ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

Course Objectives:
·Master the troubleshooting principles of GSM BSS.

·Master common fault analysis and location methods of GSM BSS.

·Master the troubleshooting methods of general faults of B8018.

·Master the troubleshooting methods of typical faults of B8018

through case studies.
Contents

1 Troubleshooting Principles........................................................................................................................1

1.1 Equipment Operations.......................................................................................................................1

1.2 Board Operations...............................................................................................................................1

1.3 Data Maintenance..............................................................................................................................1

1.4 Rights Management...........................................................................................................................2

1.5 Virus Protection.................................................................................................................................2

1.6 Reporting Faults................................................................................................................................3

2 Common Methods of Fault Analysis and Location.................................................................................5

2.1 Viewing alarm and operation logs.....................................................................................................5

2.2 Indicator status analysis.....................................................................................................................5

2.3 Performance analysis.........................................................................................................................5

2.4 Analysis with instruments and meters...............................................................................................6

2.5 Plugging/unplugging and pressing....................................................................................................6

2.6 Comparison and replacement............................................................................................................6

2.7 Isolation method................................................................................................................................7

3 General Troubleshooting Methods............................................................................................................9

3.1 General troubleshooting methods of hardware faults........................................................................9

3.2 Troubleshooting AEM Faults...........................................................................................................11

3.3 Troubleshooting SWR Faults..........................................................................................................13

3.4 Troubleshooting Clock Faults..........................................................................................................13

3.5 Troubleshooting Carrier Faults........................................................................................................15

3.6 Troubleshooting Internal Link Faults..............................................................................................16

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 3.7 TroubleshootingTransmission Faults...............................................................................................17

3.8 Troubleshooting One-Way Silence, Both-Way Silence and Noise Problems..................................19

4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases...................................................................................................................23

4.1 Subscribers in the cell of a new BTS cannot be called....................................................................23

4.2 Single BTS congestion due to insufficient OMU timeslots.............................................................24

4.3 High TCH congestion rate of the BTS caused by poor transmission quality..................................26

4.4 Frequent intermittent disconnection of the B8018 site....................................................................31

4.5 Low handoff success rate caused by wrong usage of lightning arrester for antenna feeder............33

4.6 Coverage shrinkage due to insufficient cabinet top transmitting power..........................................35

4.7 LAPD inaccessible due to CMB and EIB DIP error of the BTS.....................................................36

4.8 Standby rack in a dual-rack site cannot be called due to DIP error.................................................37

4.9 Troubleshooting the chain networking fault of B8018....................................................................39

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1 Troubleshooting Principles

1.1 Equipment Operations

 Strictly follow the operation rules of the equipment;

 Put on anti-static wrist straps before touching any hardware of the equipment;

 All operations that is outside the daily maintenance scope are forbidden.

 Note:

The following operations are strictly forbidden: plug/unplug, reset or switch between
the equipment at will; load or modify data at will; modify data in the NMS database at
will.

1.2 Board Operations

 Wear the antistatic strap when handling the boards;

 Before plugging/unplugging or replacing key critical boards, prepare sufficient

personnel and boards to deal with unexpected events;

 Check spare materials and parts regularly to ensure their sufficient stocks and
integrity and prevent them from molding;

 The damaged parts should be marked and kept in antistatic bags, separated from
spare parts.

1.3 Data Maintenance

 Data synchronization and modification should not be done in the daytime; such
operations should be performed in the low-traffic hours (i.e. midnight);

 Operations involving mass data submission should be conducted in the low-

traffic hours (i.e. midnight) if possible;

 Before data modification, data backup should be made. During data

modification, timely records should be made. After data modification, the
backup data should not be deleted until it is confirmed that the system is running
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 normally in a certain period of time (normally one week);

 Periodically backup all data for any emergency needs;

 All databases, especially the performance measurement and alarm databases

should be observed periodically (once every two weeks). If the database size is
too large, delete old useless data to avoid disk overflow errors.

1.4 Rights Management

1． Only one super administrator is allowed in system management.

2． OMC rights and passwords are managed by the super administrator.

3． The rights to log on to the OMC server and client shall be set by different levels.

The maintenance person in charge of the equipment room provides different

rights for the maintenance personnel with varied levels, and allocates accounts
and passwords.

The operation rights are categorized into three levels according to the normal
scope of rights and responsibilities:

 The super administrator has the highest rights of the system, and can perform all
operations;

 The senior operator has no right of user management, but has the following
rights: data configuration and modification, diagnostic test, performance
measurement, and alarm query and status query.

 The operator only has alarm query and status query rights.

4． The passwords to log on to the server and client shall be changed periodically.

1.5 Virus Protection

 The maintenance personnel cannot change network settings and other settings on
the O&M server and client without guidance from the technical personnel.

 Do not use external disks or CDs on the O&M server and client without
permission from the technical personnel.

 Do not run programs that are not related with O&M operations on the server and
client. Do not play games on terminal computers.
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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

 Install legal copies of the antivirus software for each client and never deactivate
the real-time detection function. Keep the virus database updated regularly each
week.

