MICROWAVE LINK

FUNDAMENTALS
This tutorial aims at providing broad information about MW Links. This
tutorial as such do not assume any special background, however basic
knowledge of communication is necessary. It is recommended that before
starting this tutorial you know about dB or have read a tutorial on it found (if
not! it is coming soon) elsewhere on this website.
Ionosphere do not reflect electromagnetic waves of frequency greater than 30 MHz
and hence MW waves has its own significance. It is because above this frequency
we can have only Line of Sight (LOS) communication or satellite communication
as far as wireless technology is concerned.

START TUTORIAL
This tutorial includes
1.

Introduction

2.

Frequency - MW Links (includes type of MW Link)

3.

Practical View - MW Links

4.

Polarization

5.

Factors Affecting MW Links

6.

Factors Affecting MW Links - REFLECTION

7.

Factors Affecting MW Links - REFRACTION

8.

Factors Affecting MW Links - Diffraction, Scattering & Absorption

9.

Diversity in MW Links

10. Free Space Loss

11. Antenna Gain

12. Fresnel Zone

13. Link Budget

INTRODUCTION
Definition of Microwave
Microwaves are electromagnetic radiations in the frequency range 1 GHz to 30
GHz (generally for Telecom).
Various books uses various frequency ranges for identifying microwaves. Radio
Frequency or Microwaves are two different terms used to break monotony. This
means both terms convey similar meaning. Frequency from 300 MHz to 300 GHz
are used in various ranges to define range of RF / Microwaves.
It is to be noted that higher the frequency, higher the bandwidth. Thus using high
frequency gives us facility of transferring more data. However, everything comes
with a price. High frequency means high processing capabilities are required and
thus higher the cost. But use of frequency spectrum is very high and thus latter
(i.e. high cost for high capabilities) is generally adapted now a days.
MICROWAVE APPLICATIONS FOR TELECOM INDUSTRY
1. BTS connectivity
2. STM 1 (63 E1) ring closure
3. BTS on spur
4. Point of Interconnect (POI) connectivity.
(If you are not familiar with above telecommunication terms, refer tutorial on
"Introduction to basic fundamentals in telecom industry")

FREQUENCY - MW LINKS
Frequency used in MW Links
Microwave links of short distances are generally allocated with higher frequencies,
because high frequency means high losses in air and thus it is good to have short
distances in these cases. While for distances like 20-35 Kms or so we use lower
frequencies. Please note that the terms high and low used for frequencies are
relative and the values for these terms can be 15/18 GHz or 6/7 GHz say.
Microwave Links can be of two types
1. SDH
2. PDH
Frequency allocated to MW link does not depend on the type of MW link. If the
type of MW link is to be explained in easiest possible manner, it may be as follows.
SDH link can carry optical signals i.e. each BTS falling in this MW link will have
to have transport equipment to convert optical signal into electrical signal. This is
good if we wish to have MW links of large no of hops and wish to use it for ring
closure. In this case only what is required will be dropped without disturbing the
whole link. SDH link can carry maximum of STM 1 i.e. 64 E1s as a whole for
one MW ring.
PDH link can carry electrical signals i.e. all 16E1s (capacity of PDH link) will
have to be dropped in site falling in this link. Remaining E1s can then be
retransmitted for next hop. (Hop means single MW link)
SOME PARAMETERS
For 15 GHz link, Tx and Rx bandwidth is 28 MHz. Tx and Rx separation is 420
MHz. This separation is defined by ITU and is there to avoid interference.

For 6 GHz link Tx and Rx separation is 152 MHz.

For 7 GHz link Tx and Rx separation is 154 MHz.

PRACTICAL VIEW - MW LINKS

If we wish to look at practical implementation of MW links in telecom industry, we
can start from Fig MW.4.1

Fig MW.4.1 General MW Link Setup in Field

In Door Unit (IDU) which resides in Shelter, acts as Modem i.e. Modulator and Demodulator. It takes
electrical / optical signal and convert it into analog (electromagnetic) which is sent to ODU (Out Door
Unit).
IF cable is a co-axial cable which carries Intermediate Frequency. Details of IF cable can be seen in
Fig MW.4.2. You can feel free to ignore this figure and continue. Generally, maximum permissible
length of IF cable from IDU to ODU is 300m and frequency do not exceed 2 GHz.

