APAC: Global Technical Service & Support What is Passive InterModulation (PIM) PIM = Interference
PIM = Noise generated by Tx signals interacting with materials in the RF path.
PIM = Reduced BTS Coverage and Capacity.
The result MANY unwanted frequencies are generated. f 1 f 2 f 1 +f 2 f 2 -f 1 2f 1 -f 2 2f 1 2f 2 2f 2 -f 1 3f 2 -2f 1 4f 2 -3f 1 3f 1 -2f 2 4f 1 -3f 2 Interference Interference Desired PIM order Frequency A m p l i t u d e
f 1 f 2 f 1 +f 2 f 2 -f 1 2f 1 -1f 2
2f 1 2f 2 2f 2 -1f 1
3f 2 -2f 1 4f 2 -3f 1 3f 1 -2f 2 4f 1 -3f 2 3 rd Order 5 th Order 7 th Order The order of an intermodulation product m*f1 n*f2 = m+n. 2*f1-1*f2 = 3rd order product 4*f2-3*f1 = 7th order product. The lower the order the higher the level (typically) Odd products are most likely to fall in the Rx band. PIM is getting more complex with Networks evolution towards: Indoor or outdoor complex DAS systems (shared by several operators)
Site sharing with multiple transmit carriers (same RF infrastructure for multiple operators)
Multi-technology sites (GSM 900 MHz, GSM 1800 MHz, UMTS 2100 and 900 MHz, CDMA 450, ...LTE) Combining Unit GSM 900 GSM 1800 WCDMA O P 1 B T S O P 2 B T S O P 3 B T S O P 1 B T S O P 2 B T S O P 3 B T S O P 1 N o d e B O P 2 N o d e B O P 3 N o d e B L o a d 1 8 0 0 /W C D M A 9 0 0 / 1 8 0 0 Triplexer RF Output ports PS PS PS PS PS PS PS PS Outdoor area Ant Ant Ant Ant Ant Ant PS PS Ant Ant Ant Ant Ant PS PS PS PS Ant Ant PS PS Ant Ant Ant Ant Ant Ant PS PS Ant Ant PS PS Ant Ant PS PS Ant Ant PS PS Ant Ant Indoor Area 1 Indoor Area 2 Indoor Area 3 Indoor Area 4 Indoor Area 5 What are the main PIM Sources Non-linear metal-to-metal contacts:
Loose RF connectors. Poorly prepared RF cable terminations Improperly mated / misaligned parts Cracked / cold solder joints Loose mechanical fasteners (screws, rivets) Incident signals Reflected signals Ideal Infrastructure Transmitted signals Minimum loss Minimum Reflections measured by sweep test Measures the quality of impedance matching in the system. Linear Infrastructure (No new frequencies)
Incident signals Reflected + interference signals Transmitted signals Non-ideal Infrastructure Reflections still measured by sweep test Interference measured by PIM tester Non-Linear Infrastructure (Creates new frequencies) PIM Severity Repairing IM3 reduces ALL IM products. Metal flake 11 th Order -93 dBm 9 th Order 7 th Order 5 th Order 3rd Order -60 dBm
Outside PCS Rx band for F1 & F2 selected Spectrum Analyzer Mode Possible to have Same Band intermodulation issues 3 rd order 5 th order 7 th order GSM900 935 MHz 960 MHz 890 MHz 915 MHz 900 GSM Rx band 900 GSM Tx Band
935 MHz 960 MHz 890 MHz 915 MHz 900 GSM Rx band 900 GSM Tx Band GSM1800 1805MHz 1880MHz 1710MHz 1785MHz 1800GSM Rx band 1800GSM Tx Band
1805MHz 1880MHz 1710MHz 1785MHz 1800GSM Rx band 1800GSM Tx Band UMTS2100 2110MHz 2170MHz 1920MHz 1980MHz 2100 UMTS Rx band 2100 UMTS Tx Band
2110MHz 2170MHz 1920MHz 1980MHz 2100 UMTS Rx band 2100 UMTS Tx Band Also, Cross Band intermodulation issues involving UMTS DCS1800 into UMTS2100 1805MHz 1880MHz 1920MHz 1980MHz 1800GSM Tx band UMTS2100 Rx Band 3 rd order 5 th order And with LTE there are multiple combinations nowadays Where to look for PIM on statistics? Main search focus on: General CDR, CSR, CSSR GSM GSM Mean interference on Idle (IOI) TCH Completion Rate and Drop % TRAFFIC RATE Erlangs TCH Assignment Rate SDCCH Assignment rate and drops HO Success Rate UL Quality Erlang Minutes Per Drop DROP_AFTER_TCH_ASSIGN SDCCH_RADIO_FAIL CDR data and voice RRC Success rate% RAB Establishment Success % Voice Traffic Erl PS Traffic (Mb) Average Throughput RTWP RSSI UMTS PIM Source
PI M PI M TX 1 TX 2 TX 1 TX 1 TX 2 TX 2 PIM Test Equipment
PI M Low PIM Load How does a portable PIM tester work? -100 dBm 0dBm 0dBc -143 dBc = dBm dBc Power relative to the carrier level Absolute power relative to1mW PIM level is expressed in either dBm or dBc C A R R I E R
P I M
2 x 20 Watts C A R R I E R
+43 dBm P I M
PIM level is meaningless without also stating the carrier power level.
