The Effect on Received Signal Quality and Area-to-

area model and Point-to-point Propagation model

Differences
Nanthini Jayapalan Nianthi Thinagaran Nur Amalin Nasuha !t Nair
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Malaya
Abstract This paper depicts the effects on the received signal
quality due to the change of few reasons namely; cell-cite antenna
height, location of cell-site antenna and effective antenna height
with change of location of mobile unit. These three factors are
discussed to demonstrate on how there affect the signal quality.
All of them are seen to give significant effects to signal quality.
This paper also differentiates between area-to-area and point-to-
point propagation models used for estimating radio coverage in a
mobile radio communication.
KeywordsSignal, uality, !eight, "ocation, Area-to-area,
#oint-to-point
"# "NTR$D%&T"$N
&ellular telephony has emerged as an integral component of
modern telecommunications# A primary reason for this rapid
success is that unli'e previous methods of communications(
cellular telephony offers mo)ile users the a)ility to
communicate from anytime and any*here# Nevertheless(
service providers must support technology and infrastructure
to ensure such u)i+uitous access to their customers for overall
satisfaction# "n order to ensure the promise of anytime and
any*here communication to customers( *ireless operators
must )e a)le to support a large num)er of users over a large
coverage area#
There are fe* *ays in order to e,perience an e,cellent
signal +uality# %sually complications arise *hich eventually
contri)ute to terri)le signal +uality# Thus( it is important to
manipulate the factors that affecting the signal +uality# -irstly(
cell site antenna height is one of the factors that can produce
*ea' or strong signal +uality# "t is normally a )ig issue on ho*
tall the antenna height *ould )e for each cell sie# Secondly(
location of cell-site antenna is also essential *here it signal
+uality depends on *here it is )eing located# Different
strength of signals may )e o)tained to those *ho are situated
at location A and ! although the cell sie is e+ual# Thirdly(
effective antenna height *ith change of location of mo)ile unit
also affects on the signal +uality#
-urthermore( this paper also discusses on area-to-area
prediction model and point-to-point propagation model. *hich
one to )e used at the specific situations#
""# &E// S"TE ANTENNA 0E"10T
A cell-cite is a location or a point at the centre of the cell
*hich provides radio signal coverage to a cell# The antenna at
the cell site is used to fulfill the re+uirement of not only
providing ade+uate radio coverage )ut also reducing co-
channel interference arising due to fre+uency reuse in cellular
architecture # The antenna height is the )asis of )ase station
coverage area# "f the antenna height is increased( path loss is
lessened and on decreasing the antenna height path loss
increases # %sing the plane earth model( it has )een sho*n that
dou)ling the antenna height results in a 2 d! gain # $n the
other hand( )y decreasing the cell-site antenna height(
Received po*er is decreased
3hen mo)ile unit travels on a flat ground terrain( the
effective antenna height is e+ual to actual antenna height#
-or such a terrain profile( it is easier to reduce the antenna
height and control can )e provided#
0illy terrain profile 4 different signal strength#
"f antenna height is reduced( it *ill influence radio
coverage# &overage *ill also reduce in the cell site#
Thus( decreasing antenna height is a comple, tas' in hilly
land profile than flat terrain#
A trade-off )et*een radio coverage and interference
reduction has to carefully done#
Thus( the methodology of having lo* antenna height could
compensate for ad5acent channel interference# Nevertheless( it
decreases the coverage range #
"""# /$&AT"$N $- &E//-S"TE ANTENNA
/ocation of cell site antenna is a very huge factor in
determining the signal +uality in an area# Antennas used for
cellular and P&S transmissions are typically located on
to*ers( *ater tan's or other elevated structures including
rooftops and the sides of )uildings#
A. Suburban
&y)er5aya is an e,ample of su)ur)an area in 6alaysia#
Degradation of the mo)ile phone signal due to various
o)stacles )et*een )ase station and mo)ile stations in su)ur)an
