Deltanode Solutions DDR002 DAS Booster Installed in a Building User Manual Manual
Deltanode Solutions AB DAS Booster Installed in a Building Manual
Contents
- 1. Manual
- 2. Manual_Rev1
Manual
Release 12-03
Copyright © 2012 DeltaNode® Solutions Ltd. Sweden
DeltaNode Solutions
Fiber-DAS MANUAL
DELTANODE FIBER DAS MANUAL
©DeltaNode Solutions 2012
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System Part Number Explanation
Examples:
DDR4-GC0-PA1-AD
4 band, 33dBm power output per band, Full band 700 combined with Cell 850 non duplexed, PCS
combined with AWS duplexed, AC powered, 7/16 DIN, 1310nm uplink
DDR4-GC0-PA1-AD-B12-C34-WUBCS
4 band, 33dBm power output per band, Full band 700 combined with Cell 850 non duplexed, PCS
combined with AWS duplexed, AC powered, 7/16 DIN, Bands 1 and 2 (700 and 850) 1290nm uplink, Bands
2 and 3 (PCS & AWS) 1310nm uplink, CWDM, fiber split (3dB) for daisy chained remotes
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Contents
System Part Number Explanation ............................................................................................................ 1
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Definitions ............................................................................................................................... 5
1.2 RF on fiber ............................................................................................................................... 7
2 System Description .......................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Master Unit.............................................................................................................................. 8
2.1.1 MFU – Master Frame Unit ............................................................................................... 9
2.1.2 BIU – The Base Station Interface ................................................................................... 10
2.1.3 POI – The Point of Interconnect .................................................................................... 14
2.1.4 FOI – The Fiber Optic Interface unit .............................................................................. 14
2.1.5 PSU – the rack power supply ......................................................................................... 18
2.1.6 BGW – the management gateway................................................................................. 18
2.1.7 RGW – the compact remote gateway ........................................................................... 20
2.2 Remote Unit .......................................................................................................................... 20
2.2.1 DDR ................................................................................................................................ 21
2.2.2 DDS ................................................................................................................................ 23
2.2.3 DDH ................................................................................................................................ 25
2.2.4 DMU – Remote head end .............................................................................................. 27
3 System design ................................................................................................................................ 28
3.1 The basics .............................................................................................................................. 28
3.2 Link budgets .......................................................................................................................... 28
3.2.1 Downlink ........................................................................................................................ 29
3.2.2 Uplink ............................................................................................................................. 29
3.3 Multiple bands ....................................................................................................................... 33
3.4 Multiple operators ................................................................................................................ 34
3.4.1 Base station interface .................................................................................................... 34
3.4.2 Remote Unit .................................................................................................................. 34
3.4.3 FOI ................................................................................................................................. 34
3.4.4 POI ................................................................................................................................. 34
3.5 Full system example .............................................................................................................. 35
4 Installation guidelines ................................................................................................................... 38
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4.1 Health and Safety .................................................................................................................. 38
4.2 Installing the Master Unit and Remotes ............................................................................... 39
5 Commissioning .............................................................................................................................. 39
5.1 Preparations .......................................................................................................................... 39
5.1.1 Necessary tools .............................................................................................................. 39
5.1.2 Software ........................................................................................................................ 39
6 RF Commissioning ......................................................................................................................... 40
6.1 Setting up the uplink ............................................................................................................. 40
6.1.1 Noise load on Radio Base Station .................................................................................. 41
6.1.2 Practical approach ......................................................................................................... 42
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System Noise Figure calculator
Intermodulation performance
calculator
Uplink / Downlink Balance
Dynamic headroom indicator
1 Introduction
This manual contains both guidelines on how to design a system using the DeltaNode Fiber-DAS concept
and how to install, commission and maintain such a system for the life span of the entire installation. It
will also contain many bits of information regarding general practices in the industry as well as other
information.
The information in this manual has been proof-read by several people at DeltaNode and industry
experts, however we cannot guarantee that there are no errors, omissions or other mistakes. If you
should have any questions on the contents in this manual please contact info@deltanode.com or your
closest representative for more information on this.
When other manufacturers have converted off-air repeaters into fiber-fed repeaters, DeltaNode has
developed the concept from scratch with fiber distribution in mind from the start. This allows for
extremely good radio performance and we are proud of the best in class noise figure of less than 3 dB for
the whole system, remote unit antenna port to base station interface port.
The Fiber-DAS from DeltaNode is also extremely flexible in its solution meaning that the system can be
tailored for almost any needs that should arise. Because of the flexibility there are also many parameters
that can be changed by the user. This manual attempts to explain not only what they do, but also how
you should reason when you set them up properly.
Together with this manual you should have the aid of the
Fiber-DAS calculator, this is an Excel spreadsheet that allows
you to simulate the noise figure, intermodulation
performance and the system dynamics that will give you a
measure on how well the system will perform.
There is also a system design chapter that contains many
useful advices on how to design a well working system as well as some examples on common types of
designs where the manual attempts to take you through the design phase step by step.
The installation and commissioning parts of the manual aims at being a good help in the field by
providing practical advice on how to counter common problems and how to check that the previously
made design is sound.
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1.1 Definitions
Here is a list of the abbreviations, industry standard lingo and acronyms used in this document. It is
supposed to be a help for the reader and a reference section.
BGW
Base station Gateway
BIU
Base station interface. Also known as the DIU. It is the electrical interface between the
Master Unit (MU) and the operator radio base station or another source for the radio
signals, such as a off-air repeater.
BTS
See RBS.
DAS
A distributed antenna system. Several antennas connected together in a coaxial
network so that several antennas can be fed a signal from a central location.
DL
See “Downlink”
Downlink
The signals that are transmitted from a base station towards a terminal (phone).
Fiber
In this document it refers to the telecommunication fibers used to transmit modulated
light as pulses or analogue variations on a glass fiber. The DeltaNode Fiber-DAS system
should use single-mode fiber always.
Fiber-DAS
A general name for distribution systems using radio frequency on fiber (RF on Fiber)
technology. DAS means “Distributed Antenna System” which refers to the practice of
building “spreading nets” with coaxial cables, splitters and antennas to cover larger
structures.
FOI
Fiber-optic interface. Also known as DOI (DeltaNode Optical Interface)
FOR
Fiber-optic remote interface, part of the Remote Unit connecting to the fiber.
GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
iDEN
Integrated Digital Enhanced Network
LTE
Long Term Evolution
MU
Master Unit. This is a rack that contains all the modules that builds up to the head end
in the system. This is where the radio base stations interface to the Fiber-DAS system.
This is also where the downlink signals from the base stations are converted into laser
light and sent over the fiber-optics to the Remote Unit (RU) and the uplink signals from
the RU are converted to radio frequency signals and transmitted to the radio base
station (RBS, BTS).
POI
Point of Interconnect, RF splitter/combiner unit
QMA
Type of RF Connector. Quick disconnect version of SMA RF Connectors. See SMA
RBS
Radio Base Station. The infrastructure unit normally connected to the antennas in the
radio access network (RAN) and sometimes called just Base Station or Base Transceiver
Station (BTS).
RGW
Remote Gateway Unit
RU
Remote Unit. This is the the unit closest to the antenna that converts the downlink
signal from the fiber to radio frequencies and distributes it over the antenna system. In
the reverse, the uplink radio frequencies are converted to modulated laser light and
transmitted back to the Master Unit (MU).
SC-APC
The type of connector used for all DeltaNode optical equipment. It is recommended
that all connectors between the MU and the RU are of this type. SC-AP can also be
accepted in patch panels. All connectors MUST BE ANGLED to avoid signal reflections
that are detrimental to the signal quality. Fibers need to be of single-mode type.
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Single mode
fiber
A fiber where the light at a specified range of wavelengths only have a single path
through. This is required for analogue modulated systems such as the DeltaNode Fiber-
DAS system
SMA
SubMiniature version A. A Type of RF Connector.
Switch
A network switch is a computer networking device that connects devices together on a
computer network.
TETRA
Terrestrial Trunked Radio. TETRA uses Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) with four
user channels on one radio carrier and 25 kHz spacing between carriers.
UL
See “Uplink”
UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a system where broadband signaling
and packetized data are used. The standards are handled in the 3GPP group and the
most common type of modulation is WCDMA.
Uplink
The signals that are transmitted from the terminal (phone) towards the base station.
SC-PC
A type of fiber-optic connector which is not angled and should not be used with
DeltaNode Fiber-DAS
SC-UPC
Ultra-polised fiber-optic connector. Not recommended with Deltanode Fiber-DAS
RF
Radio Frequencies, denominates the range of transversal electromagnetic waves with a
frequency from 3 kHz to 300 GHz. The upper end of the spectrum is often referred to as
microwave frequencies.
WCDMA
W-CDMA
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access is a technology employed by base station
manufacturers who make UMTS base stations. This technology is commonly used in 3G
networks and the main modulation employed in Europe.
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Single mode fiber
Angled connectors
Optical loss < 15 dB
1.2 RF on fiber
A fiber distributed antenna system (Fiber-DAS) is a very efficient way of transmitting radio signals over
large distances. Up to about 25 km of fiber between the head-end and the remote unit is allowed,
providing that the radio access technology (RAN) do not suffer timing issues and that the fiber loss is
within the specification.