 Install legal copies of the antivirus software for the server with NT system and
never deactivate the real-time detection function. Keep the virus database
updated regularly each week.

1.6 Reporting Faults

The maintenance personnel should settle the problems and faults detected as soon as
possible. If they find serious problems, they should report to the responsible supervisor
immediately and contact the local ZTE office. The whole fault dealing process should
be recorded in detail.

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2 Common Methods of Fault Analysis and
Location

2.1 Viewing alarm and operation logs

Viewing alarm and operation logs is the first method to be adopted when a fault is
detected by the maintenance personnel. It is implemented through the alarm
management and operation log view interface of the BSS operation & maintenance
subsystem iOMCR.

Through the alarm management interface, we can observe and analyze alarm messages
reported from each NE such as current alarms, historical alarms and general
notifications. In this way, we can detect any fault during network running in time and
then locate, isolate and remove it.

By viewing operation logs in user management, we can investigate modifications on

system parameters, locate the relevant responsible terminal and operator as well as
detect faults caused by individual operations in time.

2.2 Indicator status analysis

Indicator status analysis is a common method used by the maintenance personnel when
a fault is found. With this method, we can locate and remove faults by observing the
indicator status on each board panel in the rack.

This method requires the maintenance personnel to be familiar with statuses and their
meanings of indicators on each board.

2.3 Performance analysis

It is implemented through the performance management interface of the BSS operation
& maintenance subsystem iOMCR. Through this interface, maintenance personnel can
perform BSS performance management and signaling tracing.

With the performance management interface, users can create different performance
measurement tasks, generate different performance reports and understand different

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 performance indices of BSS. By analyzing the information, the maintenance personnel
can detect load distribution in the network and adjust network parameters in time to
increase the network performance.

Through the signaling tracing interface, we can trace signaling involved in BSS
(including Gb port signaling), thus facilitating consulting of different signaling flows in
the debugging and maintenance processes as well as detection of problems in the
signaling interworking process.

2.4 Analysis with instruments and meters

In the BTS maintenance process, the maintenance personnel can use auxiliary
instruments such as the test MS, signaling analyzer and error analyzer for fault
analysis, location and removal.

2.5 Plugging/unplugging and pressing

When detecting a board fault, we can loosen the fixation screw in the front panel and
plug or unplug the board and external interface connector. In this way, we can remove
faults caused by poor contact or processor faults.

Pressing the cable connectors after power-off may also eliminate faults caused by
insecure contact.

2.6 Comparison and replacement

The comparison method means to compare a possible faulty board with a board at the
similar position in the system (for example, a board in the same slot in a multi-module
system) from aspects such as the running status, jumper and connection cables. We can
determine whether the board fails through comparison.

Replacement means to replace a possible faulty board with a standby part or another
board of the same type running normally in the system, so as to determine if the board
is faulted.

Caution:

Fault analysis and location may involve board plugging or unplugging operations,
which should be performed according to related requirements.
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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

2.7 Isolation method

When a part of the system fails, it can be isolated from other relevant boards or racks to
determine whether the fault is caused by mutual influence.

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3 General Troubleshooting Methods

3.1 General troubleshooting methods of hardware faults

Alarms Involved

1．DTRU alarm

2．AEM alarm

3．SWR alarm

4．clock alarm

Analysis and Handling

Based on our on-site maintenance experience, most hardware faults are related to the
following reasons:

1． Insecure connection of the RF jumper from the DTRU to the CDU (including
loose jumper and broken cables)

2． Poor heat dissipation (including damaged fans, long-time failure of air-

conditioners, and non-installed blank modules)

3． Insecure of the 8-core socket of the carrier (including poor contact or

oxidization)

4． Poor antenna feeder connection (including unfastened feeder or poor waterproof

conditions)

5． Site breakdown caused by E1 transmission reasons (Most E1 reasons are

transmission reasons, including engineering quality problems such as poor
contact of the E1 interface )

Solutions

1． The AEM standing wave alarms are mainly caused by poor contact of the
antenna feeder and poor contact of the RF jumper from the DTRU to the CDU.
Generally, it can be solved by examining cable or antenna feeder connection.

2． Link breakdown between the carrier and the CMB HDLC is mainly caused by

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 poor contact of the 8-core socket of the carrier. It can be solved by improving
the 8-core socket.

3． The LAPD breakdown alarm is usually related to transmission. It can be solved

by checking transmission quality and the engineering quality of the equipment
room.

4． If the TCH assignment has a high failure rate, check the RF jumpers.

5． Poor heat dissipation may cause various faults, especially the life shortening or
even damage of the power amplifier and the built-in power source of the carrier.
Therefore, alarm and temperature related alarms should be addressed in the
earliest time possible.

General Operations

If the following cases occur, the RF jumper from the DTRU to the CDU should be
replaced:

1． The heat-shrinkable tube is loose.

2． The RF jumper from the DTRU to the CDU is over-twisted.

3． The RF jumper from the DTRU to the CDU has an obvious feeling of heat upon
hand touch.