Fig MW.4.2 IF Cable

ODU is present just near MW antenna at height in tower. ODU performs upconversion (acts as
Mixer) to convert signal into required frequency allocated. For doing this ODU also have high power
amplifiers and filters. Since ODU output is high frequency cable connecting ODU to antenna is "RF
Low Loss Cable". Generally, for 6/7 GHz link this low loss cable is used and for 15/18 GHz link
waveguide is used to connect ODU to antenna.

POLARIZATION

Polarization defines the way of movement of MW waves in air. It can be either

Linear or Circular.
Type of Polarization
1. Linear - can be sub-divided into Vertical and Horizontal
2. Circular
VERTICAL POLARIZATION
An electromagnetic wave is said to be following Vertical Polarization if its
electrical component is perpendicular to the horizon of earth as shown in Fig
MW.5.1

Fig MW.5.1 Vertical Polarization

HORIZONTAL POLARIZATION
An electromagnetic wave is said to be following Horizontal Polarization if its
electrical component is parallel to the horizon of earth as shown in Fig MW.5.2

Fig MW.5.2 Horizontal Polarization

CIRCULAR POLARIZATION
An electromagnetic wave is said to be following Circular Polarization if it radiates
electric and magnetic field in all directions i.e. they keep on rotating. Phase is the
deciding factor here. Don't worry about this... We generally do not use this in MW
links.

WHICH POLARIZATION IS BETTER FOR MW LINKS?

There is no straight forward answer for this question. Definitely one can point out
Vertical Polarization as the best in first view because it is more prone to rain
fading. Rain droplets are generally flattened with increase in size (See Fig
MW.5.3) and thus Vertical polarization is more prone and less affected. However,

horizontal polarization is very much used to avoid interference, in case nearby

areas are using Vertical Polarization. (See Fig MW.5.4)

Fig MW.5.3 Rain Droplets

V and H Polarization to avoid interference

Fig MW.5.4 Use of

So, vertical polarization is generally used for high frequency links, because high
frequencies are more prone to rain fading and horizontal polarization is generally
used to avoid interference. However, this cannot be treated as rule. Each operator
is free to decide.

FACTORS AFFECTING MW LINK

Following major phenomenon affect MW Link

1.

REFLECTION

2.

REFRACTION

3.

DIFFRACTION

4.

SCATTERING

5. ABSORPTION

Factors affecting MW link - REFLECTION

REFLECTION
Reflection is one of the major factors that affect MW link. Fig MW.7.1 explains
this phenomenon.

Fig MW.7.1 Reflection in MW Link

Water is good reflector. Reflected Wave can have different phase and amplitude as
compared to LOS wave. Thus, this causes Fading of signal at receiver and this
fading is called Multi Path Fading.
To overcome this problem, we either adjust antenna heights at two ends to avoid
major source of reflection or to reduce its intensity. Another solution is to use
Space Diversity, about which we will study later in this tutorial.
NOTE:
Trees are good absorbers. So, if trees are present in between MW link, chances of
reflection reduces drastically.

Factors affecting MW link - REFRACTION

DO YOU KNOW THIS ?
Theory says that MW / electromagnetic waves travel in a straight line and yes, they
do so in vacuum. But when it comes to atmosphere, it may come as surprise to

most of us that MW waves do not travel in a straight line. Phenomenon

responsible for this is REFRACTION. Density in atmosphere is not uniform. It
varies from one place to another. As we all know that light ray bends towards or
away from normal as it moves from higher density medium to lower or vice versa,
we can easily understand why MW waves deviate from straight line path in
atmosphere.
In homogeneous atmosphere vertical change in dielectric constant is gradual and
hence bending or refraction is continuous. Ray is bent from thinner density air
towards thicker making it follow earth curvature. This can be related with radii of
spheres. First radius is of earth (6370 Km approx) and second is formed by
curvature of beam of ray with its center coinciding center of earth.
We can define K Factor using above information
K-Factor = R / R`
where
R = Radius of ray beam curvature
R` = Radius of earth
K=4/3 for earth's atmosphere.
Fig MW.8.1 shows value of K according to path traveled by MW wave.

Fig MW.8.1 K-Factor in MW Link

Factors affecting MW link - Diffraction, Scattering &

Absorption

DIFFRACTION
Diffraction of wave occurs when bending takes place at sharp irregular edges. This
diffracted wave can interfere very much with desired signal.
SCATTERING
Scattering of ray of light occurs when object it strikes is of smaller size that its own
wavelength.
ABSORPTION
Above 10 GHz, absorption in atmosphere becomes dominant. Rain droplets
become comparable to wavelength.
This absorption can be 2 dB/Km or can be as high as 3 dB/Km in case of rain.

