2% is considered adequate.
The disadvantage of frequency diversity is that the system
occupies extra band width.
The improvement gained by using frequency diversity is
comparatively lower than space diversity.

Space Diversity: In this mode of operation two antennas that are

vertically spaced apart receive the signal. The signal from both the
antenna is received and fed to diversity signal combiner.
Depending upon the design, the function of combiner is to either
select the best signal for its output or to add the signals.

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Receive Level Calculation for STM-1 6GHz SDH Radio:
(Lucknow-Sitapur Section)
Name of Hop = Misrikh – Sidhauli
Hop Distance = 34.4 Kms.
Antenna dia. 3M 3M
Feeder Length used = 80 M 80 M
Feeder loss = 3.68 dB 3.68 dB
@ 4.7db/100 meter
Branching filter loss = 2.80 dB 2.80 dB
Free Space Loss 139.75
Transmitted Power = 30 dbm 30 dbm
Antenna gain = 44.0 dBm 44.0 dBm
TX/ RX Attenuation 63.47
Received power -34.70
Receiver Threshold = -72.50 dbm -72.50 dbm
XPD of Antenna 40 dB 40 dB
XPIC improvement factor 18 dB 18 dB
Outage Calculation for BER 1x10-3

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 Outage Calculation for BER 1x10-3
Receiver Threshold (dBm) = -72.50
Threshold Margin FFM = 37.80
Interference Margin = 2.00
Net flat fade margin for BER 1x10-3 = 35.8
Selective Fade Margin = 38.0
(with TD and Adaptive equalizers)
KQ factor for worst climatic conditions = 4.1 x 10-3 %
-----------------
S1.3
Terrain roughness factor = 6.0
Probability of Rayleigh Fading (Po) = 1.10177
Outage due to flat fade (Pf) = 2.91x10 -04
Outage due to selective fade (Ps) = 1.74x10 -04
Outage due to XPD degradation (Px) = 1.75x10-05
Total Outage due to fading (Pt) = 4.82x10 -04
ITU-R objective = 7.43x10 -06
ITU-R objective not met hence space diversity is required
 Outage Calculation with space diversity

1. Antenna separation (Meter) 10.0

2. Space diversity antenna dia. (mtrs) 2.4
3. SD antenna gain(dB) 42.0
4. SD improvement factor for flat fade(ISDF)max 200.0
5. SD improvement factor for selective fade(ISDd) 38.2
6. Outage due to flat fade (Pf/ISDF) 1.45x10-06

7. Outage due to selective fade (Ps/ISDd) 4.55x10-06

8. Outage due to XPD degradation (Px/ISDd) 4.57x10-07

9. Total Outage due to fading (Pt) 6.46x10-06

10. ITU-R objective 7.43x10-06

Thank you
 Map Engineering

1. Selection of proper maps.

2. Determination of Longitudes and Latitudes
of the place of interest.
3. Determination of Hop length.
4. Determination of HASL of the places.
5. Preparation of check sheet.
6. Preparation of path profile.
7. Calculation of tower heights for each
critical points.
36
Survey of India Maps

100 Km

A E I M 110
Km

B F J N
440 Index No. 53
Km
C G K O
D H L P
400 Km

37
Survey of India Maps

25 Km

1 5 9 13 27.5 Km

2 6 10 14
110 Degree Sheet
Km
3 7 11 15
4 8 12 16
100 Km

1 to 16 are Map numbers (1: 50,000)

38
 Site Location
5' 5' 5'
Scale : (1cm = 50, 000 cm)

Longitude X-axis 5' = 300″ = 164 mm

. Lattiitude Y-axis 5' = 300 ″ = 184 mm
15 '
1. Measure x & y in mm
2. Convert mm to Degree, minutes, seconds
3. Note the co-ordinates of the points.
4. E.g. Rajendra Nager , New Delhi
15 ' 28º 37' 42 ″ / 77º 10' 33 ″

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