During the check of E1 lines, the following conditions of the BNC connectors should
be improved:

1． Exposure of copper at the connector end.

2． Open joints, dry joints, missed-out joints, wrong joints, or reverse joints in
welding soldering.

3． The soldering joint has lumps, or is not fully filled.

To check fan faults, you can check the air ventilation volume of the third-level carrier
shelf at the back door of the BTS rack. If there is no wind or a weak wind, check if the
fan subrack is plugged in position or the power cable is well connected. Replace the
fans immediately if any of them is faulty.

Figure 3.1-1 shows how to fix the CDU and the N-type head of the cabinet top jumper
with a spanner.

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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

Figure 3.1-1 Fastening the N-type Head with a Spanner

The RF jumpers on the TX1 and TX2 interfaces of the DTRU and the RJ jumpers on
the TX1 and TX2 interfaces of the CDU should be fastened with a small spanner.
Fasten these jumpers until the spanner cannot move anymore; do not exert too much
power, which may damage the jumpers of the connectors. See the figure below for
details.

Figure 3.1-2 Fasten RF Jumpers from DTRU to CDU with a Small Spanner

3.2 Troubleshooting AEM Faults

Alarms Involved

1． AEM not-in-position alarm

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ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

2． AEM power alarm

3． LNAO over-current alarm

4． AEM type error

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． At the background, check if the configure AEM type is consistent with the actual
SEM type, and if the connection between the AEM and the DTRU is correct in
the configuration data. If AEM type is inconsistent or configuration data is
incorrect, modify background configurations in time.

2 ． Check whether the conditioners and fans on the site are functioning properly.
Install blank modules on slots that are not configured. Then reset the carrier and
observe for 15 minutes to see if the fault continues.

3．Check the RF jumper from the carrier to the CDU. Fasten all cables with a small
spanner and observe if the fault continues. For carrier blocking caused by AEM
not-in-position alarm, reset the carrier after fastening the cables, and then
observe for 5 minutes to see if the fault continues.

4． Check the PWR indicator on the front panel of the CDU.

1) Check if the fuse on the CDU is damaged. If yes, replace the damaged fuse with
a god one of the same specification.

2) If the green indicator is solid on, check if the DIP switches on the CDU are
correct. If not, adjust the DIP switches to make them in the correct positions.
Then plug the CDU in position and turn on the power to check if the fault
continues.

AEM type CDU CEU

(DIP2, DIP1) (ON,OFF) (ON,ON)

5． Plug off the CDU and the DTRU on the same level and check if any pin on the
backplane is bent. If yes, replace the backplane and turn on the power to see if
the fault continues.

6． Replace the CDU.

3.3 Troubleshooting SWR Faults

Alarms Involved
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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

1． Minor alarm for the standing wave ratio of the AEM combiner

2． Major alarm for the standing wave ratio of the AEM combiner.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1 ． Check whether the conditioners and fans on the site are functioning properly.
Install blank modules on slots that are not configured. Then reset the carrier and
observe for 15 minutes to see if the fault continues.

2． Check if the antenna feeder interface of the CDU is firmly connected. If it is

loose, fasten it with the adequate tool. For carrier blocking caused by major
alarms for the SWR of the AEM combiner, reset the carrier after the above
operation, and then observe for 5 minutes to see if the fault continues.

3．Check the RF jumper from the carrier to the CDU. Fasten all cables with a small
spanner and observe if the fault continues. For carrier blocking caused by AEM
not-in-position alarm, reset the carrier after fastening the cables, and then
observe for 5 minutes to see if the fault continues.

4． Use the Site Master VSWR meter to measure the SWR of the jumper between
the CDU and the antenna feeder, and check if the measured SWR exceeds the
normal value. According to the measurement result, examine the antenna feeder
system section by section until you find the faulty point. Then replace the
corresponding feeder, and take proper fastening and waterproof measures.
Afterwards, power on the carrier and check if the fault continues.

5． Plug off the CDU and the DTRU on the same level and check if any pin on the
backplane is bent. If yes, replace the backplane and turn on the power to see if
the fault continues.

6． Replace the CDU, and reset the carrier that connects to the CDU.

3.4 Troubleshooting Clock Faults

Alarms Involved

1． 60ms synchronization clock loss alarm

Troubleshooting Procedure

1 ． Check whether the conditioners and fans on the site are functioning properly.
Install blank modules on slots that are not configured.
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ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

2．Check the RF jumper from the carrier to the CDU. Fasten all cables with a small
spanner.

3． Analyze the origin of the alarm. If all carriers on the auxiliary rack reports this
alarm, then do the following:

1) First, change the 60ms synchronization cable between the main rack and the
auxiliary rack. Then observe for 10–15 minutes to see if the fault continues.

2) Replace the 25-pin clock synchronization line from the BBCM to the rack top
on the auxiliary rack.

3) Check the backplane of the CMB (namely the BBCM) on the main rack and the
auxiliary rack to see if there is any bent pin. If yes, replace the BBCM and
observe for 5 minutes to see if the fault continues.