The main principle is to use an infra-red light source which is modulated with the combined radio signals
that needs to be propagated. The fiber channel system is ultra wide-band, ranging from 88 MHz up to
2600 MHz and thus covering most types of radio communication systems such as FM broadcast, VHF
communication radios, TETRA, GSM, CDMA, WCDMA and other radio access technologies that are
available.
The dynamic of the fiber is good enough to tolerate multi-carrier, multi-band and multi-operator
solutions this way, but of course they all share the available dynamics and if there are a very large
number of carriers the fiber attenuation needs to be looked at of course.
Because most land mobile radio systems and cellular systems are using Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)
this means that there needs to be either two separate fibers, one for the uplink (signals from the
terminal towards the base station) and for the downlink (signals from the radio base station towards the
terminal) or they may be multiplexed on the same fiber using different wavelengths.
The most popular way is to use wave-length division multiplexing (WDM)
which is the normal configuration of the DeltaNode Fiber-DAS concept.
However, separate UL/DL fibers can be used if it is necessary or desired.
Because the modulation is analogue the system requires the fibers to be
of single mode type. All connectors used in DeltaNode equipment for Fiber-DAS are of SC-APC type with
a 7° angle. It is very important that all connectors in patches et cetera between the Master Unit (MU)
and the Remote Unit (RU) are angled, otherwise reflections are caused which will cause problems with
the quality of the signals through the system.
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2 System Description
The Fiber-DAS system consists of two major parts. This is the Master Unit (MU) and one or more Remote
Units (RU) connected to the Master Unit via optical fibers. Each Remot Unit needs to be connected to a
fiber, but up to four RU:s can share a single fiber link using optical splitters.
2.1 Master Unit
The Master Unit consists of a 19 inch frame rack with modules that are selected depending on the
system design. Generally all Master Units contains a power supply, at least one Base Station Interface
Unit (BIU), an RF splitter/combiner unit called the Point of Interconnect (POI) and minimum one Fiber-
Optic Interface card (FOI).
The master unit will also contain a network switch for connecting the communications paths between
the modules together and also some kind of gateway, either the Remote Gateway Unit (RGW) or the
Base Station Gateway Unit (BGW). The RGW is a smaller compact embedded solution while the BGW is a
full featured Linux server that can be set up in many different ways.
The master unit will assign IP addresses to all the subunits in the rack and also for the Remote Units
when they are connected to the system via the build in DHCP server present in the RGW and BGW
modules. This is will configure itself automatically and create a protected sub-net for the system itself
that should not be connected directly to a LAN.
For supervision by remote a gateway of the type RGW or BGW is installed. This acts as a firewall and will
make sure that the internal traffic in the system stays internal and that the web interface for monitoring
and supervision as well as SNMP trap forward is handled as expected.
Each of the modules will be described in the following sections.
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2.1.1 MFU – Master Frame Unit
The Master Frame Unit houses the other modules such as power supplies, fiber-optic interface cards and
base station interface units.
Figure 1: Master Unit
The frame in the picture shows a frame equipped with 3 base station interface units, 6 fiber-optic
interface cards and one power supply.
Functional description
One frame supports several modules which can be placed anywhere in the frame as well as a
combination of several different types of units in a frame. There are 16U positions in the frame that can
be utilized. The modules have different widths which can be found in each module’s specifications in the
following sections of this manual.
This means that one shelf can house up to 4 power supplies or 8 base station interface cards or up to 16
fiber-optic interface cards. Each frame needs at least one power supply, but they do not necessarily have
to be placed in the frame that they power. Quite often a system has more than one power supply and
they are usually placed together in one frame for easy access.
Each frame has two molex connectors that can be connected to a power supply. This allows for a primary
and a redundant power supply to be connected to it to ensure operation even if one power supply
should fail.
The frame also contains fans used to ventilate the units housed in the frame. These are high quality fans
that have a high MTBF.
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Specifications
Parameter
Input voltage
28
VDC
Power connector
Molex
10
Pin
Ethernet connector
RJ45
Weight (without modules)
2,5
kg
Temperature range
Operational
0-45
°C
Width
16U
19
Inch
Height
3
U
Depth
300
Mm
Maximum number of modules supported
PSU
4
Pcs
BIU
8
Pcs
FOI
16
Pcs
Temperature range
0-45
°C
2.1.2 BIU – The Base Station Interface
The BIU is the interface between the operator’s base station and
the Fiber-DAS system. This module has several RF connectors on
the front panel and it contains duplex filters (optional) or
separate uplink/downlink paths which can be chosen depending
on the needs for the connection to the base station. In most
cases the duplexed version with a combined DL/UL port is used.
Functional description
In the duplexed version there are UL test connectors present
(SMA) that can be used to monitor the signal out from the BIU.
The version without duplex filters has the test connectors
replaced by UL connectors and the normally combined DL/UL
connectors are replaced by DL only connectors.
There are two separate RF ports in the BIU and the BIU needs to
be ordered for the specific frequency bands it will serve. The two
paths in the BIU cannot have different frequencies; a GSM 900 BIU will have two GSM 900 paths and
cannot be combined with e.g. an 1800 path, this requires a second BIU card to be inserted.
The BIU have four QMA ports that is normally used to connect it to the POI. There are two uplink (input)
ports and two downlink (output, Tx) ports. These two are separate port, the isolation between DL 1 and
DL 2 is > 50 dB and so is the isolation between the UL 1 and UL 2 ports.
The ports towards the RBS are of SMA female type and the ports towards the POI are of QMA female
type. RF patch cables are used to patch the DL and UL paths to the right place in the POI.
There is also an alarm port of the BIU which in the future can be used to connect external alarms but for
the time being is not in use. This is a DB9 female connector.
Figure 2: Base station interface
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The BIU is technology neutral and in the downlink path contains only settable attenuators that can be
used to adjust the signal strength to proper levels before feeding them into the POI. In the uplink there is
an amplifier followed by a settable attenuator used to adjust the signal and the noise level into the base
station uplink.
All connections necessary are made from the front of the BIU itself. The maximum recommended input
power to the BIU is 30 dBm and there are high power alarms that activate at > 30 dBm and low power
alarms at < 10 dBm input power. A higher input power than the recommended can cause the unit to fail
permanently thus needing replacement. It is therefore recommended that for high power base station
an attenuator is used to ensure that the input power to the BIU can never exceed specifications.
There is also a 0 dBm input version of the BIU available on request.
Schematic of BIU RF paths
The schematic to the left shows the
blocks in the BIU for one of the
channels and how the signal
detector for the downlink level
alarms are connected.
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Standard variants of the BIU
ArtNo
Configuration
UL
MHz
DL
MHz
BTS
I/F
DBI303
2 x TETRA 390 MHz*
380-385
390-395
Duplex
DBI307
2 x 700 MHZ ABC-band
698-716
728-746
Duplex
DBI308S
2 x SMR 800
806-825
851-870
Duplex
DBI308
2 x 850 MHz
824-849
869-894
Duplex
DBI309
2 x 900 MHz
880-915
925-960
Duplex
DBI318
2 x 1800 MHz
1710-1785
1805-1880
Duplex
DBI319
2 x 1900 MHz
1850-1910
1930-1990
Duplex
DBI320
2 x UMTS 2100 MHz
1920-1980
2110-2170
Duplex
DBI321
2 x AWS 2100 MHz
1710-1755
2110-2155
Duplex
Table 1: BIU Variants
*) Several options exists for 5 MHz standard bands for TETRA.
The table above lists standard cellular BIU:s. Other configurations are available upon request as well as
units without internal duplex filtering.
RF and electrical performance of the BIU
Parameter
Value
Unit
Downlink attenuation
Settable
10-30 ± 3
dB
Uplink Gain for modules < 1000 MHz
Settable
10 to 20 ± 3
dB
Uplink Gain for modules > 1000 MHz
Settable
-10 to 10 ± 3
dB
IM3 performance
> 55
dB
Max input non-destructive
> 36
dBm
High input alarm threshold level
33
dBm
Low input alarm threshold level
10
dBm
Input return loss
> 20
dB
Impedance for all RF ports
50
Ω
Isolation between ports
> 60
dB
Power consumption
< 15
W
Temperature range
0-45
°C
Table 2: BIU Performance parameters
BIU mechanical specifications
Parameter
Base station RF ports
SMA
Female
Test ports uplink (if present)
SMA
Female
Interconnecting RF ports to POI
QMA
Female
Alarm connector
DB9
Female
Width
Rack units
2U
Height
Rack units
3U
Table 3: BIU interface specification
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LED behavior
The unit has two LEDs located on the front panel. One is the power on LED (green) and the other is the
alarm LED (red). Both LEDs can indicate a number of states by different flashing behaviors.
In an error state the web interface should be used to check the actual condition of the BIU but the LEDs
on the front can give you a quick indication on the state of the unit. It is also useful for locating the
physical unit if you have several BIUs installed in the same rack.
