rnp rf site survey guide 20081222 a 1.1

RF Site Survey Guide INTERNAL

Product name Confidentiality levelRNP INTERNAL

Product version Total 20 pages1.1

RF Site Survey Guide(For internal use only)

Prepared by Liu Nan Chuan, Li Han Date 2008-11-19Reviewed by DateReviewed by DateApproved by Date

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.All Rights Reserved

2008-12-11 All rights reserved Page1 , Total20


Revision Records

Date Version Description Reviewer Author2008-12-

031.00 Initial transmittal

Hou Yuzhou,

Fan Rui, Yang Fan

Liu Nanchuan,

Li Han

2008-12-

221.1 Update the survey flow. Liu Nanchuan



Contents

1 Overview.......................................................................................92 Flow for Site Survey.....................................................................10

2.1 Flow.................................................................................................................................................................10

3 Preparation before Site Survey.....................................................123.1 Common Tools and Apparatuses......................................................................................................................12

3.1.1 Hardware................................................................................................................................................123.1.2 Software..................................................................................................................................................13

3.2 Documents.......................................................................................................................................................133.3 Survey Coordination Meeting..........................................................................................................................13

4 Detailed Site Survey....................................................................154.1 Environment Survey........................................................................................................................................15

4.1.1 Overall Shot of the Site..........................................................................................................................154.1.2 Measuring Latitude and Longitude of Site.............................................................................................154.1.3 Propagation Environment for Site..........................................................................................................16

4.2 Rooftop Survey................................................................................................................................................164.2.1 Height Survey.........................................................................................................................................164.2.2 Azimuth Survey......................................................................................................................................184.2.3 Requirements for Antenna Isolation.......................................................................................................18

4.3 Survey Record..................................................................................................................................................19

5 Survey Documents.......................................................................205.1 Documents to Be Submitted After Site Survey...............................................................................................20


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Figures

Figure 2-1 Flow of site survey..............................................................................................................................10

Figure 4-1 Site Building........................................................................................................................................15


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Tables

Table 3-1 Common hardware for site survey........................................................................................................12

Table 3-2 Software for site survey........................................................................................................................13

Table 4-1 Required height of antenna...................................................................................................................17

Table 5-1 Documents to be submitted after site survey........................................................................................20

RF Site Survey Guide

Key Words

Site Survey, Antenna, Propagation Environment, Rooftop

Abstract The document details the procedures for part of outdoor RF site survey and introduces common tools used. It also provides the principia and notes. Finally it lists the necessary documents to be submitted after survey.

Acronyms and abbreviations:

Acronyms and abbreviations Full Spelling

RNP Radio Network Planning

RF Radio Frequency


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1 Overview

In radio network construction, RF site survey is a most key task. Its result is basis of antenna-feeder system installation and affects engineering quality and progress. The site survey mainly contains the survey on radio propagation environment and the survey on engineering installation conditions. This guide mainly focuses on the workflow for RF site survey and the tools needed in survey. It details steps for detailed site survey.

This guide includes five chapters as below:

Chapter 1 : Introduction

Chapter 2 : Flows for site survey

Chapter 3 : Preparation before site survey

Chapter 4 : Detailed process for site survey, including environment and rooftop surveys.

Chapter 5 : Documents to be submitted at the end of site survey


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2 Flow for Site Survey

2.1 FlowThe flow for site survey is shown in Figure 2-1. Based on the objective of network planning and the site list provided by the report of radio network pre-planning, survey each candidate site in details and give the survey report about each site. According to the priority and availability of each candidate site, determine the final site.

Figure 2-1 Flow of site survey


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Site survey aims at obtaining the detailed information about candidate sites. The information is related to the antenna height, latitude and longitude, rooftop, propagation environment around the site. The settings of the antenna system involve the antenna height, antenna azimuth, and requirements for the antenna isolation.

Engineers performing site survey must have a comprehensive understanding of the following contents:

Air interface of the mobile communications system Technical performance of BTSs Knowledge of the antenna system Basic knowledge of the radio propagation theory


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3 Preparation before Site Survey

3.1 Common Tools and Apparatuses3.1.1 Hardware

Table 3-1 lists the common hardware for site survey.

Table 3-1 Common hardware for site surveyTool Usage Remarks

Digital camera Take photos on the environment around the site, the rooftop, and co-location information.

Bring the battery charger and charged batteries along.

GPS Measure the latitude and longitude of site.

In the GPS apparatus, the data is valid after you can search for four satellites or more. Use it in an open area. Set the mapping format to WGS84. Set the displayed degree to XX.XXXX° (use it if not specified by the operator). After powering on the GPS apparatus, wait 10 minutes before using it to ensure accuracy. The latitude and longitude are in different formats due to different formats of ellipsoid, so set it on the GPS. There are more than 100 formats of latitude and longitude in GARMIN12XL GPS. The default format is WGS84.

