LTE eNodeB Troubleshooting Guide – utilizing Anritsu’s Handheld BTS Master™ MT8221B or Spectrum Master™ MS2721/23/24B or Cell Master

MT8212/13E with Options 541, 542 and 546

Start Here Troubleshooting Hints Locating Over-the-Air Test Spots Multiple Sector Coverage Checks
Use Over-the-Air (OTA) tests to spot-check a These two tables provide guidance from the first indication of a fault, a poor Key Performance To test an eNodeB Over-the-Air (OTA) it is Sync Signal Power, Dominance, Cell ID,
transmitters’ coverage and signal quality. Use Indicator (KPI), to the BTS or Spectrum Master test, and finally, to the field replaceable unit. necessary to find a location with good Sync and EVM
the Direct Connect tests to check transmitter Signal (SS) dominance. The BTS Master SS
Occupied
power and when the OTA test results are Key Performance Sync RS EVM Freq Rx Noise OTA EVM dominance measurements are ideal for this
BW, EVM
ambiguous. Indicators vs. Test Power Power (pk) Error Floor task. OTA testing requires SS dominance
ACLR, &
SEM
readings higher than 10 dB.
Call/Session Blocking To find a good OTA test site, look for a place
Power shortage x x x squarely in the sector, a block or two from the
Resource Block shortage x xx xx tower, and away from surfaces that may
reflect radio waves. A directional antenna for
UL Interference x xx
the BTS Master will help to screen out
Call/Session Drop unwanted signals.
Radio Link Timeout x x x x x x x
In some urban areas, locating a good OTA site
UL Interference x x
can be difficult. In these cases, it may be
DL Interference x x x x x x quicker to hook up to the BTS for testing.

Test vs. BTS Field

 

Signal Antenna
Freq Ref MCPA Filters Antenna Sync Signal (S-SS) affects cell size. S-SS is
Replaceable Units Generation Down Tilt
also used OTA to check coverage. It should be
Sync Power x xx x highest near the tower, declining to a
RS Power x xx x minimum level at the handoff point. More
x xx xx information on SS is provided elsewhere in this
Occupied BW
guide.
Adjacent Channel Leakage x x xx x
Ratio (ACLR) Dominance: The strength of the strongest S-
Spectral Emission Mask (SEM) x x xx x SS compared to the others.
Error Vector Magnitude Peak x xx EVM, RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR all indicate the
(EVM pk) quality of the received signal. In this screen,
Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) x x x x EVM is measured on the PBCH signal, so as to
Frequency Error xx   not be affected by traffic.
OTA EVM x x x x x Anritsu BTS Master™ Cell, Group, and Sector ID: Identifies the
x = probable, xx = most probable
 
  Direct Connect Transmitter Tests
source of the OTA signals detected.
Guidelines:
Transmitter tests can be run while hooked up
to the: Dominance: Higher than 10 dB for OTA signal
quality testing.
 Output of the eNodeB (Point ”A”).
EVM: Established from a known good base
 Test port (Point “B”) which is
station at a location where the dominance
essentially the output of the Multi-
figure is over 10 dB.
Carrier Power Amplifier (MCPA).
Cell, Group, and Sector ID: Should be set as
 Input to the MCPA (Point “C”) if the
defined by engineering.
signal is accessible
Consequences:
 Frequency reference system (Point
“D”) for carrier frequency errors Poor Dominance: Poor spot to test the BTS
OTA. May be a result of excessive coverage,
The goal of these measurements is to increase
which will result in a loss of system capacity
data rate and capacity by accurate power
due to excessive frequency avoidance.
settings, low out-of-channel emissions, and
good signal quality tests. Good signals allow Poor EVM: Call drops, call blocking, low data
the cell to provide a better return on rate, and low capacity.
investment.
Wrong Cell, Group or Sector ID: Dropped
The antenna is the last link in the handoffs and island sectors.
transmission path. If hooked up at point “A”,
it is helpful to sweep the antenna(s) at the Common Faults: Antenna down tilt, damaged
same time, to ensure a high quality signal. antennas, control channel power settings, and
co-channel interference.