area are greater than rural or open terrain areas# Three type of
models *ere used in the study to compare the path loss
results. The 0ata model( Egli model and the &ost 789 model#
Ta)le 9 depicts the )ase station information at &y)er5aya
The fre+uency ranges used are from :;; 60 to 9<;;
60. covering &D6A( 1S6=;; and 1S69=;; technologies#
The measured data *as collected *ith si, different )ase
stations as sho*n in -igure 9
-igure 9 /ocation of )ase stations in &y)er5aya
The )ase stations *ere located at different areas such as
hilly( forest and open areas# The relative error *as collected
and compared for all three models# The 0ata model provided
the average error for all the )ase stations# This is )ecause 0ata
model ta'es into account the path loss due to o)stacles )et*een
the transmitter and the receiver )y applying the formula sho*n
)elo*#
/su > /u 4 7 ? log9; f@7<A7 4 B#:
3here(
/S% > Path loss in su)ur)an areas# %nitC deci)el ?d!A
/% > Average path loss in ur)an areas for small sied city#
%nitC deci)el ?d!A
f > -re+uency of transmission# %nitC megahert ?60A#
Therefore it can )e concluded that the signal +uality can )e
optimied in su)ur)an areas )y applying the 0ata model#
B. Urban
%r)an areas are generally areas *ith tall )uildings and large
population# 3hen considering such locations path loss can )e
greater due to various factors# Different heights in )uildings
leads to different signal level as *ell( at the lo*er floors of a
)uilding the ur)an clutter induces greater attenuation and
reduces the level of penetration# At higher floors a /$S path
may e,ist( thus causing a stronger incident signal at the e,terior
*all of a )uilding#
A research *as conducted )y 3al'er to measure the radio
signal at 9: different )uildings# Results sho*s that )uilding
penetration loss decreased at a rate of 9#=d) per floor from the
ground level up to the fifteenth floor and then )egan increasing
a)ove the fifteenth floor# The increase in penetration loss at
higher floors *as attri)uted to shado*ing effects of ad5acent
)uildings#
6easurements has also sho*n that percentage of *indo*s(
*hen compared *ith the )uilding face surface area( impacts
the level of R- penetration loss as does the presence of tinted
metal in the *indo*s#
C. Rural
Rural area are generally open space( no tall trees or
)uilding in path or rural residential *ith vegetation# 3hen
there are fe* human-made structures along the propagation
path( the received po*er is al*ays higher than *hen there are
many#
This is *hy the po*er level received in an open area is
higher than that received in a su)ur)an area and higher still
than that received in an ur)an area# !elo* is the mean and
standard deviation *hich *as recorded for different types of
rural areas#
!ased on the mean and stansdar deviation *e can see that
the distri)utions varies according to different typesof
environment# The mean path loss is around 9;-99 d! e,cept for
hilly forested rural# This is )ecause the path loss at such areas
are greater due to shado*ing effects# !esides that the thic'ness
and density of a foliage also affects the signal +uality that can
)e received )y the receving antenna# dierence o)served for
hilly terrain is e,plained )y the fact that the overall propagation
loss in this type of environment is dominated )y diraction
attenuation due to terrain o)stacles( *hich is *ell-'no*n to )e
more severe at higher fre+uencies# The terrain plays an
imporatant roles in the effects of signal +uality#
"D# E--E&T"DE ANTENNA 0E"10T 3"T0 &0AN1E $- /$&AT"$N
$- 6$!"/E %N"T
D#
D"# AREA-T$-AREA PRED"&T"$N 6$DE/ AND P$"NT-T$-P$"NT
PR$PA1AT"$N 6$DE/
D""#
D""# &$N&/%S"$N
"# RE-EREN&ES
9# Singal( T#/#( Wireless Communication# Tata 6c1ra*-
0ill Education#
7# E#A#( A#( et al#( nvestigating t!e mpacts of Base
Station Antenna "eig!t, #ilt an$ #ransmitter %o&er
on 'et&or( Coverage. "nternational Journal of
Engineering Science "nvention( 7;98# $?FA#
8# /ee( 3#&#G#( Mobile Communications Design
)un$amentals# 7;9;C 3iley#
:# Aro'iamary( D#J#( Cellular an$ Mobile
Communications# 7;;=C Technical Pu)lications#
B# Roslee( 6#!# and E#-# E*an( *ptimi+ation of !ata
propagation pre$iction mo$el in suburban area in
Malaysia. Progress "n Electromagnetics Research &(
7;9;# %&C p# =9-9;2#
2# Jong( G#/#&#d#( C*M%ARS*' *) RAD*
%R*%A,A#*' C"ARAC#ERS#CS A#
-.. A'D /,0.. M"+ %ER#A'', #* MACR*CE11U1AR
C*2ERA,E. 7;99#