White Paper

Calculating Passive Intermodulation for

Wideband Antenna Arrays

ABSTRACT
CONTENTS
▪▪Abstract
In mobile communication, the base station
▪ PIM Measurement
antenna is an essential element for pro-
▪ In-band PIM
viding wide area coverage and high data
▪ Cross-band PIM
throughput for the user equipment (UE).
▪ PIM Simulation
Passive intermodulation (PIM), in the present
▪ Simulation model
context a key performance characteristic,
▪ PIM analyser simulation model
can substantially degrade the overall perfor-
▪ Test of simulation model
mance of mobile communication systems.
▪ Simulation of Base Station Antennas
▪ PIM caused by external combining ver-
Such a degradation would be visible to the
sus internal combining end customer typically via a higher call drop
▪ Kathrein antenna 80011878 rate, lower data throughput and reduced
▪ In-band comparison of simulated and coverage, but can also lead to effects such
measured PIM as shorter battery lifetime.
▪ Cross-band PIM simulation
▪ Conclusion
These unfavourable end customer expe-
▪ References
riences due to passive intermodulation

White Paper Calculating Passive Intermodulation for Wideband Antenna Arrays | July 2018 Page 1 of 16
shall be prevented by careful and systematic design and
manufacturing. In addition, with the advent of LTE and the
increasing number of bands which a base station antenna
must support, PIM is becoming a major criterion for selecting
the right antenna.

Passive intermodulation is a result of non-linearity in the

antenna system. In general, non-linearity can appear inside
the antenna system and in the area around the antenna. An
example of an “outside” PIM source would be a rusty chimney in
close proximity to the base station antenna. Inside the antenna,
non-linearity stems from many different factors. Among
them, improper material selection (such as ferromagnetic
materials), thermal effects, mechanical stress or faulty crafts-
manship during manufacturing. Base station antenna signals
often achieve high power levels. High transmission power
levels increase the risk of de-sensitising the receiver chan-
nels of the base station due to passive intermodulation in the
antenna.

This paper compares simulated and measured passive inter-

modulation effects, covering in-band and cross-band
scenarios. The investigation also outlines the effects of com-
bining spectrum outside and inside the antenna system,
followed by a discussion about which combining position
brings the best PIM performance, subsequently leading
to an architectural discussion about macro base station
antenna concepts for better PIM performance.

43 dBm

–150 dBc
Amplitude

–107 dBm

Figure 1: Intermodulation products (blue) of

two CW signals (green), specified PIM value
2 * f1 – f2 f1 f2 2 * f2 – f1 Frequency in dBc

White Paper Calculating Passive Intermodulation for Wideband Antenna Arrays | July 2018 Page 2 of 16
In mobile communication systems, the focus is mainly on 3rd
order intermodulation products because they are a commonly
used and comparable measure for system non-linearity. In
commercial LTE scenarios, 3rd order intermodulation products
often fall into network operator receive frequency allocations.

PIM analysers typically power the device under test with

2 * 43 dBm carriers and measure the amplitude of the 3rd
order intermodulation product. Such measurements are stand-
ardised in IEC 62037 [1] giving a limit of –150 dBc as industry
standard. Since PIM values are typically given in dBc, which
is the distance from the carrier, the limit has a dBm value of
–107 dBm (–150 dBc + 43 dBm = –107 dBm), see Figure 1. Every
Kathrein antenna is tested to a limit of −153 dBc, confirming
the high standard of Kathrein’s antenna products. As a rule
of thumb, for each 1 dB increase of transmit power, 3rd order
intermodulation products increase by 3 dB.

This contribution is structured as follows: To start with, the

difference between in-band and cross-band PIM is described
as well as the required measurement systems. After that, our
PIM simulation method is de-
scribed with simple circuits
PPIM

including PIM sources. In the

following section, we concen-
trate on simulating a base sta-
tion antenna and give a com-
parison of the measured and +3 dB
simulated PIM performance
before we conclude.
+1 dB

Figure 2: Ratio between input power and 3rd

PIN order IM product

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PIM MEASUREMENT
In-band PIM

Every port of a macro base station antenna is dedicated to a

certain frequency spectrum, usually including transmit (TX) and
receive (RX) channels of FDD systems. We talk about in-band
PIM if at least two transmit signals within the same frequency
band are fed by the base station transceivers into one or more
ports of the antenna and one or more intermodulation products
are visible on the receive port. This case is shown in Figure 3.