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LTE eNodeB Troubleshooting Guide – utilizing Anritsu’s Handheld BTS Master™ MT8221B or Spectrum Master™ MS2721/23/24B or Cell Master MT8212/13E with Options 541, 542 and 546
Channel Spectrum
Ocupied BW
The transmitter’s signal should be centered in
the display, which indicates that the proper RF
channel has been chosen. This display is also
useful when looking for gross RF problems.
Occupied Band Width measures the width
of the frequency spectrum occupied by the
transmitter’s signal. The Occupied Band Width
contains 99% of the signal’s power.
Guideline: The defined LTE Occupied Band
Width’s are 1.4, 3.0, 5.0, 10, 15, and 20 MHz.
Consequences:  Excessive Occupied BW
results in interference with neighboring
carriers, dropped calls, and low capacity.  
Common Faults:  The Tx filters, MCPA, Signal
Processing, and antennas may contribute to
Occupied Bandwidth faults.  faults and damaged connectors.
Rx Noise Floor
When looking for uplink interference a good
first step is to check the Rx Noise Floor. To do
this, hookup to an Rx test port, or the Rx
antenna, for the affected sector and make
measurements when calls are not up.
Look first for a high received Rx noise floor by
using the LTE RF channel power measurement
on the uplink channel.
Also, use the spectrum analyzer to check for
signals outside the Rx channel but still passed
through the Rx filter.
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Cell Size
Sync Signal (SS) Power
Sync Signal (SS) Power sets cell size. This
measurement is the average of the P-SCH and
S-SCH signals. A 1.5 dB change in power
levels means approximately a 15% change in
coverage area.
SS is an in-service measurement if the BTS
has a test port.
Use the high accuracy power meter and a test
signal for the best accuracy (±0.16 dB)
Guideline: The signal should be within ± 2.0
dB of specification under normal conditions.
Consequences: High values create excessive
coverage near the edge of cells, leading to
excessive frequency avoidance and low
capacity. High or low values will cause low
capacity, dropped, and blocked calls.
Common Faults: The first thing to check is
the MCPA calibration followed by large VSWR
Rx Noise Floor (continued)
Guideline: Less than approximately –80 dBm
received noise floor when no calls are up. This
level varies with the LTE RF channel
bandwidth.
Consequences: Call blocking, denial of
services, call drops, low data rate, and low
capacity.
Common Faults: Receiver de-sense from co-
channel interference, in-band interference, or
passive intermodulation.  locations.
Out-of-Channel Emissions
Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) Error Vector Magnitude (EVM)
Spectral Emission Mask (SEM) Peak Code Domain Error (PCDE)
ACLR and SEM are used to measure how much
of the transmitted signal leaks into adjacent
channels. ACLR is used to look for error
conditions further away, and SEM is used to
look for error conditions closer to the carrier.
ACLR measures how much of the carrier gets
into neighboring RF channels. ACLR checks the
closest (adjacent) and second closest
(alternate) RF channels on LTE signals.
Guidelines: -45 dBc for the adjacent channels,
-45 dBc for the alternate channels.
Consequences: The eNodeB will create
interference for neighboring carriers. This is
also an indication of low signal quality and low
capacity, which can lead to blocked calls.
Common Faults: First, check the Tx filter,
then the MCPA and the channel cards. Also, the
antenna system can generate intermodulation
due to corrosion.
SEM checks closer to the signal than ACLR
does. It also is sensitive to absolute power
levels. Regulators in many countries require
regular measurements of spectral emissions.
Guideline: Must be below the mask. Received
power levels matter so be sure to use the right
external attenuation value.
Consequences: Failing this test leads to
interference with neighboring carriers, legal
liability, and low signal quality.
Common Faults: Check amplifier output
filtering first. Also look for intermodulation
distortion or spectral re-growth.
Signal Quality Tests Support Signals
Control Chanlels and Frequency Error
 
EVM is the ratio of errors, or distortions, in Control Channels are used to allow user
the actual signal, compared to a perfect equipment to find and use the LTE network
signal. EVM, in this screen, measures the and to assess RF channel quality.
PBCH, if there is no data traffic, and the
Power/RE is the Resource Element power,
PDSCH if there is traffic. which is often reported by User Equipment.
EVM is the single most important signal Total Power per control channel is often
quality measurement. reported by e-NodeB equipment.
Guideline: 17.5% for QPSK modulation, Guideline: Control Channels typically are all
12.5% for 16 QAM modulation, and 8% for 64 set to the same power level. However, usage
QAM modulation when done hooked up to the may vary as experience with LTE increases.
eNodeB.
Consequences: Poor EVM leads to dropped Consequences: Control channels set at the
calls, low signal quality, low data rate, low wrong levels may prevent user equipment
sector capacity, and blocked calls. This is the from detecting the cell or registering. This
single most important signal quality may in turn cause dropped calls or data
measurement. sessions and blocked calls.
Common Faults: EVM faults can be caused Common Faults: Improper settings in the
by distortion in the channel cards, power signal processing and control section of the
amplifier, filter, or antenna system. eNodeB.
OTA  Frequency Error is a check to see that the
Mapping,  carrier frequency is precisely correct.
with Google  The BTS Master can accurately measure
Maps, allow  Carrier Frequency Error OTA if the instrument
is GPS enabled or in GPS holdover.
analysis of 
signal quality  Guideline:± 0.05 ppm for a wide area BS, ±
0.01 ppm for a local area BS, and ± 0.25 ppm
at a 
for a home BS.
particular 
location, or  Consequences: Calls will drop when mobiles
travel at higher speed. In some cases, cell
series of 
phones cannot hand off into, or out of the cell.
Common Faults: GPS faults, reference
This is a good way to find coverage and 
frequency system errors, failures in the clock
interference problems.  distribution system, and backhaul faults.
Document No. 11410-00566, Rev B Printed in the United States 2011-07