4) Check if the CMBs on the main rack and the auxiliary rack are firmly plugged in
position. If the CMB is loose, re-plug it to make sure it is firmly inserted into the
slot.

5) Replace the CMBs on the main and auxiliary rack, then observe for 5 minutes to
see if the fault continues.

4． Analyze the origin of the alarm. If all carriers on the main rack reports this
alarm, then do the following:

1) Check the backplane of the CMM (namely BBCM) on the main rack to see if
there is any bent pin. If yes, replace the BBCM and observe for 5 minutes to see
if the fault continues.

2) Replace the 25-pin clock synchronization line from the BBCM to the rack top
on the main rack.

3) Check if the CMB on the main rack is firmly plugged in position. If the CMB is
loose, re-plug it and then observe if the fault continues.

4) Replace CMB.

5． Analyze the origin of the alarm. If all carriers on the same level of the
main rack or the auxiliary rack reports this alarm, then do the following:

1) Check the backplane of the CMB (namely BBCM) on the corresponding rack to
see if there is any bent pin. If yes, replace the BBCM and observe for 5 minutes

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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

to see if the fault continues.

2 Check the backplane of the CMM (namely BBCM) on the corresponding rack to
see if there is any bent pin. If yes, replace the BBCM of this carrier shelf and
observe for 5 minutes to see if the fault continues.

3) Replace the HW cables of the corresponding carrier shelf in the corresponding

rack. Then observe for 5 minutes to see if the fault continues.

3.5 Troubleshooting Carrier Faults

Alarms Involved

1． PA power under-voltage alarm;

2． Carrier forward power 3db alarm；

3． Carrier TXRF/RXRF clock loss alarm;

Troubleshooting Procedure

1 ． Check whether the conditioners and fans on the site are functioning properly.
Install blank modules on slots that are not configured.

2．Check the RF jumper from the carrier to the CDU. Fasten all cables with a small
spanner. Then observe if the fault continues.

3． For the PA power under-voltage alarm, check if the 4-core line of the carrier is
firmly plugged in position.

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ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

Figure 3.5-3 Location of Carrier 4-pin Line

4． If the fault continues, replace the DTRU.

3.6 Troubleshooting Internal Link Faults

Alarms Involved

1． Disconnection of the HW link for a long time

2． Interruption of HDLC link between the carrier and the CMB

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Check if the carrier is powered on. If not, power on all the carriers.

2． If all carriers of the rack of the majority of the carriers in multiple levels report
this alarm, check the pins on the CMB and CMB backplane;

3． If all carriers in a single level of the rack report this alarm, check the HW cable,
pins on the CMB backplane, pins on the carrier backplane, and the DIP on the
carrier backplane;

4． If a single carrier reports this alarm, troubleshoot according to the following

steps:

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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

1) Check the RF jumpers from the carrier to the CDU, and fix all cables with a
small spanner.

2) Rectify the 8-core socket of the carrier.

 Note:

Plug out the 8-core sockets for the DTPB and the DPB, apply lubricants, and
then install the sockets in position. The rectification plan should be
implemented by the engineering team according to the standards.

5． Check the pins on the backplanes of DTRU and CMB, and replace the
backplane that has bent pins.

6． If the fault continues, replace the CMB and the DTRU.

3.7 TroubleshootingTransmission Faults

Alarms Involved

1． BTS LapD link broken;

2． BTS link broken during O&M;

3． Out-of-frame alarm at E1 interface;

4． Slip code notification at E1 interface.

Analysis and Handling

Transmission faults are usually caused by transmission bit error and TS assignment
problems. Basic troubleshooting methods include testing bit errors and checking E1
timeslot assignment.

1． Transmission bit error

Bit errors mean that some bits of the digital stream encounter errors after
reception and regeneration so that the quality of information transmission is
damaged. Bit error decreases system stability and may even cause transmission
breakdown (when Bit Error Rate exceeds 10-5).

Bit errors can be divided into two classes based on network performance.

1) Bit error caused by internal mechanism

Bit errors of this kind in the system include those produced by various noise

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ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

sources, multiplexer, cross-connection equipment, switch and optical fiber

dispersion, and those resulted from phase alignment jitter. Bit errors of this kind
can be shown through long-time system bit error performance.

2) Bit errors generated by pulse interference

These bit errors are generated by outburst pluses such as electromagnetic

interference, equipment failure and transient power interference, etc. Bit errors
of this kind are of burst nature and occur with a large quantity. Bit errors of this
kind can be shown through long-time system bit error performance.

2． TS allocation problem

TS allocation failure means the LapD link of the BTS is broken when
transmission is normal (no transmission alarm is reported).

Major reasons for TS assignment failure include:

1) Back-end configured BSC data and BTS data are inconsistent

The BTS uses the DIP switch to indicate its O&M LapD timeslot. If the back-
end configured data is inconsistent with the DIP switch, the LapD link will be
down.

2) Mismatched transmission cables

When mismatched transmission cables exist in the system, transmission seems

normal on the equipment.