f1 and f2 in-band

f1 f2
A [dB]

Port A
2 * f1 – f2 TX

Figure 3: Simplified spectrum of TX and RX

RX bands with carriers f1 and f2. The in-band
f1 f2 2 * f1 – f2 intermodulation product 2 * f1 – f2 appears in
the RX band
f [MHz]

Figure 4 shows the setup for a typical PIM measurement and

how it is used for qualifying a base station antenna according
to IEC 62037. There are two signal generators, which create two
different frequencies. These get amplified, combined and are sent
through the duplexer to the device under test (DUT). The reflected
PIM products travel back through the duplexer and the RX filter
and finally get amplified ahead of the receiver for analysis.

Signal Port
PA A
generator
Combiner

Signal PA Duplex
generator filter

Signal
analyser LNA RX filter
Figure 4: PIM measurement setup for in-band
measurement scenario

White Paper Calculating Passive Intermodulation for Wideband Antenna Arrays | July 2018 Page 4 of 16
Cross-band PIM

We talk about cross-band PIM if at least two transmit signals

from at least two frequency bands are fed by the base station
transceivers into one or more ports of the antenna and one
or more IM products are visible on the RX port. This scenario
is sketched in Figure 5. Given the fact that network opera-
tors have an increasingly high number of frequency bands
allocated, it becomes obvious that for designing multi-
port and multi-band antennas, cross-band scenarios have to
be considered.
A [dB]

f1 and f2 cross-band

f1 f2

Port Port
A B

2 * f1 – f2 TX A TX B
f1 2 * f1 – f2 f2
Figure 5: Simplified spectrum of TX and RX
RX A RX B
bands with carriers f1 at port A and f2 at port B.
The cross-band intermodulation product
f [MHz] 2 * f1 – f2 appears in the RX band of port A

Cross-band PIM measurements usually have a slightly

different setup than in-band PIM measurements. Typically,
cross-band intermodulation is measured on different antenna
ports, so the applied carriers do not have to be combined.
A possible setup is shown in Figure 6.

Port Port
A B
Signal PA
generator

Signal Duplex
PA filter
generator

Signal RX
analyser LNA filter Figure 6: A possible PIM measurement confi-
guration for cross-band measurement on two
different antenna ports

White Paper Calculating Passive Intermodulation for Wideband Antenna Arrays | July 2018 Page 5 of 16
Intermodulation measurement setups are usually cost inten-
sive due to stringent requirements on amplifier, RX filter, du-
plex filter and receiver. Taking into account that multi-band
antennas have many ports, qualifying such products are time
and cost intensive.

PIM SIMULATION
Simulation model

In our simulations, we use a non-linear black box acting as a

PIM source, as shown in Figure 7. The non-linear block is de-
signed to satisfy the following dynamic characteristic. A 1 dB
increase of input power leads to a 3 dB increase of the 3rd or-
der intermodulation product (IM3), as shown in Figure 2. The
non-linearity of the black box can be adjusted to any arbitrary
value. For the following calculations, a setting was used which
generates −150 dBc at 43 dBm input power and IM products
follow bidirectional propagation.

PIM source
c1x + c3x3 ...

Figure 7: Non-linear black box simulation

model

PIM analyser simulation model

Figure 8 shows our harmonic balance simulation setup which

works similar to a standard PIM analyser, performing a fre-
quency step analysis. Two signal generators are connected by
a lossless combiner to the device under test. The DUT could
either be a port of a multi-band antenna or of any other RF
structure. Port A is the port with fstep. This port performs a step-
through in the selected TX band. Port B has a fixed frequency,
which is in this example at the lower boundary of the TX band.
The harmonic balance simulation observes port A, where the
reflected signals from the DUT are received. Moving fstep, fIM3

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moves in the same direction. This simulation setup equals
a PIM analyser and is more flexible, since up and down stepping
and wideband analysis can be done without hardware
limitations.

Analyser Device under Test

A [dB]

Port A
f1 Port 1 f2 Port 2 fstep
Combiner DUT
2 * f1 – f2 Port B
ffix
f [MHz]
Figure 8: PIM analyser simulation model

Test of simulation model

To verify the simulation setup and the PIM source, a simple

model is built. Figure 9 shows the DUT, in this case the PIM
source, with a coaxial cable, a −150 dBc PIM source and a
50 Ω load.