PIM level is VERY dependent on test power level.
~3dB change in PIM level for every 1dB change in test power.
2W not enough power to certify a site.
IEC 62037 recommends 2x 20W (+43dBm) test carriers. -100 dBm C A R R I E R
P I M
+43 dBm 20 Watts 0dBm C A R R I E R
P I M
2 Watts -130 dBm +33 dBm Noise Floor PIM test process at cell site: Site Guy Wires Steel Tower Other Sites IMD RF In-Line Surge Arrestors Low Grade Antennas Roof Flashing/Vent Hoods
Installation Poorly torqued connectors Scratches Stress Fractures Contamination On conduction materials Dielectric material Materials Rust Ferromagnetic materials Poor Quality Plating
Test Equipment Poor Quality Loads Low quality or damaged jumpers, adapters and connectors Misc. Cracked / Cold Solder joints Contact Pressure PIM Sources at the cell site: Resistive loads generate PIM 90 connectors typically not as good as straight connectors. RF Connector Selection: Avoid using Type-N
7-16 DIN connectors are more robust and produce less PIM Poor cable preparation Dirt / trash Poor cable preparation Poor cable preparation Cable damage PIM testing should be dynamic
Passing a static PIM test does not necessarily insure long term performance.
Lightly tap RF connections.
Flex cables while holding connector fixed.
If PIM level jumps out of specification make repairs.
Find problems before Mother Nature does! Wind induced vibration Temperature variations
Dynamic versus Static testing: Fault locations are found by gently tapping on connections or components Tapping on a bad junction causes PIM to spike Dynamic PIM testing is very important! Finds the location of static PIM failures Stresses all connections to make sure that the feed system is robust and will not fail prematurely due to environmental exposure (Hot, Cold, wind loading, vibration, etc.) PIM Incident signals Transmitted signals Reflected + interference signals Linear Infrastructure PIM sources can be external to the system! External PIM Sources Typical 65 Beamwidth Antenna Patterns 4 ft. (1.2m) 800MHz 8 ft. (2.4m) 800MHz End View (Azimuth Pattern) Side View (Elevation Pattern) If external PIM is suspected, rotate antenna on mast. PIM PIM 45 Rotation Elevation tilting may be more effective to identify external PIM sources. PIM PIM 15 Rotation Antenna Testing Make sure there are no PIM sources within the field of view of the antenna!
Recommendations: BE SAFE! Point antenna toward the sky. No metal objects within the half-power beamwidths of the antenna in both Azimuth and Elevation. Antenna should be placed on non-metallic supports during test. Test equipment and test operators should be located off the end of the antenna; not the side. Use a known good antenna to verify the test environment before testing. PIM PIM PIM SKY SKY Testing Antennas Empty cardboard boxes (NO STAPLES) Large PVC pipe PIM Tests Summary
PIM = reduces site performance
PIM sources can be eliminated / minimized through: Careful construction techniques Use of low PIM components. Careful site design.
PIM testing should be dynamic (not static)
PIM testing AND VSWR testing are needed to verify system performance. KAELUS field trial evaluation KAELUS trials:
>319 feeder lines surveyed.
26 Operators and OEMs, 17 countries
Many PIM problems recorded
Few VSWR problems found
The sites were originally commissioned with Sweep test equipment so it is no surprise that the VSWR results are good PIM Survey in EMEA by KAELUS 70.37% 3.09% 29.63% Sites or sectors with PIM problems Sites or sectors with VSWR problems Sites or sectors without PIM Problems Total 52 47 37 27 25 5 5 3 2 G S M 9 0 0 / G S M 1 8 0 0 / U M T S 2 1 0 0 G S M 9 0 0 G S M 1 8 0 0 G S M 9 0 0 / U M T S 2 1 0 0 U M T S 2 1 0 0 G S M 9 0 0 / G S M 1 8 0 0 G S M 1 8 0 0 / U M T S 2 1 0 0 C D M A 4 5 0 ( b l a n k ) On sites with PIM problems, different site technology feeder lines were tested.
PIM Survey in EMEA by KAELUS The PIM defects found were primarily due to workmanship issues at the RF connections.