State
ON LED
ALARM LED
Note
Booting
2 Hz
Off
Normal boot
Booting standalone mode
2 Hz
2 Hz
Not attached to rack
Booting read of MAC address failed
2 Hz
On
Error
Starting
0,1 Hz 90%
0,1 Hz 90%
Kernel startup
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
Off
Normal operation
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
1 Hz 10%
Minor alarm state
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
2 Hz 25%
Major alarm state
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
On
Critical alarm state
Table 4: LED behaviour of BIU
Interfaces of the BIU
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL/UL BTS 1 / 2
This is RF path where the radio base station is connected to the BIU. Do not
exceed the power rating in the downlink for the port.
TP UL 1/2
This is a test port for the uplink. It show the uplink signal in the DL/UL BTS port
- 6 dB. This port is replaced by the UL port on a non-duplexed version of the
BIU.
DL OUT 1/2
These are the output ports for the downlink signals after they have been
treated in the BIU with attenuators and filters.
UL IN 1/2
Here is where the uplinks are connected in to the BIU which will then amplify
and/or attenuate as appropriate.
EXTERNAL ALARMS
Will be used for external alarm monitoring in the future.
ON/ALM LED
The LEDs indicates various states as shown in the table above.
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2.1.3 POI – The Point of Interconnect
Basically this is a 1U high unit that contains 4 1:8 splitters and some attenuators. This is a coupling field
used to tie together the signals between the BIUs and the FOIs in a multiple band or multiple operator
system.
POI
DIU-304
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
A
B
C
D
Each of the 4 fields has a COMMON port and ports 1-8. If you are using it as a combiner then you should
connect the signals you want to combine to the ports 1-8 and you will receive the sum of the signals
(minus insertion loss) on the COMMON port.
Using it as a splitter means you connect the combined signal to the COMMON port and you can then
receive 8 ports with equal signal strengths on ports 1-8 (minus insertion loss).
RF Performance
Parameter
Value
Unit
Insertion loss COMMON to any port 1:8
Nominal
35
dB
IM3 performance
> 50
dB
Return loss performance
> 20
dB
Maximum signal input level
20
dBm
Isolation between ports in same strip
> 15
dB
Isolation between ports in different strips
> 60
dB
Table 5: Specification of the POI
2.1.4 FOI – The Fiber Optic Interface unit
The FOI is the unit responsible for converting the RF signals in the
downlink to fiber-optical laser that can be transmitted on the fiber to the
remote. It is also responsible for receiving the laser light transmitted by
the Remote Unit and convert it back to RF signals that will then usually go
into the POI and then later in to the BIU.
The fiber-optic interface can either be a single fiber interface (with WDM)
or a dual head with separate Rx and Tx connectors. This is ordered as
needed when the Master Unit is specified.
Each FOI can serve up to 4 Remote Units on a single fiber. The drawback is
that the Remote Units must have different optical wavelengths in the
uplinks to avoid interference. They can however share the same optical
wavelength in the downlink.
Figure 3: Fiber optic interface
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Safety and Care for fibers
The laser is a Class 3b laser that produces invisible infra-red coherent light. Avoid looking
into connected fibers and receptacles. Not safe to view with optical instruments. Always
put the protection caps on not used fibers and receptacles.
Every time a fiber is disconnected and re-connected care should be taken to avoid dust to settle on the
connector or in the receptacle. Clean with a dry fiber cleaning tool before reconnecting the fiber at all
times. A single speck of dust can impact the transmission severely. Do not touch the fiber ends with your
fingers. That will leave grease on the connectors and may cause severe problems.
Functional description
The FOI has a nominal gain of 35 dB and the laser transmitter should see a maximum composite power in
of ca 0 dBm. This means that for 0 dB attenuation in the DL a maximum input of -35 dBm composite
power is recommended (when attenuators are set to 0 dBm). If the DL attenuator is set to a higher value
the maximum recommended input is adjusted accordingly.
The output power of the laser is calibrated to 3 000 µW. This can be used to check the loss over fiber in
the remote because the remote reports the received optical levels. The loss may be different in the UL
compared to the DL because of different wavelengths on the laser.
The FOI is powered from the rack backplane and communicates with Ethernet with the other modules in
the Master Unit.
The unit contains several adjustable attenuators which means that it can compensate for loss before the
FOI (e.g. in the POI) and for loss on the fiber in the uplink. There are two sets of RF ports on the FOI that
can be used to connect signals from two different strips in the POI.
The Ethernet communication between the Master Unit and the Remote Unit takes place on two
subcarriers in the FOI where the Ethernet signals are superimposed on the RF signals.
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Single mode fiber
Angled connectors
Optical loss < 15 dB
Below is a block schematic that shows the downlink path in the FOI and how the test port is connected.
As you can see there are two attenuators that can be set in the DL path, this allows for balancing the
input signals from two different signal sources so that they can share the dynamics of the laser properly.
The RF drive levels are measured and accessible in the web interface so that they can be checked. In the
future alarm levels may be added to these test points.
This interface is designed to work with SC-APC connectors (7° angled
physical connector) and single mode fibers only. All connectors between
the master unit and the remote unit should be of angled type,
otherwise problems with reflections will arise which may cause severe
problems in the system.
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OPTO IN/OUT
This is the receptacle for the optical fiber. The illustration shows the module
with built in WDM (combined Rx/Tx). The version without WDM has a second
connector where one is the Tx and the other is the Rx.
UL OUT 1/2
These are the RF ports that normally are patched to the POI for
interconnecting and then on to the BIU.
DL IN 1/2
These are the RF connectors where the signal in the DL from the POI is
patched into the FOI for conversion to laser light.
TP UL/DL
These are test ports that can be used to check the signal levels or noise in the
system.
Interfaces of the FOI
There are also two LEDs on the unit which can be used to check the status according to the following
table:
State
ON LED
ALARM LED
Note
Booting
2 Hz
Off
Normal boot
Booting standalone mode
2 Hz
2 Hz
Not attached to rack
Booting read of MAC address failed
2 Hz
On
Error
Starting
0,1 Hz 90%
0,1 Hz 90%
Kernel startup
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
Off
Normal operation
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
1 Hz 10%
Minor alarm state
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
2 Hz 25%
Major alarm state
Operation
0,5 Hz 10%
On
Critical alarm state
Table 6: LED indicators on FOI
FOI Specifications
Parameter
Value
Unit
Maximum fiber loss from MU to RU
Optical
15
dBo
Optical output power
Calibrated
3 000
µW
Maximum number of RU supported on single fiber
4
Pcs
Input RF power recommended
Composite
-50 to -35*
dBm
Power consumption
< 15
W
Temperature range
Operational
0 to 45
°C
Width
1
U
Height
3
U
Optical connector type
SC-APC
RF connector type
QMA
Female
Table 7: FOI general specifications
*) Depends on attenuator settings. For 0 dB attenuation composite level should be < -35 dBm.
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
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Parameter
Wavelength
DOI 301
1310 nm
Rx and Tx separate
DOI 302 (WDM)
1310 nm
Rx and Tx on sam fiber
DOI 308x
Separate Rx and Tx various wavelengths available
Table 8: FOI variants
The DOI 308 version can be ordered with various wavelengths. The actual wavelengths that are possible
to are available upon request to info@deltanode.com.
2.1.5 PSU – the rack power supply
The power supply unit can handle up to one full shelf of other active units, such as BIU or FOI. If your
system consists of more than one shelf, then another PSU is added to serve the
second shelf and so on.
Functional description
The Power Supply Unit is normally delivered as a 240 VAC version for
Europe and 115 VAC version for US or other countries using this voltage.
If a -48 VDC telecom version is desired, contact DeltaNode.
All connectors necessary are on the front side of the power supply. The
picture shows the PSU equipped with European power inlet. Output are
two 10 pin Molex connectors that will be connected to the shelf the PSU is
supplying power to. One connector should always be connected to the
shelf that the PSU is located in (for driving the fans).
One shelf can handle up to 4 power supplies. Each shelf can have two PSU:s connected to it for
reduncancy.
Parameter
Value
Unit
Input power voltage
Mains
86-264
VAC
Input power frequency
Mains
50 / 60
Hz
Operating temperature
0-45
°C
Power rating
240
W
2.1.6 BGW – the management gateway
Base Station Master unit Gateway – this unit is a self-powered Linux based server. It is responsible for
assigning addresses to all the modules in the system, including the Remote Units as well as their
components. Modules in a Master Unit will inherit their IP addresses via DHCP leases and by way of
inhering the MAC addresses from the backplane we can ensure that a new module inserted in the rack
receives the same address as the one it is replacing, without any need of manual configuration.
Figure 5: BGW Base station master unit gateway
Figure 4: MU power supply unit
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Features of the BGW
Web interface configuration
Automatic detection of modules
Automatic detection of Remote Units
Can handle large systems
Functions for statistics
Northbound communication to CGW
Includes firewall to protect local net
Is the portal to your Master Unit
User-provided certificate based security via HTTPS
If the BGW is replaced the Remote Units
may not show up immediately. This is due
to the lease time on the address they have.
Eventually they will request a new address
and when this is done they will show up.
The BGW is the unit responsible for alarm
handling and remote forward of alarms
either by SMTP mail forwarding or by
SNMP traps. A MIB file for your SNMP
system is available from DeltaNode upon
request as well as documentation
regarding SNMP.
The BGW can also launch VPN tunnels to a remote supervision center called the Central Gateway (CGW).
