Introduction to RF Basics

Characteristics of a Radio Signal

These are three characteristics of an RF signal which are commonly varied to carry information:
Amplitude
Magnitude of the signal

Frequency
Number of cycles per unit of time

Phase
The offset of the Signal

Dominant Mechanisms of Mobile Propagation

Most propagation in the mobile environment is dominated by these mechanisms:

Free Space (Line-of-sight)

No reflections, no obstructions Attenuation caused only by air

Obstruction
When a signal propagates through an obstruction it is attenuated

Knife-Edge diffraction
Direct path is blocked by obstruction, however some signal can go around Additional Loss is introduced

Reflection
Signal can be reflected off certain surfaces (i.e. Glass, Water) This could degrade or improve the signal

Cellular Systems
Single Cell
Advantages:
Simple System

Disadvantages:
Coverage constraints Limited number of conversations

Multi-cell
Advantages:
More cells allow the same channels to be reused in multiple areas, allowing more conversations and more capacity Mobiles can be made smaller with lower transmit power

Disadvantages:
More complicated system: handoffs required

Whats a Sector? Why Sectorize

A base station may be set up in various configurations: Omni for simplicity and low cost
2-sector to cover just a highway or transportation corridor, with little coverage off to the sides:
Two sectors give more traffic-handling capability and more antenna gain than an omni station

3 sector to cover an area with population in all directions:

Three sectors give almost three times the traffichandling capability of an omni base station Sector antennas also give better coverage since they have more gain than omni antennas The sectors do not have equal widths and can be grown , shrunk, and aimed to balance the amounts of traffic they get

Frequency Reuse

Structure of CDMA Signal

CDMA Carries are spaced 1.25MHz apart In the BTS downlink signal, different codes belong to different users a mobile only listens to its particular code The mobile on its uplink uses the same code to communicate with the BTS This allows many simultaneous calls to be processed during the same time

References

Baxter, Scott. Physical Principals of Propagation, 2004 Baxter, Scott. Introduction to Wireless Technologies for Telematics Applications, 2004 Baxter, Scott. How Wireless Developed, 2005 Baxter, Scott. CDMA Core Principals, 2007 Baxter, Scott. Introduction to Fixed Broadband Wireless Access, 2005
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Any Questions?