Many lines had multiple defects
KPI improvements reported on the majority of sites that PIM was detected and repaired at site PIM Survey in EMEA by KAELUS 65.35% 28.95% 13.60% 14.04% 0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% Connectors Jumper Cables Other Passive Devices Antennas GSM 900 Greenfield Site GSM 900 This site has suffered repeated intermittent ULQUAL issues and been visited many times. On the 22/10 with the riggers changed the antenna because of bad PIM measurements. PIM detection and Correction
GSM 900 Greenfield Site GSM 900 + WCDMA 850 Indoor DAS System GSM 900 + WCDMA 850 Indoor DAS A carrier operating a WCDMA850 network overlaid on a GSM900 network had an in-building distributed antenna system suffering from high Dropped Call Rates (DCR). The DCR was logged over a period of time and plotted in. There was a significant increase when the CDMA equipment at the site was switched on. After all PIM generating connections were reworked the receiver noise floor was reduced to -112dBm. Rx Noise floor before PIM testing Rx Noise floor after reconstruction using PIM tester Here - a 5dB gain at the noise floor GSM 900 + WCDMA 850 Indoor DAS UMTS2100 Rooftop Site 3G Rooftop Urban dense site Surge Arrestors were the source of PIM After their replacement Drops in Voice and Packet improved After PIM changes PIM test equipment: iQA Series High Power Premium Adjustable power (2 20W) Adjustable frequencies Rugged construction Integrated transit case Panel PC with touch screen interface, on-board reporting
Accessory Kit: Transit case Jumper cables Adapters Wrench Torque Wrench Low PIM load PIM source Cleaning kit iQA Series Precautions iQA Physical Characteristics 3 Stage folding tow handle Wheels Fold away bench mounting legs Shock mounted electronics 360 air inlet filter surrounding electronics Rugged protective case with three external lifting handles Cooling Fans One each side 4 internal iQA Software Test Point Label
Numeric Level indication: Displays RF OFF - Rx Noise Floor RF ON - PIM
Function Buttons
Level 2 access indicator/lock
HPA temperature indication
F1 & F2 test carrier power levels
Alarm Status
IM3,5,7 or 9 frequency, by selection
F1 & F2 test Frequencies
RF test power ON/OFF button PIM level Bar indicator Active with RF on Adjustable Pass / Fail threshold indicator OPERATOR TEST SCREEN ALARM SCREEN Touching here toggles between the operator and alarm screen Touching any Red indicator will provide a short description of the fault and any action that should be attempted by the operator in this space These green icons will turn red to indicated a fault Test Set Operator Security Levels .Level 1 Set State User Level 1 limits the operator to operating with preset test states (preset frequency, test power, test time, pass/fail threshold and test point labels). Level 2 Open User Level 2 allows the operator access to all configuration and test facilities supported by the instrument. Access to the test set alarm status and the report screen is available to both levels. Level 1 touch controls toggle between dBm and dBc switch to Report screen record test result while test power is on select report label for the next test sequence turns audible PIM level buzzer on and off. used to load test states from USB drive. Provides Level 2 access Initiate soft shutdown of the test set. switches to the Alarm status screen switches Test Power (RF) On and Off Accessing Level 2 Step 1. Touch this button to bring up Password keyboard.. Note: Factory default password is left blank touch enter only before user password has been set. Level 2 Menu Level 2 access indicator/lock shows as unlocked. A touch on this open icon will relock the access to this level
Resets all variable to those set during manufacture
Closes the iQA application and returns user to the MS Windows Desktop
Returns to the test function buttons leaving all level 2 touch controls available to the operator Allows setting of Test period via the pop up key pad shown
Allows setting of Test period via the pop up key pad shown
Level 2 Test Point Labels Allows configuration of test point labels via the secondary screen shown below Allows setting up and editing of test point labels. Refer to the User Manual for additional information as necessary Returns to test screen Level 2 Test states Returns to test screen Allows access to, saving and renaming test states.
Level 2 Password Allows setting and changing of Level 2 access password.
Level 2 touchcontrols locks out level 2 access Set pass/fail test threshold Set F1 test power set F1 set F2 Selects IM3, IM5, IM7, IM9 or IM11 Set F2 test power Note: Level 2 users have access to all Level 1 controls Testing examples and Q&A Our PIM testing heritage : Developed factory PIM test systems for RF Equipment manufacturers in 1996. >800 Factory PIM test systems in service
Developed Portable PIM systems for wireless operators in 2004. >1800 Portable PIM test systems in service
2011 Kaelus Inc. All Rights Reserved www.kaelus.com Contact Us:
John Miller Applications Engineer john.miller@kaelus.com Mob:+447800542843
2011 Kaelus Inc. All Rights Reserved www.kaelus.com Thank you