This way it is possible to manage multiple systems from a single place. The CGW will be described later in
this manual.
The BGW has two Ethernet ports. One is connected to the internal network in the Master Unit to provide
the local network for all the modules, the Remote Units and everything else. It also provides, via the
built-in switch in the Master Unit, a way of locally configuring the network. It provides the web interface
for all the settings of the system as well as many other functions. Secondly there is a “northbound”
Ethernet port that allows the BGW to connect to the Internet, or a WAN/MAN type of larger network.
This means that the system can be monitored and managed remotely.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel can be set up from the BGW to a central location using a CGW.
The CGW can handle a large number of such tunnels, providing a central point for supervising all the
installations and collecting alarms and statistics from all the systems as well as centralized alarm
management. The BGW can actually set up a second tunnel, which is sometimed done to DeltaNode
management center where we can help with management and supervision. This is a service that we
provide if needed.
The actual use and how to set up the BGW will be described in the commissioning and supervistion and
maintenance chapters of this manual.
Parameter
Value
Unit
Input power voltage
Mains
100-240
VAC
Input power frequency
Mains
50 / 60
Hz
Operating temperature
10-30
°C
Power rating
Typical
< 100
W
Height
1
U
Width
19
In.
Depth
360
Mm
Weight
< 5
kg
Table 9: BGW specifications
A BGW can also be set up in factory for a special need, it will then be delivered together with a restore
image that allows the customer to restore it quickly in case of a hardware failure.
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2.1.7 RGW – the compact remote gateway
The RGW is a small unit similar to the BGW but intended for small systems where there is a low number
of remotes or where there is no head-end and therefore the RGW has a form factor that allows it to be
mounted inside a repeater casing.
This can be used to run up to 4 Remote Units from a single Repeater on a single Fiber. The RGW has the
capability to connect Northbound to a Central Gateway (CGW) just like the BGW does and it can also
forward alarms through a VPN tunnel to a CGW.
The memory capacity and features are reduced compared to the BGW but for a small system with a
single fiber this may be an option to use.
The RGW can be equipped with a modem to allow access to a system in a remote location where there is
no Ethernet. The modem is usually a 3G modem which enables the RGW to set up a tunnel to a Central
Gateway unit (CGW) enabling supervision, monitoring and control of the system
2.2 Remote Unit
There are many different kinds of remote units with a wide range of gain and output power to cater to
many different needs. A low and medium power unit can house up to 4 different frequency bands in one
unit, the high power versions can handle up to 2 different bands in one single unit.
Chassis types
RUs comes in mainly two different chassis, a single compact chassis for 1-2 bands
and a dual chassis for up to 4 bands. This is how they can be configured:
Chassis type
Low
Medium
High
Single chassis
1-2
1-2
1
Dual chassis
3-4
3-4
2
Table 10: Chassis types
It is also possible to have combinations of the above.
For example it is possible to build a dual chassis with
2 medium power bands and 1 high power band in
the same remote. Each side of a dual chassis is
virtually identical to a single chassis remote unit. This
ensures unparalleled flexibility when building
multiple operator / multiple band solutions.
A dual chassis may have 1-2 optical remote units
(FOR). This way they can be fed from different
directions for redundancy.
Because of the larger power amplifiers used for
high power RU:s the need for more cooling and
room allows only 2 bands in the same double chassis. Remotes can also be
daisy-chained by way of RF cables, meaning up to two chassis can share the same
fiber-optical interface providing up to 8 bands in a single location.
Figure 6: Single chassis remote
Figure 7: Dual chassis remote
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Below is a list of the most common remote units that are used with the DeltaNode Fiber-DAS system.
Variants are available upon request.
Commonly for all Remote Units is their excellent noise figure, contributing to an overall noise figure for
the whole system from remote to head-end into the base station of < 3 dB for the RF link.
Both chassis comply with IP65 protection for use in any environment. The coating is a durable coating
which aids the convection cooling. No fans are used for the Remote Units. Both chassis are available both
with wall and pole mounting kits as requested.
Comparison table for remote units
Product code
Pout (ETSI)*
Pout (FCC)
Bands
DDR medium power)
26-30
36
1-4
DDS (High power quad band)
30-41
41
1-4
DDH (high power)
32-43
43
1-2
DDH2 (Dual amplifiers)
N/A
46
1
Table 11: Remote comparison table
* Actual power determined by frequency band and spectrum demands.
2.2.1 DDR
Deltanode’s Distributed Radio head is a high performing wideband radio head equipped with a linear
power amplifier supporting all modulations. The light weight, convection cooled IP65 chassis secures the
performance in almost any environment.
ETSI standard
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Noise Figure
Typical
3
dB
Delay excluding optical fiber
< 0,5
µs
Power Supply
Mains
85 – 264
VAC or VDC
Operating Temperature
-25 - +55
Casing
IP65
OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RF Frequency range
88 – 2200
MHz
Flatness
+- 3
dB
Optical output power
Nominal
3
mW
DFB Laser output Wavelength
1270 - 1610
nm
Optical return loss
< -40
dB
Optical isolator
min
30
dB
Side-mode suppression ratio
min
30
dB
Maximum optical input power
non destructive
10
mW
SPECIFICATIONS DDR100 (Single Band) & DDR200 (Dual band)
Power Consumption, max
DDR 100
(200)
90 (180) W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 130 x 700
mm
Weight
< 12
Kg
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SPECIFICATIONS DDR300(Triple Band) & DDR400(Quad Band)
Power Consumption, max
DDR 300 (400)
270 (360)
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 220 x 700
mm
Weight
< 24
Kg
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS, EUROPEAN CELLULAR
System
UL
Frequency
MHz
DL
Frequency
MHz
Pout (DL)
dBm/c,
1 Carrier
Pout (DL)
dBm/c,
2 Carriers
Standard
TETRA, Public Safety
380 - 385
390 - 395
26
23
ETSI
TETRA, Commercial
410 - 415
420 - 425
26
23
ETSI
TETRA, Commercial
415 - 420
425 - 430
26
23
ETSI
CDMA450
453 - 457,5
463 - 467,5
33
28
FCC
GSM-R
876 - 880
921 - 925
26
23
ETSI
EGSM900
880 - 915
925 - 960
26
23
ETSI
GSM1800
1710 - 1785
1805 - 1880
28
25
ETSI
UMTS
1920 - 1980
2110 - 2170
30
25
3GPP
FCC standard
Deltanode’s Distributed Radio head is a high performing wideband radio head equipped with a linear
power amplifier supporting all modulations. The light weight, convection cooled IP65 chassis secures the
performance in almost any environment.
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Noise Figure
Typical
3
dB
Delay excluding optical fiber
< 0,5
µs
Power Supply
Mains
85 – 264
VAC or VDC
Operating Temperature
-25 - +55
Casing
IP65
OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RF Frequency range
88 – 2200
MHz
Flatness
+- 3
dB
Optical output power
Nominal
3
mW
DFB Laser output Wavelength
1270 - 1610
nm
Optical return loss
< -40
dB
Optical isolator
min
30
dB
Side-mode suppression ratio
min
30
dB
Maximum optical input power
non destructive
10
mW
SPECIFICATIONS DDR100 (Single Band) & DDR200 (Dual band)
Power Consumption, max
DDR 100 (200)
90 (180)
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 130 x 700
mm
Weight
< 12
Kg
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SPECIFICATIONS DDR300 (Triple Band) & DDR400 (Quad Band)
Power Consumption, max
DDR 300 (400)
270 (360)
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 220 x 700
mm
Weight
< 24
Kg
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS, AMERICAN CELLULAR
System
UL Frequency
MHz
DL Frequency
MHz
Pout, DL,
dBm
(Composite)
Standard
LTE LB
698 - 716
728 - 746
33
FCC
LTE UB
746 -776*
776 – 806*
33
FCC
iDEN
806 - 824
851 - 869
33
FCC
Cellular
824 - 849
869 - 894
33
FCC
PCS1900
1850 - 1915
1930 - 1995
33
FCC
AWS
1710 - 1755
2110 - 2155
33
FCC
*Sub-bands available
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS, AMERICAN PUBLIC SAFETY
* 2MHz with required external duplexers
** 3MHz tor 1.5 MHz with required external duplexers
RF Exposure
The equipment operating in the 800MHz public safety band and the UHF public safety band complies with the FCC
RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and
operated with a minimum distance of 20 centimeters between the radiator and your body.
The equipment operating in the 700MHz public safety band require a separation distance of at least 36.2cm. This
distance must be maintained between the user and antenna when the product is used with a 5.5dBi antenna.
The equipment operating in the VHF public safety band require a separation distance of at least 69.1cm. This
distance must be maintained between the user and antenna when the product is used with a 10.5dBi antenna.
If system will operate on multiple bands, the separation distance required shall be equal to, or greater than, the
band with the largest separation distance.
System
UL
Frequency
MHz
DL
Frequency
MHz
Pout, DL,
dBm
(Composite)
Nominal
Bandwidth
MHz
Nominal
Passband
Gain
dB
Input/
Output
Impedence
Ohms
Standard
VHF
150-174
150-174
33
24(FCC); 36 (IC)*
70
50
FCC
UHF
450-512
450-512
33
62**
70
50
FCC
700
793-805
763-775
33
12
70
50
FCC
800
806-824
851-869
33
18
70
50
FCC
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2.2.2 DDS
Deltanode’s DDS series distributed high power radio head is a high performing wideband radio head
equipped with a Pre Distortion power amplifier that supports all modulations. The light weight,
convection cooled IP65 chassis secures the performance in almost any environment.