Compass Measure azimuth. Use it far away from ironware. Do not use it on the rooftop because this may affect the accuracy. In the regions with great magnetization (e.g. There are abundant metal objects or microwave), it is recommended to use the digital compass function of GPS, such as GarminExtrexSUMMIT commonly used by Huawei.

Laptop Record, save, and output data.

Record survey data with a point pen. When it rains, the paper is easily wet, so the record on paper will be illegible and even missing. This brings trouble to writing survey report. In dry cold regions or seasons, it is recommended to use a pencil, because a pen or point pen can hardly work.

Map The local paper administration map shows the geographical information of

When using a paper map, pay attention to the processing mode. The paper maps of some cities are processed with distortion, so the locations of some sites are actually inaccurate. You can observe the actual position after importing site location information into Mapinfo or other tools.


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surveyed area.Tape Measure length. NothingTelescope (optional)

Observe the environment

Nothing

Laser Yardage Pro(optional)

Measure the height of buildings and the distance from a building to the site

The best method to measure the height of a building is to use Laser Yardage Pro. The Laser Yardage Pro can measure the distance from a building to the Laser Yardage Pro. You can also replace it with a tape or Rotary Angle Meter. A tape helps engineers measure the height of buildings accurately. If it is difficult for a tape to measure the height of buildings directly, you can calculate the height with the tap and a Rotary Angle Meter.

Rotary Angle Meter(optional)

Measure the angle and help measure the height of buildings

Nothing

The GPS consumes power badly, so power off it after use. The accuracy of height measured by GPS largely depends on the number of connected satellites, so record after data is stable.

3.1.2 SoftwareTable 3-1 lists the software for site survey.

Table 3-1 Software for site surveySoftware Usage Remarks

MapinfoShow the location information about sites

Mapinfo mainly functions as below: Calibrate the latitude and longitude of scanned map. Import and analyze section information and site location.For details, see the online help of Mapinfo.

Google EarthShow the location information about candidate sites

Nothing

3.2 DocumentsFamiliarize the general situation of the project and collect the following documents related to the project:

Project files (mainly referring to the files related to the project at the early phase, such as the site distribution situation and the distribution situation of other networks)

Network background Local map Contract configuration list (optional) Information of the existing network

3.3 Survey Coordination MeetingBefore site survey, summon all related personnel for survey coordination meeting. The meeting shall cover the following aspects:


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Know the local electromagnetic background. Clear frequency if necessary. Assign survey engineers and assistants with tasks. Prepare vehicle and equipment. Make survey plan and fix survey route. If it is urgent or the area to be surveyed is large,

divide the survey engineers into several groups and perform survey simultaneously. Communicate with the operator for the band, maximum transmit power, antenna

azimuth, and down tilt of existing shared antenna and feeder system. Confirm with the operator whether some buildings or towers not possessed by the

operator are accessible. By communicating well with the operator, know the VIP areas and check whether the

VIP areas can be covered by the site.

If possible, you are advised to go together with customer-designated personnel who are familiar with the routes and the environment. In this way, you can spend less time without the need to find routes.


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4 Detailed Site Survey

4.1 Environment SurveyOnce sites location is determined, you need to give the detailed plan of site survey. The result of the site survey is applied on network planning, equipment procurement, and project construction. Therefore, the items to be surveyed in details include buildings, microwave transmission, installation positions of equipment. This chapter describes only the parts related to RF.

4.1.1 Overall Shot of the SiteAfter arriving on site, take one or two photos of the overall site, building, or entrance as shown in Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1 Site Building

When taking the photo of the entrance, cover the number and street of the site if possible.

4.1.2 Measuring Latitude and Longitude of SiteIn the GPS apparatus, the data is valid after you can search for four satellites or more. Use it in an open area. Set the mapping format to WGS84. Set the displayed degree to XX.XXXX° (use it if not specified by the operator). Fill the XXXX Project X Stage_XX Site RF Survey Table with obtained latitude and longitude.


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4.1.3 Propagation Environment for SiteEngineers may select site location subjectively and ideally. To ensure the validity and reasonability of selected site location and to provide evidence for future planning and optimization, you must collect the propagation environment information about the site. You need consider the impact from propagation environment on the coverage and configure the azimuth and down tilt of antenna reasonably. If the propagation environment around the selected site fails to meet requirements, use a candidate site or reselect a site location.