PIM source
Analyser Coax 50 ohm load
1m –150 dBc @
2 * 43 dBm Figure 9: DUT model with simple network

The coaxial cable has a length of 1 metre and is used in the test
with two attenuation options. The first option has zero atten-
uation and the second option is set to 1 dB/m attenuation at
2.7 GHz. The stepped frequency range for this simulation goes
from 1.7 GHz to 2.7 GHz, with 1.7 GHz being the fixed frequency.

Figure 10 shows the simulation result with both cable

attenuation options. The result with zero cable attenuation is
−150 dBc, which is the value of the PIM source. The result is
constant over the whole frequency range because the model
has no frequency dependence. With attenuation from the
coaxial cable, the IM3 value is –154 dBc at 2.7 GHz. The input
power at the PIM source is 2 * 42 dBm because of the 1 dB loss
caused by the cable. The reflected power goes back through
the cable with 1 dB loss, which results in an IM3 value of
−154 dBc at the analyser port. The frequency dependence of
the cable can be observed as having a slight slope throughout
the IM3 spectrum.

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 IM 3
-120

-125

-130

-135

-140

-145
dBc

-150

-155

-160

-165

-170
800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600
Frequency [MHz] without attenuation Figure 10: Simulation results for DUT model
with attenuation with simple network

Another model, with a 3 dB splitter, is built to verify whether

splitters are calculated correctly. The coaxial cable from the
analyser to the splitter is set to a length of 2 metres and all other
cables after the splitter are set to 1 metre. Again, the simulation
is done with and without losses of the coaxial cables.

PIM source
Coax –150 dBc @ 50 ohm load
1m
2 * 43 dBm
Analyser Coax
2m

Coax Figure 11: DUT model with diverse network

1m 50 ohm load
and one PIM source

Firstly, we calculate without losses and one PIM source with

−150 dBc placed into the circuit. We expect that the simulation
result is −162 dBc because the signal (2 * 43 dBm) is divided
using a 3 dB splitter. Therefore, the input power at the PIM
source is 2 * 40 dBm, which decreases the PIM source value
to −159 dBc. The reflected IM3 product runs back through the
3 dB splitter, which results in a decreased value of −162 dBc.

Secondly, we incorporate cable attenuation and expect that

the reflected PIM value is −174 dBc. Due to an input power of
2 * 43 dBm, cable losses of 2 dB at the first cable, 3 dB at the
splitter and another 1 dB loss at the second cable, there is
37 dBm input power at the PIM source. With the 1:3 power
ratio, −6 dB : −18 dB, the PIM value decreases to −168 dBc. With
the same losses of 6 dB on the return path, the IM3 product
has a value of −174 dBc at 2.7 GHz at the analyser port.

White Paper Calculating Passive Intermodulation for Wideband Antenna Arrays | July 2018 Page 8 of 16
 IM 3
-140

-145

-150

-155

-160
dBc

-165

-170

-175

-180
800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600

Frequency [MHz] 1 source without attenuation Figure 12: Simulation results for DUT model
1 source with attenuation with diverse network and one PIM source

The next step is to verify the same configuration with two PIM
sources. In this case, we expect −156 dBc. The reflected PIM
with values of −159 dBc from both paths arrives at the com-
biner. In this case, the phases are the same, so the power is
added and a PIM value of −156 dBc is created, as shown in
Figure 14.
PIM source
Coax 50 ohm load
1m –150 dBc @
2 * 43 dBm
Coax
Analyser 2m
PIM source
Coax –150 dBc @ 50 ohm load
Figure 13: DUT model with diverse network
1m and two PIM sources
2 * 43 dBm

This proves that this calculation is correct. With the attenua-

tion, the value is −168 dBc because it is the same difference of
−12 dB as in the first test with one PIM source.
IM 3
-140

-145

-150

-155
dBc

-160

-165

-170

-175

-180
800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600

Frequency [MHz] 2 sources without attenuation Figure 14: Simulation results for DUT model
2 sources with attenuation with diverse network and two PIM sources

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In this ideal simulation setup, we see that the reflected PIM is
added up due to phase coherence of the PIM sources. In real
application, such a setup could yield any arbitrary result due to
the lack of phase coherence. The simulation therefore shows
the worst case scenario values. On the other hand, two parallel
PIM sources could remain undetected using PIM analyser
hardware if the reflected PIM was cancelled due to destructive
interference.