FCC Standard
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Noise Figure
Typical
3
dB
Delay excluding optical fiber
< 0,5
µs
Instantaneous Band Width
Max
15
MHz
Power Supply
Mains
85 – 264
VAC or VDC
Operating Temperature
-25 - +55
Casing
IP65
OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RF Frequency range
88 – 2200
MHz
Flatness
+- 3
dB
Optical output power
Nominal
3
mW
DFB Laser output Wavelength
1270 - 1610
nm
Optical return loss
< -40
dB
Optical isolator
min
30
dB
Side-mode suppression ratio
min
30
dB
Maximum optical input power
non destructive
10
mW
SPECIFICATIONS DDS100 (Single Band) & DDS200 (Dual band)
Power Consumption, max
DDS100/200
90 (180)
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 130 x 700
mm
Weight
< 12
Kg
SPECIFICATIONS DDS300 (Triple Band) & DDS400(Quad Band)
Power Consumption, max
DDS300/400
270 (360)
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 220 x 700
mm
Weight
< 24
Kg
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS, AMERICAN CELLULAR
System
UL Frequency
MHz
DL Frequency
MHz
Downlink Power RMS
Standard
LTE LB
698 - 716
728 - 746
41
FCC
LTE UB
746 -776*
776 – 806*
41
FCC
iDEN
806 - 824
851 - 869
41
FCC
Cellular
824 - 849
869 - 894
41
FCC
PCS1900
1850 - 1915
1930 - 1995
41
FCC
AWS
1710 - 1755
2110 - 2155
41
FCC
*Sub-bands available
DELTANODE FIBER DAS MANUAL
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Revision 12-03
2.2.3 DDH
Deltanode’s Distributed High power radio head is a high performing wideband radio head equipped with
a feed forward multi carrier power amplifier that supports all modulations. The light weight, convection
cooled IP65 chassis secures the performance in almost any environment.
ETSI standard
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Noise Figure
Typical
3
dB
Delay excluding optical fiber
< 0,5
µs
Power Supply
Mains
85 – 264
VAC or VDC
Operating Temperature
-25 - +55
Casing
IP65
OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RF Frequency range
88 – 2700
MHz
Flatness
+- 3
dB
Optical output power
Nominal
3
mW
DFB Laser output Wavelength
1270 - 1610
nm
Optical return loss
< -40
dB
Optical isolator
min
30
dB
Side-mode suppression ratio
min
30
dB
Maximum optical input power
non destructive
10
mW
SPECIFICATIONS DDH100(Single Band)
Power Consumption
Typical
210
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 130 x 700
mm
Weight
< 14
Kg
SPECIFICATIONS DDH200(Dual Band)
Power Consumption
Typical
420
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 220 x 700
mm
Weight
< 28
Kg
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS, EUROPEAN CELLULAR
System
Number of carriers
2
4
8
16
Composite
Power
Power per
carrier
Composite
Power
Power per
carrier
Composite
Power
Power per
carrier
Composite
Power
Power per
carrier
TETRA
32
29
33
27
33
24
EGSM900
40
34
40
34
40
31
40
28
GSM1800
40
37
40
34
40
31
40
28
UMTS
43
40
43
37
43
34
43
31
2600
43
40
43
37
DELTANODE FIBER DAS MANUAL
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FCC standards
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Noise Figure
Typical
3
dB
Delay excluding optical fiber
< 0,5
µs
Power Supply
Mains
85 – 264
VAC or VDC
Operating Temperature
-25 - +55
Casing
IP65
OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RF Frequency range
88 – 2200
MHz
Flatness
+- 3
dB
Optical output power
Nominal
3
mW
DFB Laser output Wavelength
1270 - 1610
nm
Optical return loss
< -40
dB
Optical isolator
Min
30
dB
Side-mode suppression ratio
Min
30
dB
Maximum optical input power
non destructive
10
mW
SPECIFICATIONS DDH100(Single Band)
Power Consumption
Typical
210
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 130 x 700
mm
Weight
< 14
Kg
SPECIFICATIONS DDH200(Dual Band)
Power Consumption
Typical
420
W
Dimensions
WxDxH
300 x 220 x 700
mm
Weight
< 28
Kg
AVAILABLE PRODUCTS, AMERICAN CELLULAR
System
UL Frequency
MHz
DL Frequency
MHz
Pout, DL,
dBm (RMS)
Standard
LTE LB
698 - 716
728 - 746
43
FCC
LTE UB
746 -776*
776 – 806*
43
FCC
iDEN
806 - 824
851 - 869
40
FCC
Cellular
824 - 849
869 - 894
43
FCC
PCS1900
1850 - 1915
1930 - 1995
43
FCC
AWS
1710 - 1755
2110 - 2155
43
FCC
*Sub-bands available
All specifications subject to change without notice.
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2.2.4 DMU – Remote head end
Deltanode’s DMU100 series is pickup repeater that can provide the signals over
fiber to a Master Unit or directly to up to 4 Remote Units. When the DMU is
used to transmit the signals to a Master Unit, the ordinary BGW is used to
control the system, but in case the Master Unit is not needed and it connects
directly to up to 4 Remote Units the DMU can be equipped with the compact
gateway, RGW, to provide for the settings and alarm handling for the entire
system.
Remote communication can be done either over Ethernet if that exists in the
location, or the unit can be equipped with a modem that allows it to set up a
tunnel to a Central Gateway CGW where it can be controlled properly. The
modem is normally a standard 3G modem but options may be possible if
needed.
It is possible to build the DMU with more than one band. However, depending
on the types of bands and the necessary duplexers it may need to be verified
with DeltaNode that your combination of bands are possible if the RGW is to be
included.
The chassis is the same as for the DeltaNode Remote Units (single chassis) and can handle a single band.
In the above example the DMU is used to pick up the signal at a remote location and then it is
transmitted on the fiber to four different locations that need coverage. The RU can be connected to
coaxial spreading networks if needed.
In the above figure the DMU is feeding a Master Unit (BMU) which in its turn feeds the Remote Units
(RU). This is a far more flexible solution and should be preferred when it is possible.
The DMU is usually not equipped with a powerful Power Amplifier (PA) in the uplink because the idea of
using it is to place the repeater where there is a good signal. The power level matches that of a mobile
phone.
D
M
U
R
U
R
U
R
U
R
U
Fiber-optical
splitter
Fiber-optical
splitter
Fiber-optical
splitter
D
M
U
R
U
R
U
R
U
BMU R
U
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3 System design
Fiber-DAS is a way of distributing radio signals from a base station to a remotely located antenna where
the coaxial cable losses would be too high or there is impractical to install coaxial cables. Fiber-DAS can
be used indoor to cover large building where outside penetration of radio signals is not enough, it can be
used to cover structures such as tunnels for rail and road, airports, metro lines and many other places.
This part of the manual aims at giving you some idea on how to do your systems design and avoid
common pitfalls. All fiber-DAS share some common properties as they are an extension of an existing
signal into an area where there is little or no coverage.
3.1 The basics
There are some basic knowledge you should be familiar with when you design your system. In this part
we will go through the most important ones and help you get through the design of your system.
A link budget is a way of calculating the required signal levels for the base station and the mobile station
and matching this against your system design, the losses in the cables, the antenna factors and other
such parameters goes into a link budget.
When you have done a rough link budget you should use the DAS calculator and calculate the settings of
each uplink and downlink in the system.
Example: You have a system with 3 remote units and they are all dual band 850/1900 for CDMA and
GSM. Your system has 6 uplinks and 6 downlinks where the signal may proceed from antenna to base
station or vice versa, in unit one there is one 850 RF strip and one 1900 RF strip forming two RF chains
with uplinks and downlinks.
The DAS calculator may yield a different noise figure from the one you initially assumed when you did
your link budget. This is fine, you may insert the new noise figure in your link budget and observe the
result.
When you have done your calculations you already know the settings of the system in principle and you
can now commission it. Using the settings from the DAS calculator as a basis you can connect to the
system and set it up one unit at a time, more about that in chapter 5 Commissioning of the system.
3.2 Link budgets
The starting point is to create a viable link budget for your system. As link budgets are calculated
different for different systems you may want to take some time and study typical link budget calculations
for the type of services you are using.
You do not need to create link budgets for all of your remotes and all frequency bands. Do it for the
worst case only for each service, that should be enough. This is the normal procedure and it is usually not
difficult to find the worst case scenario. Look for the highest loss between the base station and the
antenna, including the fiber loss between Master Unit and Remote Unit and any split loss after the
Remote Unit until you get to the last antenna.
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If you are using radiating cables, then calculate with the loss over the maximum length of radiating cable
you need to support and find the Remote Unit that has the highest total loss from the User Equipment
(mobile station) to the Base Station end.
3.2.1 Downlink
For the downlink you can usually just use the output power of the remote unit and then calculate your
link budget. Remember that if you have several carriers, you need to calculate your link budget with this
in account. For each new carrier you add, the power per carrier goes down as the power on the Remote
Unit is divided onto all the (active) downlink carriers.