The BSC and the BTS can only detect whether signals are received over one E1
line, and do not detect transmitted signals, so transmission problems cannot be
discovered through alarms. To solve this problem, you can plug out each TX E1
cable, and then check if the peer end can receive signals. The BSC downlink
cable can detect peer end alarms: when the downlink E1 cable is not connected,
the DTB indicator does not flash.

When mismatched transmission cables exist in the system, the BTS cannot start
because uplink and downlink signals cannot communicate normally.

3) E1 timeslot add/drop device during the transmission results in inconsistent

timeslot assignment between BSC and BTS

The timeslot add/drop device multiplex the E1 timeslots for different equipment

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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

on one E1 cable for transparent transmission.

If the timeslot add/drop device has data configuration error or faults, then the
timeslots for the BTS cannot be correctly transmitted transparently over the E1
cable, so the LapD of the BTS cannot be accessed.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Check if only one site has broken LadP links. If many sites have the same
problem, it may be caused by the DTB and SPB of the BSC.

2． Self-loop the transmission side to confirm the problem. If transmission is

abnormal, check the transmission side. If transmission is normal, troubleshoot
the fault on the BTS.

3． After arriving at the site, check if it is powered on and if the DIPs are correct.
Make sure the site DIPs are correct and then power on the site to see if the fault
continues.

4． Self-loop the E1 cable between the DDF and the BTS, and observe if the SYN
indicator on the CMB is off. If not, replace the E1 jumper on the cabinet top and
observe if the fault continues.

5． Check if the E1 cable is laid out and the BNC head is made according to the
standards. If not, the E1 cable or the BNC head should be redone.

6． Check the E1 cable connection in the entire BTS equipment room for self loops
or mismatched cables.

7． Check if the BTS grounding complies with the standard. If not, the grounding
should be rectified.

8． Self-loop the E1 signal cables between the Optical Transceiver and the DDF and
observe if the loop is continuous or if there are bit errors. If there is any
exception, check the transmission.

9． Rest the CMB and observe if the fault continues.

3.8 Troubleshooting One-Way Silence, Both-Way Silence and Noise

Problems
Description

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ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

1． Stray noise is usually intermittent, short burst sound such as metal clashing and
popping sound.

2． Noise is usually continuous abnormal sound such as the sound of slight

explosions and soft breezes.

3． One-way silence, two-way silence and intermittent audio. These phenomena are
classified according to two standards. According to the silence direction, silence
calls are classified into one-way and two-way silence calls; according to audio
continuity, silence calls are classified into continuous silence calls and
intermittent calls.

Analysis and Handling

 Note:

Noise: For noise problems, knowing the direction of the noise flow is necessary.
Silence is caused by audio signal loss during transmission, while noise is caused by
sound that should not be in the system. The noise flow direction of the noise can guide
the engineer to locate the origin of the noise, whether it is on the UL/DL channels, or
the TX/RX part of the system.

Silence: Silence includes one-way silence, two-way silence and intermittent audio
(silence that last seconds or dozens of seconds).The direction of the silence can guide
the engineer to locate the origin of the silence, whether it is caused by the UL/DL
channels, or the TX/RX part of the system.

Determine the direction and intercept the signals section by section.

1． After the problem recurs through repeated dialing attempts, the caller and the
called party do not hang up. With the subscriber query function of the MSC,
determine the radio cell and the A interface circuit number occupied by the call.
Then monitor the call section by section using listening equipment (LITE3000,
bit error monitoring equipment such as Sunlite).

2． Start troubleshooting from the downlink. First, check if audio loss or noise
occurs at the A interface or is resulted from the MSC.

1) If the problem is resulted from the MSC, the troubleshooting should focus on
upstream devices and lines of the A interface;

2) If the A interface is normal, monitor the Abis interface;

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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

3) If the Abis interface is normal, the noise or silence is caused by the BTS side;

4) If the Abis interface is abnormal, then the problem is caused by the BSC.

Caution:

Note that uplink and downlink signals are relative concepts. For example, if two
subscribers in the same cell are communicating with each other, the uplink signals from
one subscriber becomes downlink signals to the other after going through the MSC.
This creates confusion for the location of the fault. Therefore, it is recommended to dial
from a fixed telephone, which prevents the two bidirectional channels when two
mobile subscribers are communicating with each other.

During segmentation interception, focus on endpoint of each section (that is the access
point of interception equipment). Probably, the problem just lies in this connection
points and cable welding positions.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Collect complaints and carry out a preliminary analysis to determine the scope
of the fault: whether it exists in the entire network, or one site, or multiple sites.

2． If the fault is on the BSC side, test the A interface timeslots, and monitor the A
interface if the conditions allow. Troubleshoot any fault found immediately.

3． If the fault is on the BTS side, locate it according to the following steps.

1) Based on the performance statistics report, analyze whether the carrier

frequency has interference, whether the uplink and downlink RQ is poor, and
analyze other KPIs at the background.

2) At the background, analyze the current alarms, historical alarms and

notifications of the corresponding site.