Environment survey proceeds as below:

Step 1 From the due north, record the height of the builds and obstacles that are as high as or higher than the antenna, as well as the distance from them to the site. Describe the environment information in the site survey table. Mark the buildings, hills, and advertisement boards around the site on the map. Describe briefly the features, height, and the distance from the obstacle to the site on the map. Record the hotspot area within 500 m. The on-site engineers shall fill part of XXXX Project X Stage_XX Site RF Survey Table.

Step 2 Take photos about the radio propagation environment on the rooftop. As indicated by a compass, with the 0° (due north) as reference, take photos every 30° in 12 directions. Name each photo in the format of Sitename_angle. The sitename is the name of surveyed site. The angle is the angle from the reference direction. For each photo, mark the shooting spot, the shooting direction on the drawn rooftop schema. In addition, take photos of the scenery horizontally from the east, west, south, and north. Based on the installation position of the antenna, try to take photos at the edge of each direction of the rooftop. The previous photo and the next photo should have minor overlapped parts. In the drawn rooftop schema, mark the position and direction of each photo.

Step 3 Observe whether there is antenna-feeder system of another operator and record the result. Mark the antenna position (represented by direction and distance) and used band in the corresponding figure of XXXX Project X Stage_XX Site RF Survey Table.

Step 4 Check whether there is high voltage wire or buildings under construction. Describe this in XXXX Project X Stage_XX Site RF Survey Table.

Step 5 If sites are basically available for use but cannot cover all the planned areas, survey the areas that are not covered and give the coverage solution such as through the coverage of other surrounding sites. In general, the areas that cannot be covered are the blocked areas at the serving edge or the special large-scale architecture group and its shadow. If these areas are not covered by the surround sites, report the situation to the planning engineer and verify the rationality of site planning. Based on the importance degree of areas and the requirements for the design coverage aim, the planning engineer can add sites, or add the micro cells, indoor distribution system, and repeater to widen the coverage range.

4.2 Rooftop Survey4.2.1 Height Survey

1. The principia for designing antenna height The antenna should be installed 5 to 12 meters higher than the main surrounding

buildings. The measured antenna height should be around the planned antenna height. If sites that have continuous coverage areas are installed too low, coverage holes are incurred. If these sites are installed too high, cross-cell interference is incurred. Enough


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margin should be kept for optimizing and adjusting the antenna. If the kept margin during site planning is less than 10%, the site height should be at least 1/4 of the planned antenna height. In addition, the farther the site is from the planned site location, the less the allowed margin for declining the antenna height. In continuous coverage areas, the antenna height should be not higher than 1/2 of the planned antenna height. The farther the site is from the planned site location, the less the allowed margin for adjusting the antenna height. If the antenna height is higher than 1/2 of the planned antenna height, means such as simulation test are used to perform the quantitative analysis of interference, and the application of special antennas are discussed.

The antennas of different cells of the same site may be of different height, considering the installation space on one direction is restricted or the cell planning requires this.

In flat urban areas, the antenna from the ground is about 25–30 m high. On suburban sites, the antenna from the ground can be higher, between 40 m and 50 m. A single site can not be higher than 70 m. If an antenna is overhigh, the coverage level (also called shadow right under the tower)

near the antenna will decline, especially for omni-directional antennas. If an antenna is overhigh, the overshooting and intra-/inter-frequency interference are

probable. As a result, the network quality declines.

Typical height of antenna should meet the requirements listed in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1 Required height of antenna

Required height of antennaHeight relevant to field objects Height relevant to the groundRecommended Maximum Minimum Recommended Maximum

Dense urban 1 m 2 m 15 m 20 m 25 m

Urban 2 m 4 m 20 m 25 m 30 mSuburban 4 m 8 m 20 m 30 m 35 mRural 30 m 40 m 20 m 40 m 50 mImportance Important Important Reference Reference Reference

2. Measure the height of buildings Measure the height of buildings with tape or Laser Yardage Pro directly. If an antenna is installed on a rooftop of a building, record the height of the building. A simple method to measure the height is to count the number of stairs of a floor and to

measure the height of each stair. Therefore, the height of building =height of each stair x number of stairs in a floor x number of floors in the building + the height of the top floor. If each floor is of the same height, the height of the building equals to the height of a floor multiplied by the number of floors. You can simply measure the height of a floor and calculate the height of building. If it is difficult to use a tape, use Rotary Angle Meterand and tape together.

If the antenna is installed on an existing tower, confirm the rooftop (which rooftop) that mounts the antenna and obtain the height from the operator. If there is a Laser Yardage Pro, measure the height of the rooftop of buildings or towers directly.

If the antenna in installed on a tower on a rooftop, record the height of the building and the height of rooftop that mounts the antenna.


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4.2.2 Azimuth SurveyThe antenna azimuth is fixed at the pre-planning stage. Survey engineers adjust the fixed azimuth for each sector according to the nearby obstacles so that the obstacles will not affect signal propagation.