To calculate the “per carrier” output power here is a general table of modifiers that are applied to the
output power of the remote unit:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0
-3,0
-4,8
-6,0
-7,0
-7,8
-8,5
-9,0
-9,5
-10,0
Table 12: Per carrier loss
As you can see there is a correlation that whenever the number of carriers double the per carrier power
is lowered with another 3 dB. Thus the formula for any number of carriers will be:
= 10 ()
The output power for each type of remote unit and frequency band can be found in the data sheets in
chapter 2.2 Remote Unit where the relevant parameters for each remote system are discussed.
Remember to use the per carrier power in your link budget and not the composite because if as you
keep adding carriers to the system the power per carier will be lower. If you are planning on adding
additional carriers in the future you should plan your system for the maximum forseable number of
carriers.
Following is an example of a link budget. This link budget is also included in the DAS Calculator package.
If you do not have this package contact DeltaNode Solutions to receive a copy.
3.2.2 Uplink
Uplink calculations generally rely on having the noise figure at hand before so that the desensitization of
the base station can be calculated. However since the noise figure is dependent on the link budget, we
should be able to calculate a crude link budget at first, get our gain straight and then when we are done
we should be able to calculate the proper noise load using the DAS Calculator Tool (will be handled in
chapter 6). Therefore we will assume a standard noise figure for now, properly adjusted the DeltaNode
Fiber-DAS solution has a NF of less than 3 dB per uplink.
A reasonable assumption for the NF is around 3 dB, if we should get a better or worse NF later when the
DAS Calculator is employed we will just go back and correct the link budgets for this.
System Uplink Net Gain
The net gain is the total gain in the uplink from the Remote Unit port to the input port on the base
station. This chain looks something like this:
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Antenna
RU
Remote Unit Fiber
FOI
FOI Card
POI
POI unit
BIU
BIU
BTS
Base Station
50 dB -40 dB 20 dB -35 dB 7 dB
-80 dBm -30 dBm -70 dBm -50 dBm -85 dBm -78 dBm
-2 dB
-80 dBm
In the illustration above there is an input signal to the remote of -80 dBm. Then each step of the chain
has gain or attenuation as shown, the fiber loss is in total 40 dB, the FOI is set to 20 dB gain, the loss
through the POI is 35 dB, the BIU is set to 7 dB gain and the loss on the jumper between the Master Unit
and the Radio Base Station is 2 dB.
This means that the signal level entered into the Remote Unit is seen by the base station. This is
considered an optimal point setting for the uplink when it comes to signal level. If the net gain in the
uplink is positive, we also put noise on to the base station and will desensitize its receiver. This may not
be a problem, if the Base Station is dedicated to only the Fiber-DAS system then a positive net gain is not
a problem because any desensitization caused by increased gain is compensated by an equal increase in
the useful signals level. Thus maintaining the same C/I.
However if the Base Station is also covering an outdoor area or has other antennas connected to the
same sector then a positive net gain will cause a desensitization of the receiver for the other antenna
and this is generally speaking a bad thing.
The system also has a thermal noise load that it will put on the base station, just like an antenna. The
noise figure of the system can be determined by using the Fiber-DAS calculator excel sheet detailed in
chapter using the Fiber-DAS calculator detailed later in this manual. The total noise is also an
accumulation of the noise posed by each chain and the net gain of the system.
If we have a system with 4 equally set up chains, and each chain has a noise load of 3 dB and the net gain
is 0 dB then the noise load on the system will be around 9 dB.
If we decrease the net gain in the uplink we can lower this noise as the system NF can be construed as
the NF + Net gain uplink times the number of equal chains. Since the chains are not in fact equal, they
will have different NF and different gain slightly it may be a good idea to calculate the total noise load:
Chain
NF
Gain
N. Load
Comment
1
3,2
-1,2
2,0
1
2,3
+2,3
4,6
2
2,8
+4,0
6,8
This is very high
3
4,0
-2,8
1,2
Total
10,2
By lowering the net gain to -5 dB on all chains we get the following:
Chain
NF
Gain
N. Load
Comment
1
3,2
-5
-1,8
1
2,3
-5
-2,7
2
2,8
-5
-2,2
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Note: This is different from Friis
formula where the noise sources are
cascaded, here each noise
cointribution are just added in linear
and
then converted back to
decibels.
3
4,0
-5
-1
Total
4,1
Similar to a BTS own NF
This is similar to the BTS own noise figure which generally is 2-4 dB
depending on the system. This kind of desensitization then becomes a
tradeoff between coverage area in the uplink and the noise load on
the base station.
Adding noise from each parallel chain is then done through the
formula:
=10 10 10
+10
++10
NF is the noise figure for each chain
NL is the total noise load
G is the gain of the chain in total
When the sensitivity has been calculated it is time to make a proper link budget and find out if the
system will cover the expected areas.
Here are some examples on link budget calculations where you can insert the noise figure of the system.
These calculations are also included on the DAS calculator tool and link budgets for other systems should
also be included. CDMA can be calculated similarly to WCDMA if the gross data rates etc are corrected.
Example of GSM link budget
Linkbudget GSM with Fiber DAS
DOWNLINK
Output power DAS remote unit
30,0
dBm
Number of carriers
2,0
pcs
This gives the per carrier power
Power per carrier
27,0
dBm
Splitloss from RU port to last antenna
6,0
dB
Cable losses
4,0
dB
DAS antenna gain
3,0
dB
EIRP
20,0
dBm
MS Noise floor
-121,0
dB
MS NF
3,0
dB
MS C/I
12,0
dB
MS Fading margin
6,0
dB
10 dB for vehicle movements
Penetration loss
0,0
dB
Used for in vehicle (10 dB for car)
Antenna gain MS
1,0
dB
Body loss MS
5,0
dB
Required signal level
-96,0
dBm
Design target
Allowed path loss from antenna to MS
116,0
dB
Radiating cable coupling loss C95
70,0
dB
Only when using radiating cable
Loss per 100 m
4,0
dB
Only when using radiating cable
Maximum length of radiating cable
1149,5
m
UPLINK
Spectral noise floor of BTS
-121,0
dBm
Noise figure BTS
3,0
dB
C/I for BTS
9,0
dB
BTS original noise floor
-118,0
dBm
BTS original sensitivity
-109,0
dBm
Fading margin
6,0
dB
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Fiber DAS thermal noise floor
-121,0
dBm
Noise figure DAS link
3,0
dB
Number of equal links
3,0
pcs
System net gain
0,0
dB
If your noise load is high you should lower this
DAS Noise result
-118,0
dBm
Noise load on BTS with DAS
-115,0
dBm
Desensitization on BTS
3,0
dB
New BTS Sensitivity
-106,0
dBm
Loss from BTS to remote antenna
7,0
dB
Sensitivity at remote antenna
-99,0
dB
Fading margin
6,0
db
Penetration loss
0,0
dB
Antenna gain MS
1,0
Body loss MS
5,0
Required signal level
-89,0
MS Output power
30,0
dBm
For 900 use 33 dBm for 18/1900 bands use 30
Allowed path loss from MS to antenna
119,0
dB
Balance downlink-uplink
-3,0
dB
This should preferably be +/- 5 dB
Radiating cable coupling loss C95
70,0
dB
Only when using radiating cable
Loss per 100 m
4,0
dB
Only when using radiating cable
Maximum length of radiating cable
1224,5
m
Table 13: Link budget downlink
Example WCDMA link budget
WCDMA LINK BUDGET
RECEIVER SENSITIVITY AND NOISE
Noise floor
-108,2
dBm
Receiver NF
6,0
dB
RX noise power
-102,2
dBm
Interference margin
3,0
dB
RX interference power
-102,2
dBm
Noise plus interference power
-99,2
dBm
Requested bit rate
64,0
kbit
Video call = 64, voice = 12,2
Gross bit rate
3840,0
kbit
Process gain
17,8
dB
Required Eb/No
5,0
dB
Fast fading margin
4,0
dB
Receiver sensitivity
-107,9
dBm
DOWNLINK CALCULATION
Output power DAS remote unit
30,0
dBm
Number of carriers
1,0
pcs
This gives the per carrier power
Power per carrier
30,0
dBm
Splitloss from RU port to last antenna
6,0
dB
Cable losses
4,0
dB
DAS antenna gain
3,0
dB
EIRP
23,0
dBm
MS Antenna gain
5,0
MS Body loss
3,0
MS Minumum level
-109,9
dBm
Allowed pathloss
137,9
dB
UPLINK CALCULATION
Output power of MS
21
dBm
Maximum power
Antenna gain MS
5,0
dB
Body loss MS
3,0
dB
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EIRP MS
23,0
dBm
Uplink net gain
-10
dB
Sensitivity at RU port
-117,9
dBm
Splitloss from antenna to RU
6,0
dB
Cable losses from antenna to RU
4,0
dB
DAS antenna gain
3,0
dB
Antenna sensitivity
-110,9
dBm
Allowed pathloss uplink
133,9
dB
Balance downlink-uplink
4,0
3.3 Multiple bands
The flexibility of the system allows for up to 4 bands in one remote for the low and medium power
remote units. The high-power version allows 2 bands in the same chassis, mainly because the power
amplifiers are more bulky.