DIVERSITY IN MW LINKS

Diversity in MW Links is a sort of redundancy in network. They also help

overcome various factors which affect MW links.
Two types of Diversity in MW links
1. Frequency Diversity
2. Space Diversity
Fig MW.10.1 and MW.10.2 shows these diversities respectively.

Fig MW. 10.1 Frequency Diversity

MW.10.2 Space Diversity

Fig

Frequency Diversity calls for use of two different frequencies for same MW link.
This is normally avoided because two frequency allocation means double the
annual fee payable for frequency. Frequency diversity is generally meant to
overcome frequency interferences and various other factors.
Space Diversity uses two MW antennas at each side and is best suited to overcome
Reflection of MW waves. Signal is received by both antennas called Main
Antenna and Diversity Antenna and it is IDU to decide which signal to receive.
Generally IDU receives best possible signal. This diversity also helps a lot in areas
of high wind because if one antenna gets misaligned network can function without
fail from another. Thus this provides a sort of redundancy to our network.

FREE SPACE LOSS

Free Space Loss is defined as minimum loss an electromagnetic wave experiences

if it travels in atmosphere. It depends from place to place. Its value for Kerela and
Rajasthan will be different due to various factors one of which can be humidity.
However, we may roughly define free space loss for MW link as
Lfs = 92.45 + 20 log (dist * freq)
where
dist = MW hop length in Kms.
freq = Frequency of MW link in GHz.
EXAMPLE
For MW link of 15 GHz and hop length 10 Kms free space loss can roughly be
calculated as
= 92.45 + 20 log ( 10 * 15)
= 135.97 dB

ANTENNA GAIN

Antenna Gain is the gain antenna provides to the signal before transmitting it into
air. For parabolic antennas used for MW link, this gain is roughly
Antenna Gain = 17.8 + 20 log (f * dia)

where
f

= Frequency in GHz

dia = Diameter of MW antenna.

EXAMPLE
For 18 GHz MW link and 0.3 m size MW antenna, Antenna Gain will be approx
= 17.8 + 20 log (18*0.3)
= 32.44 dBi
(Don't worry about unit dBi, refer tutorial "Introduction to dB" elsewhere on this
website. To learn more about antennas refer tutorial on it.)

FRESNEL ZONE

To understand Fresnel zone we need to first refer Fig MW.12.1

Fig MW.12.1 MW Communication

From the figure above we can see that apart from direct line of sight (LOS) we
need to leave some space above and below it to allow deviation of MW wave from
its original path. This deviation, as already studied, is due to refraction. Fresnel
zone is nothing but distance below and above a point which should be clear for
LOS communication.

where
rn = radius of fresnel zone. Generally we consider n=1 i.e. first fresnel zone
clearance.
d1 = distance of point from Point A
d2 = distance of point from Point B
Lambda = Wavelength

LINK BUDGET

Now we will see link budget of MW link i.e. we will analyze gains and losses and
calculate received power at other end.
Refer Fig MW.13.1 before moving further.

Fig MW.13.1 Link Budget for MW Link

From Fig MW.13.1 it can be seen clearly that received power at Point B can be
calculated as
RxA = TxA + GA - Lfs - Arain + GB
where
TxA = Transmit Power
GA = Gain of Antenna A
Lfs = Free Space Loss
Arain = Attenuation due to rain
GB = Gain of Antenna B
EXAMPLE
Suppose we have 6.2 GHz MW link. Diameter of antenna at both sides is 1.8 m.
Distance is 20 Kms. Calculate approx received power at point B, if transmitted
power at point A is 25 dBm.
SOLUTION

First we will calculate Gain of two antennas. Since diameter is same, both
antennas will roughly have gain of
= 17.8 + 20 log (freq * dia)
= 17.8 + 20 log (6.2 * 1.8)
= 38.753 dBi
Then, we will calculate rough free space loss as
= 98.45 + 20 log (dist * freq)
= 98.45 + 20 log (20 * 6.2)
= 140.318 dBm
Finally we will calculate received power at Point B from above given formula. We
are assuming rain attenuation as zero.
RxB = 25 + 38.753 - 140.318 - 0 + 38.753
=

- 37.812 dBm Answer

NOTE
Receiver sensitivity is generally around -65 dBm and hence the receive power we
are getting is good and also take care of rain attenuation margin during rainy
season. It is good practice to leave around 30 dB as rain margin.