SIMULATION OF BASE STATION ANTENNAS

PIM caused by external combining versus internal combining

In this section, we apply the previously described simulation

method to a typical multi-port and multi-band base station
antenna in practice.

At first, a comparison is made showing the PIM performance

of the feeding network of the antenna system, either applying
external or internal combining of frequency bands. Operating
multiple bands over one antenna system, while not upgrad-
ing the individual antennas, is a common practice for network
operators. Band combining in this case is commonly achieved
by using external band combiners.

Using an external combiner and an improper band combina-

tion increases the probability of reducing the base station’s RX
performance due to passive intermodulation for two reasons.
Firstly, the number of potentially PIM-critical RF interfaces is
increased. Secondly, the higher aggregate power level of the
combined signals in the feeding network leads to higher PIM
levels, as can be seen in Figure 15. This may be caused by
faulty craftsmanship during installation, by violating minimum
cable bending radii, interface torque requirements, etc.

Figure 15 shows that a PIM source of −150 dBc at the antenna

port leads to a result of −150 dBc, assuming that there are
negligible losses in the cable path. The level of a possible
PIM source in the feeding cable will dominate the system
performance.

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 External antenna Antenna

PIM critical feeding path

Port
Combiner PIM source Port
–150 dBc
Port
Figure 15: Significant PIM critical path with
f1 + f2
base-station-side combining

PIM critical Antenna

feeding path

Port
PIM source
Port
–150 dBc
Combiner
PIM source
Port
Port –150 dBc Figure 16: No PIM critical path with antenna
f1 f2
internal combining

Internal combining means that the different frequency bands

are combined within the antenna architecture, as shown in
Figure 16. This leads to an intermodulation level below practical
relevance. For cross-band PIM, such a setup shows significant
performance advantages compared to external combining.
For in-band PIM, significant advantages are possible by smart
architecture choices, where power tapering is applied in front
of band combining and as close to the radiating elements
as possible. If PIM sources are present within the antenna, the
overall effect of IM products impacts RX performance less, due
to lower power levels within the antenna system.

Kathrein antenna 80011878

The Kathrein multi-band, multi-port antenna 80011878, as

shown in Figure 17, is part of a new generation of antennas
which has been designed to minimise the risk of passive
intermodulation with the help of internal frequency combining.
This antenna architecture reduces the risk of faulty tower
assembly or similar workmanship deficiencies for the network
operator. Additionally, it supports a “tidy mast” strategy due
to the reduction of additional boxes, such as band combining
products on the installation site.

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 Correlation Table R2
Y1 Y2
Frequency range Array Connector / Ports 1x

1427 - 1518 1427 - 1518

698– 862 MHz R1 1–2 2x
880 – 960 MHz R2 3–4 B2
1427–1518 MHz G1 5– 6 1x
1695–2180 MHz B1 7–8
1695 - 2180 1695 - 2180 880 - 960 880 - 960 1695 - 2180 1695 - 2180

1695–2180 MHz B2 9– 10
B1 G1
2490 – 2690 MHz Y1 11 – 12 R1
2490 - 2690 2490 - 2690 698 - 862 698 - 862 2490 - 2690 2490 - 2690

2490 – 2690 MHz Y2 13–14 Left Right

This antenna is used as a state-of-the-art base station antenna Figure 17: Kathrein antenna 80011878 multi-
band, multi-port layout
example for our PIM simulation.

In-band comparison of simulated and measured PIM

For use in our simulation framework, the DUT’s internal

architecture is based on elaborated S-parameter models. In the
following, we purposely degrade the simulation model and
the off-the-shelf 80011878 base station antenna. This is done
by placing respective hardware or software PIM sources in the
internal signal distribution at worst case positions. Figure 19 to
Figure 21 present a comparison of simulated and measured IM3
products.

The results of simulated and measured in-band IM3 products

match well in amplitude and shape. Obviously, the measured
results are spectrally narrower than the simulated results due
to the limited bandwidth of the IM3 measurement equipment.
Nevertheless, the spectrally wider simulated results give a bet-
ter understanding of the location of the maximum IM3 level
over the antenna’s supported bandwidth.