This means that it is very easy to deploy a system for different bands. The fiber link is ultra wide band
and can be used between 88 MHz up to 2 700 MHz thus covering from the VHF end of the spectrum up
to the latest LTE bands.
Each band needs to have their separate BIU in the Master Unit. The uplink and downlink signals can then
be combined in the POI or may be separate all the way into the FOI. The FOI has two inputs and outputs
and can thus be connected to two bands directly.
Here is a block schematic on how to connect a dual band system.
900 MHz
1800 MHz BIU
BIU
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI RU
RU
RU
RU
RU
RU
RU
RU
POI
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The above illustration shows two BIU cards interfacing with two Radio Base Stations. In this case they
could be a 900 GSM station and one 1800 GSM station as an example. It could in fact be any combination
of service and frequency band such as LTE-900 or WCDMA 850.
Each BIU has a combined UL/DL port towards the base station and on the other side there are separate
UL/DL ports. The BIU has an uplink amplifier and a downlink attenuator that can be set. The signals are
then connected to the POI:s 4 coupling fields to it’s common ports. The signal is then split onto 8 ports in
the downlink and combined from 8 ports in the uplink. From the POI there are then patches to each FOI
card in the frame (8 in this illustration per uplink and downlink) and the 900 and 1800 signal are kept
separate until the FOI.
It is not necessary to keep them separated; they could be combined for a common uplink and downlink.
However, doing so means that you have fewer options in adjusting the signal levels with the gain block
and attenuators, in each RF chain.
3.4 Multiple operators
The same way as multiple bands and services can be connected to the Master Unit it is also possible to
connect several operators. In fact this is one of the key strengths of a Fiber-DAS system because it is
access technology agnostic. This means that it is possible within the same band to mix different access
technologies – if care is taken to avoid problems when mixing GSM and CDMA in the same system
because of the very slow and unsophisticated power regulation in the GSM uplink.
When designing such a system, care should be taken to place the antennas to avoid any users getting too
close and causing the Remote Unit to go into limit mode.
3.4.1 Base station interface
It is recommended that each operator operates their own BIU because otherwise the settings of the BIU
may affect more than one system or service. This way depending on the settings of the individual Base
Station the BIU can be adapted properly to get the most out of the system.
3.4.2 Remote Unit
Multiple operators can share one remote unit. Doing so means that consideration should be given to the
number of carriers from each operator, so that they can fulfill their respective link budgets. If the
operators have a large number of carriers, such as for some GSM operators who easily have 6, 8 even 12
carriers it would be better to split them up on separate amplifiers in the Remote Unit or even separate
units altogether.
3.4.3 FOI
The FOI can be shared among the operators. It is recommended to see to that the downlink signal levels
are similar so that they share the available bandwidth of the laser properly. Similarly in the uplink
3.4.4 POI
When combining multiple operators it is often useful to combine all the operators’ uplinks and split all
the downlinks on a per-band basis. This means that if you have more than one FOI in the system you
should likely need to use another one plus a hybrid combiner/splitter.
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Here is a schematic on how this can be achieved:
3.5 Full system example
Here is an example of a full system showing the Master Unit and the fibers that goes off to the Remote
Units (not shown in this example) with multiple operators and a large number of frequency bands.
Block 1: Here are all the Base Station Interface Units (BIU) cards for all the frequency bands and the
operators. In this example two operators may share one BIU. The first unit 1:1 is for FM radio which is
only Downlink as it is broadcast. The second unit 1:2 is for a safety blue light service using the TETRA
system on 400 MHz. Then there are two BIU’s 1:3 and 1:4 for GSM 900, similar for GSM 1800 and for
UMTS 2100 and LTE 2600.
Block 2: This is the Point of Interconnect (POI) where all the signals from the operators are combined on
the four coupling fields of the first POI. There are two UL fields and two DL fields. The common ports are
then fed into a hybrid combiner and on to the second POI where the signals are split up to connect to all
the Fiber-optic Interfaces.
Repeaterinterface
FM-Radio
Repeaterinterface
TETRA
BTS-interface
GSM 900/1
BTS-interface
GSM 900/2
BTS-interface
UMTS 2100/1
BTS-interface
UMTS 2100/2
BIU-kort
FM-Radio
Safety TETRA
GSM operator 1
GSM operator 2
GSM operator 3
UMTS operator 1
UMTS operator 2
UMTS operator 3
POI x 2
1
DL
2
DL
3
UL
4
UL
FOI
1
DL
2
DL
3
UL
4
UL
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
FOI
BTS-interface
LTE 2600/1
BTS-interface
LTE 2600/2
Coupling field for POI
LTE operator 1
LTE operator 2
LTE operator 3
Options for future
FOI
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
To Remote Units
Ethernet Switch
PSU PSU
BGW
To WAN
Kopplingsfält
BIU – POI
3
3:1
3:2
3:3
3:4
3:5
3:6
3:7
3:8
3:9
3:10
3:11
3:12
3:13
3:14
3:15
3:16
1:1
DL out 1
DL out 2
UL in 1
UL in 2
1:2
1:3
1:4
1:5
1:6
1:7
1:8
1
6
4
5:1 5:2
5
2
2:12:2
1:1
1:2
1:3
1:4
1:5
1:6
1:7
1:8
2:1
2:2
2:3
2:4
2:5
2:6
2:7
2:8
3:1
3:2
3:3
3:4
3:5
3:6
3:7
3:8
4:1
4:2
4:3
4:4
4:5
4:6
4:7
4:8
4:1
4:2
4:3
4:4
4:5
4:6
4:7
4:8
3:1
3:2
3:3
3:4
3:5
3:6
3:7
3:8
2:1
2:2
2:3
2:4
2:5
2:6
2:7
2:8
1:1
1:2
1:3
1:4
1:5
1:6
1:7
1:8
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
DL in 1
UL out 1
2:3
2:4
1
23
4
4
3
2
1
1:C1:C
2:C
2:C
3:C
3:C
4:C
4:C
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Block 3: These are the fiber-optic interfaces (FOI) and in this example up to 16 FOI cards may be
connected for a total of 16 Remote Units if there are one Remote Unit per fiber. It is possible to use up
to four Remote Units on a single fiber.
Block 4-6: These are supporting units such as power supplies, the BGW which is the alarm and control
computer in the system and the Ethernet Switch that connects the communication between all units in
the Master Unit and also handles the communications with the Remote Units.
When all this is fitted into a standard 19” rack it may look like this:
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
DL OUT 1
BIU
EXTERNAL
ALARM
UL IN2
TP UL 2
DL OUT 2
DL/UL
BTS 2
UL IN1
TP UL 1
DL/UL
BTS 1
ALM
ON
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
UL OUT1
ON
DL IN 2
TP DL
DL IN1
UL OUT2
TP UL
ALM
FOI
Opto In/Out
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
COMMON 1 2 3 4 5 6 78
1
2
3
4
5
6
5:2
5:1
3:1
3:2
3:16
2:1
2:2
The numbers in the circles refer to the numbers on the previous connection drawing. The first frame
holds all the BIU interfaces. For clarity the interconnecting cables are not shown here. The second frame
is the 2 POI units and the hybrid is hidden inside the cabinet.
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The third shelf is the FOI cards, up to 16 cards can be held in one such frame. Then there is the BGW
computer tying all the communication together and providing the web interface for setting up and
controlling the system. The BGW also has an optional “northbound” firewalled connection that can be
connected to your own network for remote supervision, alarm and control. It can even be tunneled over
the Internet providing there is a CGW unit where the tunnel terminates.
Beneath the BGW are two PSU:s. They can be upgraded to four units to provide redundancy for this
example, two different PSU:s can feed the same frame.
The Ethernet Switch is located at the bottom and here is where you connect a laptop to setup and
commission the system.
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4 Installation guidelines
WARNING
This is NOT a consumer device.
It is design for installation by FCC LICENSEES and QUALIFIED INSTALLERS. You MUST have an FCC
LICENSE or express consent of an FCC licensee to operate this device. You MUST register Class B signal
boosters (as defined in 47 CFR 90.219) online at www.fcc.gov/signal-boosters/registration. Unauthorized
use may result in significant forfeiture penalties, including penalties in excess of $100,000 for each
continuing violation.
For CMRS 817-824MHz Applications:
WARNING
This is NOT a consumer device.
It is design for installation by FCC LICENSEES and QUALIFIED INSTALLERS. You MUST have an FCC
LICENSE or express consent of an FCC licensee to operate this device. Unauthorized use may result in
significant forfeiture penalties, including penalties in excess of $100,000 for each continuing violation.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
4.1 Health and Safety
Deltanode DAS system is an advanced system and should be handled by skilled staff. Deltanode are
happy to offer training of installation service providers in the case this is necessary.
Read all available documentation and warnings before handling the equipment. Equipment failures due
to improper handling are normally not covered by the product warranty.
Respect all warning signs on the equipment and in the documentation. Make sure to only operate the
equipment on frequencies allowed to use. Do not modify the equipment. The equipment contains a Class
3B laser and the equipment is Class 1. Do never look into the Laser beam directly or indirectly, it is strong
invisible light and may cause serious damage to human eyes.