3) At the foreground, confirm whether the air-conditioner at the site works

normally, and measure if the indoor temperature exceeds the working range of
the BTS (45 ºC).Feel the wind blowing from the carrier subrack to confirm if
the fans are faulted, and troubleshoot the faults. Install blank modules on slots
that are not configured. Then reset the carrier and observe for 15 minutes to see
if the fault continues.

4) Check the RF jumper from the carrier to the CDU. During on-site

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ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

troubleshooting, first check all RF jumpers of the rack and replace any jumper
that is broken or overheated. Fix all cables should with a small spanner and reset
the carrier. Then observe for 5–15 minutes to see if the fault continues.

5) Exchange faulty boards with normal boards in the same rack to determine
whether the fault is on the board or the slot.

6) Plug out the CMB, CDU and DTRU and check if there is any bent pin on the
backplane. If yes, replace the backplane. Then power on the BTS to see if the
fault continues.

7) Check if the grounding is correct, if devices in the equipment room share the
same ground, and if the cabinets are connected with the equopotential cables.

4． After the troubleshooting steps above, BTS generated one-way silence, two-way
silence and noise problems can be solved.

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4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

4.1 Subscribers in the cell of a new BTS cannot be called

Description

After a new BTS is deployed, the subscribers complain that they cannot establish a
connection with the caller when they are called, but the callers have no such problems.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． In the beginning, only few subscribers complained. After they changed their cell
phones and SIM cards, the problem continued. In the HLR, all subscriber
information is normal. After registering the SIM cards again and restarting
subscriber MS, the problem continued.

2． Frequency planning and BTS background data configurations are checked, and
no problem is found.

3． BTS hardware and the antenna feeder system are checked and found normal.

4． CQT tests in the three cells covered by the BTS reveal that this problem exists in
all three cells. As long as the subscribers use signals from the BTS, they cannot
be called.

5． Frequency lock test on the site shows that the receiving level and quality is
normal after the frequency is locked.

6． Considering switch data configuration error, we checked the BTS information

and found that the LAC configured in the exchange is different from the LAC
configured on the BTS. The fault is removed after the LAC is modified on the
exchange.

Fault Summary

The new BTS and other BTSs that share the same BSC have different LAC areas: the
LAC area of other BTSs is the same LAC area, while the LAC area of the new BTS is
different. The replication function during BTS exchange data preparation is a probable
cause for this, because the operator may have copied exchange data from another BTS
without changing the LAC area. It is therefore very important to check the consistency
23
 between exchange data and BTS data during BTS commissioning.

When callers are normal but the called subscribers report faults, we should first
consider exchange data problems.

4.2 Single BTS congestion due to insufficient OMU timeslots

Description

After the iBSC16 of a service area is successfully cut over, it has been experiencing
frequent congestion problems. Performance indices show shat the 1800 BTS occupies
2/3 of all the congestions of the BSC. Solving the congestion of this BTS will greatly
reduce the BSC congestion rate.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Capacity expansion and optimization

The BTS 1800M is configured as S323, and after migration three cells suffer
from severe congestion, as shown in the table below.

Call Traffic Statistics 1

TCH congestion rate

Start Time End Time Site ID Cell ID
(including handover) (%)
2008-05-30
2008-05-30 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 4 2.11%
2008-05-30
2008-05-30 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 5 1.79%
2008-05-30
2008-05-30 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 6 2.84%
2008-05-31
2008-05-31 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 4 5.24%
2008-05-31
2008-05-31 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 5 3.94%
2008-05-31
2008-05-31 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 6 11.42%
2008-06-01
2008-06-01 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 4 5.04%
2008-06-01
2008-06-01 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 5 3.86%

24
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

TCH congestion rate

Start Time End Time Site ID Cell ID
(including handover) (%)
2008-06-01
2008-06-01 22:00:00 23:00:00 45 6 11.05%

To solve this problem from its root, we expanded the capacity of the site to
S444.However, congestion still continued, traffic per channel was quite low, and
the congestion rate was still high.

2． Hardware Check

After capacity expansion, congestion continued and traffic per channel was low,
as shown in the table below.

We doubted that congestion may be caused by hardware faults, which render

some timeslots or carriers unavailable.

Call Traffic Statistics 2

Service
channel
Site Cell Average hourly
Start Time End Time congestion
ID ID traffic over TCH
rate (including
handover) (%)
2008-06-02 2008-06-02
22:00:00 23:00:00 45 4 3.43% 0.3081
2008-06-02 2008-06-02
22:00:00 23:00:00 45 5 3.43% 0.2832
2008-06-02 2008-06-02
22:00:00 23:00:00 45 6 7.27% 0.151

1) Carrier measurement and analysis revealed no problem. So the problem may be

that subscribers cannot be assigned proper timeslots.

2) Test personnel arrive at the site and dialed the 12 carriers of the site timeslot by
timeslot, and found that all timeslots can be normally occupied and all calls were
normal. This shows that all timeslots are normal and carrier fault is excluded.