-140

-145

-150

-155
dBc

-160

-165

-170

-175

-180
1700 1750 1800 1850 1900
Frequency [MHz] Figure 19: Comparison of simulated and
RX Band 3 TX Band 3 simulation measurement measured IM3 product for Band 3

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 -140

-145

-150

-155
dBc

-160

-165

-170

-175

-180
1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
Frequency [MHz] Figure 20: Comparison of simulated and
RX Band 2 TX Band 2 simulation measurement measured IM3 product for Band 2

-140

-145

-150

-155
dBc

-160

-165

-170

-175

-180
2450 2500 2550 2600 2650 2700 2750
Frequency [MHz] Figure 21: Comparison of simulated and
RX Band 7 TX Band 7 simulation measurement measured IM3 product for Band 7

Cross-band PIM simulation

The antenna under test (AUT) is simulated for a relevant cross-

band combination shown in Table 1.

Fixed Tone Sweep Range

Band Port IM3-Rx Band
[MHz] [MHz]
1&7 B2 + Y2 2170 2555–2630 3
Table 1

As an example, the simulated PIM level results of band combi-

nation 1 & 7 (see Figure 22) are in the range between −159 dBc
and −174 dBc. These low PIM levels are plausible because of
the power distribution function of the splitter. Thus, the posi-
tive effect of combining frequency bands inside the antenna
is confirmed. Measurements of the simulated cross-band PIM
scenario are omitted since they do not show any additional
insight.

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 -140
-145
-150
-155
dBc

-160
-165
-170
-175
-180
1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 2400 2500 2600 2700
Frequency [MHz] Figure 22: Result of the cross-band
Band 3 RX Band 1 TX Band 7 TX simulation simulation

CONCLUSION

The objective of this work is to create a simulation framework

where the PIM behaviour of a mobile network base station
antenna can be predicted. The external and internal combining
of LTE signals and its effects on the PIM behaviour are
described. We demonstrate that using a qualified multiband
antenna with internal combining reduces the effects of PIM.

The Kathrein multiband antenna 80011878 is tested in the

simulation environment and compared with measurements
of in-band IM3. The simulation results are very close to the
measurement results. Using the simulation framework, we have
no limitations in terms of the bandwidth to be analysed or the
number of antenna ports. Simulating cross-band IM3 provides
a better view of what happens between antenna columns if
more than one antenna port is fed. In theory, with the PIM source
(assuming constant PIM level over frequency and same power
levels) which we used for simulation, the cross-band PIM
values cannot exceed the specified in-band PIM values.

We conclude that it is possible to create an antenna archi-

tecture capable of handling in-band and cross-band IM, without
the need for a separate antenna column.

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REFERENCES

[1] IEC 62037 – Passive RF and microwave device,

intermodulation level measurement
[2] Bands, 3GPP TS 37.104 V15.0.0 (2017-09) - Frequency. (Online)

[3] Dmitry S. Kozlov, Alexey P. Shitov,

Alexander G. Schuchinsky and Michael B. Steer
“Passive Intermodulation of Analog and Digital Signals on
Transmission Lines With Distributed Nonlinearities: Model-
ling and Characterization”
IEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., Vol. 64, No. 12, May 2016

White Paper Calculating Passive Intermodulation for Wideband Antenna Arrays | July 2018 Page 15 of 16
ABOUT KATHREIN
More Information:
KATHREIN SE
Kathrein is a specialist for reliable, high-quality communication Anton-Kathrein-Straße 1–3
technologies. 83022 Rosenheim, Germany
Phone +49 8031 184-0
www.kathrein.com
The company is driving innovation and technology in today’s
connected world. Its ability to provide solutions and services
enables people all over the world to communicate, access
information and use media, whether at home, at the office or
on the road.

The business covers a broad spectrum: from mobile commu-

nication, RFID and special solutions, to satellite reception and
broadcast technology, to transmission and reception systems
in vehicles.

As a hidden champion and family-owned enterprise, Kathrein

has been working on the technologies of tomorrow since
1919. The company takes pride in its dedicated employees and
passion for customers and quality.

9980000109/MMG | Subject to change.

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