Always use protective hat on fiber and connector end when fiber is removed from socket. Always clean
socket and connector after a fiber has been removed before you re-attach it again.
Make sure to keep passwords and other operational information away from unauthorized personnel.
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4.2 Installing the Master Unit and Remotes
All equipment must be properly grounded. This means that the ground peg in the mains connector for
both head-end gear (Master Unit) and remote gear (Remote Units) must be connected to Phase, Neutral
and Ground in a proper way before the plug is inserted in the unit.
The chassis of the remote and the rack of the master unit should be grounded to a potential bar or safety
grounding bar when operated. All electrical installations should be done by a certified electrician only.
5 Commissioning
5.1 Preparations
The minimum of preparations necessary are to have the system documentation which should include the
following items at least:
• The system layout and block schematic
• A connection diagram for the head-end Master Unit
• The type of connectors and tappers used to interface to the base station ports
• The number of carriers for each of the BIU that the base stations connects via
• Maximum output power for each service from the base stations
• Fiber losses should be documented beforehand so that you can compare what the system
actually measures
• Sectorization information, which sectors should go to which remotes
• DAS calculator sheets showing the expected settings for each of the RF chains in uplink and
downlink.
• Information about Ethernet connection if the system should be monitored by remote. How to
connect it to the Internet for remote viewing unless you are using a modem.
5.1.1 Necessary tools
The tools necessary to commission the system includes:
• One laptop for changing the system settings, checking any alarms and status. Only software
needed is a web browser. Operating system can be Windows, Linux or Mac as you prefer.
• Spectrum analyzer to measure the uplinks. The system relies on test tone measurements in the
uplink and therefore it is important to have equipment to measure them
• SMA tool to be able to connect or disconnect BTS cables from the BIU.
• QMA adaptor so you can measure signals directly on the head-end units such as the FOI, BIU, POI
and so on.
5.1.2 Software
No particular software is necessary except a modern graphical based web browser.
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6 RF Commissioning
In order to make the process more clear for this part of the manual we will consider setting up a
fictitious system, but based on a standard approach at doing Fiber-DAS. The system that we are
considering will have two frequency bands, let’s assume GSM 900 MHz and UMTS 2100 MHz. The
example will have 2 sectors with two remotes in each sector. Of course your system may look different,
be more or less complex but in order to make it clear how the system is set up this should provide you
with a starting point.
6.1 Setting up the uplink
Setting up the downlink means to adjust the system for an optimal working point from the antenna port
of the Remote Unit to the actual input on the Radio Base Station. This can be done in different ways
depending on how the system is designed. We will here discuss a standard set-up starting with a small
block schematic showing how the system is connected.
RU FOI POI BIU CRBS
Antenna
Remote Unit
Fiber
Fiberoptic
Interface
Master Unit
Point of
interconnect
Base station
interface
Base station
Coupler
Base Station
The
main parameter that we will be discussing is the ”net gain” of the system. This means the total change in
signal from the Remote Unit antenna port to the receiver port on the base station. There are different
ways of setting this system up but we will look at a 0 dB net gain system which is a good starting point
for most systems.
The system gain can be calculated as the gain in the Remote Unit – Loss on fiber + FOI gain – POI loss +
BIU gain – coupler loss. Basically this takes form of a link budget and here is an example:
System part Gain [dB] Accumulated [dB]
Remote Unit 40 40
Fiber -10 30
FOI Gain 20 50
POI Loss -35 15
BIU Gain 015
Coupler loss -15 0
Basically this means that whatever is input at the antenna will also be seen at the same level for the
Radio Base Station receiver. This is not a bad starting point but does not take into account the noise load
on the base station which will increase somewhat with this setup
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6.1.1 Noise load on Radio Base Station
The system will inevitable add some noise to the receiver. Properly set up the noise figure in a system
like this will be better than 3 dB. However, if the gain is set up poorly (not enough gain in the remote,
too much gain in the head-end) it is possible to create a very bad noise figure. In order to avoid this the
Fiber-DAS Calculator should be used to calculate the noise figure of the system in the uplink.
If you have not familiarized yourself with the Fiber-DAS Calculator then I suggest you do so before
moving on in this manual. The figures in the Fiber-DAS calculator relates to the settings of all steps in the
chain. By using the calculator you can figure out the proper settings once you know the fiber loss
between the Remote Unit and the Master Unit.
Let us assume your have arrived at a Noise Figure NF of 3 dB for this chain. However your system may
contain more remotes, perhaps connected like this:
RU FOI POI BIU CRBS
Antenna
Remote Unit
Fiber
Fiberoptic
Interface
Master Unit
Point of
interconnect
Base station
interface
Base station
Coupler
Base Station
RU
RU
RU
FOI
FOI
FOI
Now the noise load can be calculated by adding the noise contribution from each step of the chain.
Below is an example of noise figures from each of the remotes:
Chain NF Gain Noise Load
RU 1 2,8 0,0 2,8
RU 2 3,2 1,0 4,2
RU 3 3,8 -2,0 1,8
RU 4 2,6 -1,0 1,6
8,7
Base station 4,0
Fiber-DAS noise load 8,0
Total noise into BTS 9,5
Desensitization -5,5
Sum of noise load
There is a sheet in the Fiber-DAS calculator that lets you add your figures and that will calculate it for
you.
What we see here is that if we set the system up in this fashion we will desensitize the base station with
about 5,5 dB. This can be okay if the base station coverage is only through the Fiber-DAS system but if
the base station is also being used for outdoor coverage it is not good. We need to change the net gain
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to reflect this. In general we should lower our so that we desensitize the BTS only about 3 dB. This value
is a good compromise and similar to adding a second antenna to the same receiver port (which is kind of
what we are doing with the Fiber-DAS).
Here are the new values:
Chain NF Gain Noise Load
RU 1 2,8 -5,0 -2,2
RU 2 3,2 -5,0 -1,8
RU 3 3,8 -5,0 -1,2
RU 4 2,6 -5,0 -2,4
4,1
Base station 4,0
Fiber-DAS noise load 4,1
Total noise into BTS 7,1
Desensitization -3,1
Sum of noise load
As you can see we should set the system up with a net gain of about -5 dB. Going back to the settings we
had before which was:
System part Gain [dB] Accumulated [dB]
Remote Unit 40 40
Fiber -10 30
FOI Gain 20 50
POI Loss -35 15
BIU Gain 015
Coupler loss -15 0
We only need to change the BIU setting using the attenuators in the BIU to lower the gain with 5 dB. This
will accomplish what we need to do and the uplink should then be commissioned.
6.1.2 Practical approach
Now that we know what we should have we can easily set the system up. You need a spectrum analyzer
to do this and it is easiest to connect it into the BIU port. Remember that when you measure here, the
signal should also go through the BTS coupler before it reaches the base station receiver port. Therefore
you should expect to read a value that is
Your expected gain + the loss in your coupler
If you want a net gain of -5 dB and you have a 15 dB coupler, you should read a net gain of +10 on the
BIU port. This is now what we are going to use in the following example.
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RU FOI POI BIU CRBS
Antenna
Remote Unit
Fiber
Fiberoptic
Interface
Master Unit
Point of
interconnect
Base station
interface
Base station
Coupler
Base Station
RU
RU
RU
FOI
FOI
FOI
Spec.
Turn on the RF
Connect to the BIU and turn on the RF. Set the attenuator in the medium range for the uplink that you
are measuring. This allows you later to adjust it up and down as necessary to get the correct gain for the
uplink chain.
Setting them to 10 dB is a good idea. DL supervision can be left as is for now and also DL attenuation
which we will set up later.
Connect to the FOI card and select Opto and RF – RF Config and set it up according to your Fiber-DAS
calculator settings. Do not forget to turn RF on.
Next step is to connect to the remote unit and set it up for test measurement in the uplink.
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OBSERVE!
Do not forget to turn of the test tone when
you are done with your uplinks. Better
check one extra time. They will otherwise
interfere with the normal operation of the
system by causing noise to the base
station.
In this screen you should also turn RF on, set the gain to about 35 dB as a starting point and then turn on
the uplink test tone. Note the frequency of the test tone, this is the frequency you should be measuring
on your spectrum analyzer.
Turn on the spectrum analyzer, make sure it is connected to the right port on the right BIU and then find
the frequency. A reasonable span is 1 MHz and the receiver band width can be set to 30 kHz or similar.
Use the marker to measure the peak of the signal. Then go
to the next screen on the remote unit, the RF Status screen.
What we are looking for here is the Testtone Level. Note this down as well, next to the frequency of the
test tone you noted earlier.
Then check your spectrum analyzer. Assuming your testtone level is -62,6 dBm as in this example your
spectrum analyzer may show -58,2 dBm. Calculating the net gain between the RU and the BIU will then
yeld -58,2 - -62,5 = 4,3 dB. Subtract the coupler between the BIU and the radio base station which in this
example was 15 dB and we get -19,3 dB as our net gain.
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We wanted -10 dB so we have 9,3 dB too low gain. We should then increase the gain and the best place
to do this would be in the remote unit by setting the gain at 35 + 9,3 = 44,3 which we will round to 44 dB.
That uplink is now finished and we will repeat the settings for all of our uplinks, one at a time.