3． DIP Switch

If the DIP switch is not dialed, it may also cause congestion. Our personnel
found that the DIP switch was not inserted, so they inserted the DIP switch and
restarted the CMB. Performance indices showed that congestion continued.

25
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

4． Data Check

After excluding hardware faults, we considered if the problem was caused by

background configuration data error.

The BTS engineer checked the configuration data and found that the BTS had
insufficient LAPD timeslots, so some carriers are forbidden from access when
many carriers are occupied at the same time. This is what caused the severe
congestion.

After adding one OMU according to configuration rules, the congestion problem
was solved.

 Note:

According to ZTE regulations, one OMU slot should be configured if there are 1–6
carriers, two OMU slots should be configured if there are 7–16 carriers, three OMU
slots should be configured if there are 17–26 carriers, and four OMU slots should be
configured if there are 27–36 carriers. This BTS should be configured with two OMU
timeslots. The OMU timeslot is used to process LAPD signaling. Insufficient OMU
timeslots may cause signaling congestion and subscriber connection failure.

Fault Summary

The congestion of a single BTS may be caused by the following:

TCH congestion. For this problem, capacity expansion is the most effective solution.

Hardware faults. For this problem, troubleshoot hardware faults.

Poor transmission quality.

Improper data configuration. For this problem, configure the data reasonably to reduce
congestion caused by improper traffic distribution. In this example, the congestion is
caused by improper OMU timeslot configuration.

4.3 High TCH congestion rate of the BTS caused by poor

transmission quality
Description

An indoor site of an office uses the V3 equipment and adopts the S444 carrier
configuration. Massive congestion occurs when many channels are free. Sometimes

26
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

several channel access requests may result in congestion, and the congestion rate may
reach 100% in a very short time. The equipment reports no alarms, and traffic statistics
and available channels of the carrier are all good.

On March 16, the engineers blocked the timeslots and then unblocked them, and
increased the carrier power by 4 dB. Congestion disappeared for a period. On March
24, severe congestion appeared again. On March 25, Abis interface signaling tracing
revealed that the BTS directly reports the no resource message to the MSC and the
MSC issues the DISCONNECT message, so the BSC deems it as a congestion.
However, TCHs are available at this time.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． View the performance report

1) The report shows that the TCH has a high congestion rate, and the SDCCH has a
zero congestion rate.

TCH
congestion
rate
SDCCH SDCCH TCH (excluding
Congestion drop rate available handover)
Start Time End Time Cell Rate (%) (%). rate (%) (%)
2009-03-25 13:00:00 2009-03-25 13:15:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 23.08%
2009-03-25 13:15:00 2009-03-25 13:30:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 80.00%
2009-03-25 13:30:00 2009-03-25 13:45:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 28.57%
2009-03-25 13:45:00 2009-03-25 14:00:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 30.00%
2009-03-25 14:00:00 2009-03-25 14:15:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 75.00%
2009-03-25 14:15:00 2009-03-25 14:30:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 78.57%
2009-03-25 14:30:00 2009-03-25 14:45:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00%
2009-03-25 14:45:00 2009-03-25 15:00:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 0.00%
2009-03-25 15:00:00 2009-03-25 15:15:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 52.38%
2009-03-25 15:15:00 2009-03-25 15:30:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 15.38%
2009-03-25 15:30:00 2009-03-25 15:45:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 97.14%
2009-03-25 15:45:00 2009-03-25 16:00:00 ZMCA21_0 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 6.25%

2) View CS basic measurement data at the same period, which shows many TCU
occupation failures.

27
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

Times of Times of Times of Times of

attempts on TCH/F attempts on TCH/F
TCH/F occupancy TCH/F occupancy
occupancy failure (voice) occupancy failure
(voice) (for (for (voice) (for (voice) (for
Start Time End Time Cell assignment) assignment) handover) handover)
2009-03-25 11:00:00 2009-03-25 12:00:00 ZMCA21_0 100 60 57 29
2009-03-25 12:00:00 2009-03-25 13:00:00 ZMCA21_0 78 13 58 18
2009-03-25 13:00:00 2009-03-25 14:00:00 ZMCA21_0 82 30 106 60
2009-03-25 14:00:00 2009-03-25 15:00:00 ZMCA21_0 100 44 39 12
2009-03-25 15:00:00 2009-03-25 16:00:00 ZMCA21_0 85 48 43 25
2009-03-25 16:00:00 2009-03-25 17:00:00 ZMCA21_0 212 168 44 26
2009-03-25 17:00:00 2009-03-25 18:00:00 ZMCA21_0 195 150 59 21
2009-03-25 18:00:00 2009-03-25 19:00:00 ZMCA21_0 99 40 26 1
2009-03-25 19:00:00 2009-03-25 20:00:00 ZMCA21_0 113 98 30 22

2． View alarms

No alarms are found.

3． Analyze the OMU

This site already has a high configuration, and congestion also occurs when the
traffic is low. So carrier access forbidden due to insufficient OMU timeslots can
be excluded. Configuration shows two OMU timeslots are configured, which is
quite sufficient.

