DVB-H Radio-Planning With ICS Telecom: SFN Mode

ATDI South Pacific Pty Ltd
79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
www.atdi-pacific.com
DVB-H radio-planning
with ICS telecom
Part 3
SFN mode
ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
CONTENT
1 Principle ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2
2 Analysis _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5
2.1 Coverage mode ___________________________________________________________________________ 5
2.2 Ponctual mode ___________________________________________________________________________ 6
2.3 Delay management in SFN networks _________________________________________________________ 7

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
1 Principle
TIP
This section can be automatically achieved by selecting the

“Milestone 7” in the start menu.
The DVB-H spectrum can managed using different modes:

- MFN (Multiple Frequencies) networks
- SFN (Single Frequency) networks
- Hybrid networks using SFNs working in MFN one against each other.
ICS telecom handles all modes, but this tutorial will focus on SFN interference only.
NOTE
The MFN interference can be managed by going to “Coverage \ Network interference \ IRF mode” in order to
calculate the corresponding C/N+I, and the interference can be minimized by assigning the frequencies
(“Coverage network assignment”).
DVB-H service is indeed provided not only when enough field strength is provided, but also when the Carrier
to Noise ratio is large enough.

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
The COFDM SFN interference is handled there:
1: the user can chose on which signal the DVB-H receiver is going to synchronize: the strongest one, or the
first one. Kindly refer to the DVB-H white paper for further explanations. Today’s receiver intends to
synchronize with the strongest signal (best server).
2: Click on to define the mode and coding rate the DVB-H signal is working. In this example, the network
in assumed to work in 8K mode, 1/8 guard interval (896/112).

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
3: The “no progressive destructive field strength” mode will consider the unwanted signals as being fully
destructive as soon as the difference between the Time Of Arrival of the synchronized signal and the Time Of
Arrival of the alternative signal is negative or higher than the guard interval. The “no constructive FS” option
will avoid the signals falling in the guard interval to synchronize in a constructive field strength case: only the
interference will be avoided.
Conservative
4: The Noise Floor of the DVB-H receiver is entered here in dBm (-99dBm with a 6dB noise figure). The gain
corresponds to the sum of G and Lo as per the section Error! Reference source not found.: 2dB for a class
C plus 3dB margin = 5dB. The margin is specified according to the following rule (if the “no constructive FS”
option is not checked):
- If FSRsync < N+margin, the synchronization and network gain is not possible
- If FSRsync > N+margin, the synchronization and network gain is possible
In our case, the margin is set to 18dB, N + margin equals the minimum required FSR for a BMCO 1 usage
type.
5: The user can follow the synchronization rules of the EBU(c) (see the DVB-H white paper) or enter its own
synchronization rules.
6: The can specify an optional directivity for the pattern of the receiver. In the DVB-H case, the pattern is
omni-directionnal and can be left to none.
7: click on “ok” to launch the calculation of the C/N map.

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
2 Analysis
2.1 Coverage mode

At the end of the calculation, ICS telecom will display a map of the C/N value. The planning assumptions being
the following, 8 MHz BW in UHF, MPE FER 5%, max 120 Hz Doppler shift (186 km/h)), QPSK modulation,
coding rate 2/3, MPE-FEC rate ¾, the minimum required C/N for a class C service is 11.5 dB.
Go to to change the colors as follow:
Area in red are below the minmum required C/N.

Areas in blue have less than a 10dB margin above
the minimum required C/N.
Areas in green have more than a 10dB margin above
the minimum required C/N.

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
2.2 Ponctual mode

At any time, the user can check at a given location the amount of C/N generated by the DVB-H network: in
the left part of the ICS telecom screen, click on the button. Then select:
ICS telecom will ask you to revalidate your COFDM calculation parameters (see section 1):
Click on “OK”. ICS telecom is then waiting for you specify on what location on the map (to be specified with a
left click) you want the COFDM interference to be analyzed:
In this example, the DVB-H signal is synchronized on the main server. The other signals are coming from
closer sites have a negative difference in Time Of Arrival, indicating a destructive filed strength case. There is
coverage, but the margin (2dB) above the C/N threshold (11dB) is rather small.
Click on the button in order to switch back to the coverage mode.

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
2.3 Delay management in SFN networks

The destructive field strengths cases seen in the previous chapter can be solved by assigning a launch delay.
The existing site is indeed the best server in the upper part of the town, but it is also the one that is the most
remote site within the SFN. The difference in Time of Arrival is therefore negative, generating a destructive
field strength.
In order to check how much delay should be applied, one can check the difference of Time Of Arrival in a
given location. Make a left click in the city center, where the C/N is in orange (11<C/N+I <14dB, or 0<margin
above c/n threshold<3 dB), and go to Path analysis \ Tx received (fixed elevation).
Select an Rx antenna height of 1.5m above ground level, for a minimum required field strength of 58 dBµV/m:

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79 Macarthur Street
UlLTIMO 2007 NSW
Australia
In order to improve the margin above the C/N threshold, the user can setup a
launch delay in order to avoid the signal from the remote sites of the SFN to
arrive too late compared to closer sites. For instance, go to the technical
parameters of the first main sites in the tree bar located in the right part of the
ICS telecom screen, and make a right click on it. Select “station 0001
parameters”.
Then go to the “advanced” tab, and setup a launch delay of -22 µs. It means that the signal from the site
number 1 will be launched 22 µs in advance compared to the other sites of the SFN. Then click on “OK” to
validate.
In order to check the influence of the launch delay on the C/N, relaunch a C/N analysis in COFDM mode.
All the orange (low C/N) areas have now disappeared:

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ATDI South Pacific Pty Ltd

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

This section can be automatically achieved by selecting the

The DVB-H spectrum can managed using different modes:

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

The COFDM SFN interference is handled there:

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

7: click on “ok” to launch the calculation of the C/N map.

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

2.1 Coverage mode

Go to to change the colors as follow:

Area in red are below the minmum required C/N.

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

2.2 Ponctual mode

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

2.3 Delay management in SFN networks

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

All the orange (low C/N) areas have now disappeared:

ICS telecom – a DVB-H tutorial

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