When adjusting antenna azimuth, following the principia as below:

Design the antenna azimuth in a perspective of the whole network. After the coverage is qualified, keep the azimuth of three sectors for each site consistent or as possible with fine tuning to avoid complexity for adding sites for future network expansion. Adjust the azimuth of antennas in the conjunction part of urban and suburban areas, arteries, and single site in suburban areas according to key coverage objectives.

The main lobe of antenna shall cover the high-traffic area, because this strengthens the signals over the area and improves conversation quality.

In urban areas, the overlapped areas covered by both two neighboring sectors cannot be over wide. The separation angle between two neighboring sectors of the same BTS in the antenna direction should be not less than 90 degrees.

In suburban areas and towns, the overlapped areas covered by both two neighboring sectors cannot be over wide. The angle between antenna directions of two neighboring sectors of the same BTS should be not less than 90 degrees.

To avoid overshooting, in dense urban areas, it must be avoided that the main lobe of antenna covers a street, a river, or a building with strong reflection effect.

If there is the geographical magnetic declination in the surveyed area, the impact on the geographical magnetic declination must be considered during the measurement of the direction angle through the compass so that the actual direction angle can be determined.

4.2.3 Requirements for Antenna Isolation 1. Formula of Antenna Isolation

To avoid cross interference, certain isolation must be maintained between the receiver/transmitter of one BTS and the receiver/transmitter of another BTS. For example, the isolation degree between the transmitter of one BTS and the receiver of another BTS is 30 dB and that between the receiver of one BTS and the receiver of another BTS is 30 dB. Assume that GSM900 and GSM1800 share the same site. The isolation of antennas depends on the antenna radiation direction pattern, space distance, and gains. The formulas for calculating the antenna isolation are as follows:

For vertical arrangement, Lv=28 + 40log(k/λ); (dB) For horizontal arrangement, Lv=22 + 20log(d/λ) - (G1 + G2) – (S1 + S2); (dB)

Where, λ refers to the wave length of the carrier, k refers to the vertical distance, d refers to the horizontal distance, G1 and G2 refer to the gains (dBi) of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the maximum radiation direction, and S1 and S2 refer to the side lobe levels of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the 90 degree direction. In general, S for the 65 degree fan-beam antenna is about -18 dBp, S for the 90 degree fan-beam antenna is -9 dBp, and S for the 120 degree fan-beam antenna is about -7 dBp. These values can be determined according to the actual antenna direction pattern. When the omni-directional antenna is adopted, S is 0. Regardless of dual-polarized antennas or diversity antennas, the previous formulas must be satisfied. For details about the requirements for the inter-system isolation degree, refer to the Guide to Antenna Design.


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4.3 Survey RecordTypical RF site survey table includes complete information as below.

Site Name Site ID Site Type (2G or 3G) Site location or coordinator Type of the building where the site is located, such as government agencies, private

residence, and commercial buildings Candidate site numbers such as A, B, and C Type of Cluster that the site belongs to, such as Dense urban and urban Latitude and longitude of the site Type of the tower or the holding pole Height of the tower or the holding pole Height of the building where the site is located Sector Information:

− Sector Name− Installation mode of the antenna (on the tower or the holding pole) − Height of the antenna, equal to the height of the building plus the height of the

holding pole− Azimuth− Antenna Gain− Down tilt


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5 Survey Documents

5.1 Documents to Be Submitted After Site SurveyA meeting with the operator is necessary after survey due to the following reasons:

Forgettable content Existing problems on candidate sites Working out solutions to the previous problems

The meet discusses the problems and confirms the survey result. If some items are not agreed by both parties, sign a survey memorandum with the signature by the operator. File the memorandum. In addition, output the following documents as listed in Table 5-1.

Table 5-1 Documents to be submitted after site survey

Document Remarks

Site Survey Report The site survey report is a summary of the survey on a single site. Its data is mainly from site survey table and photos on the site environment.

Engineering Parameter Table

The engineering parameter table is a brief summary of site survey report. Its data is mainly from the site survey report, site searching ring, and the data from the operator. Its data must be updated to comply with the actual network. It is easy to mistaken the sector azimuth and the sector name due to the change of azimuth. It is recommended to name the sectors clockwise, 1, 2, 3…

Site Survey Memorandum The site survey memorandum is a summary of the unsolved problems in survey for later monitoring and tracing.

These documents have templates from http://support.huawei.com.Submit previous documents to the filed office and RNP Department for filing. Also submit them to the operator for signature and filing. Keep the reports consistent (The previous of the survey report must be consistent with the following. And the survey report is consistent with the contract. If there is any inconsistence, record it in the memorandum). Fill all the blanks. The survey engineer shall signal his/her name at the signature column.


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