4． Trace signaling

Signaling messages show that after the MSC sends the call proceeding message
for 3 seconds, the MSC sends the disconnect message that says no channel is
available.

28
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

5． Analyze transmission

1) Poor transmission quality may have caused Abis resource pool congestion. So
we created an E1 measurement task under iBSC.

2) The DTB connected to this BTS is PCM115 in Slot 11 of Shelf 1 in Rack 2.The
29
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

measurement task shows many local end bit error seconds and transmission
quality is not good.

3) View Abis timeslot status on Dynamic Data Management. It shows severe Abis
timeslot blocking.

4) Summarizing the analysis above, the problem is caused by poor transmission

quality, which clocks timeslots in the Abis resource pool so that TCHs cannot be
assigned.

6． After the transmission quality is improved, the congestion is solved.

Fault Summary

In this example, performance report, signaling tracing and alarm management are used
to quickly narrow down the fault to transmission quality, and OMC tools such as
diagnosis test, performance management and dynamic data management are used to
confirm the transmission fault. Use of multiple methods and tools together with
experience on the current network is an effective method to solve such faults.

Poor transmission is a major reason for congestion problems, and should be considered
during on-site troubleshooting.

30
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

4.4 Frequent intermittent disconnection of the B8018 site

Description

Every night between 6 pm to 10 pm, the site has frequent intermittent disconnections.

Troubleshooting Procedure

Reasons for intermittent BTS disconnection include:

1) Transmission quality problems, such as bit error and bit slip;

2) Equipment board faults;

3) Clock problems;

4) Hardware problems of the transmission cables;

5) Grounding problems;

6) Power fluctuations.

After replacing the CMB, CMB backplane, CMB board slot, EIB, backplanes of each
shelf and backplane cables, the fault continued. So it is not caused by equipment
boards.

After replacing the transmission cables on the cabinet top, from the CMB backplane to
the cabinet top, and from the BSC equipment room to the trunk office, the fault
continued. So it is not caused by hardware problems of the transmission cables.

Meanwhile, test shows that transmission on this site has no bit error or bit slip.

Other sites that are not the same transmission link of this BTS have no such problem,
so clock problems can be excluded.

Observation of the site shows that the transmission equipment and the BTS equipment
are not on the same floor, the equipment room for the BTS equipment is not well
grounded, and the grounding point and the transmission equipment do not share the
same ground. Since the fault occurs in specific period, it may be caused by power
fluctuations during peak hours at night.

Based on the experience of the same faults we encountered before, we conducted

further tests and found that voltage difference exists between the BTS transmission
cable end and the transmission cable end of the transmission equipment (One end has
voltage while the other not; normally both ends should have no voltage), which is
caused because the devices do not share the same ground. This voltage difference
31
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

caused transmission quality change during peak power consumption hours at night,
thus resulting in intermittent disconnection of the BTS.

Therefore, the disconnection of the BTS is caused by the voltage difference when the
devices on both ends do not share the same ground. After connecting them to the same
ground, the fault is eliminated.

Fault Summary

Many hidden faults are caused by poor engineering quality, but troubleshooting usually
starts from the equipment. Hence many faults cannot be solved in the first time. This
example shows the importance of engineering quality.

Use joint grounding for GSM grounding, that is, device's AC working ground, DC
working ground, protection earth, antistatic ground, and lightning protection ground
share same ground grid.

避雷针
Lightning Conductor

Earthing地排
Bar
3rd Floor
3层

设备
Device
Earthing Cable

Earthing Bar
地排
避雷针引下线

2nd Floor
2层

设备
Device
Lightning

VR

地排
Earthing Bar

1层
1st Floor

Earthing Concentration Cable

接地总汇集线

Ground
地面 Earthing Connection
接地引入线

地下
Underground

地网
Ground Grid

32
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

Figure4.4-4 Joint Grounding

4.5 Low handoff success rate caused by wrong usage of lightning

arrester for antenna feeder
Description

The overall handoff success rate of a BSC suddenly dropped to 88%, while previously
the handoff success rate was above 94%.This BSC is responsible for 80 BTSs and 339
carriers, which are located in the remote countryside.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Observe the intra-cell performance indices in the recent period. Cells that have
low handoff success rates are found. The traffic indices of cells 1, 2 and 3 of
BTS A are:
Cell-in handoff failure times within BSC: 515, 27, 23;
Cell-out handoff failure times within BSC: 16, 10, 29.
The handoff indices of other cells under this BSC are normal, which means the
overall drop of handoff success rate is caused by BTS A.

2． After inquiry, we found that the cabinet location was changed during a recent
engineering modification, and the antennae and the TA remained as before.
According to this message, and based on the occurrence date of the fault, we
narrowed down the cause to BTS hardware problems.

3． During on-site road test, forced handoff test is conducted to find out that handoff
from cells of other BTSs to any cell of BTS A mostly fail, which means BTS A
is indeed the source of the problem.

4． Test of the antenna feeder SWR of the three cells show that the SWRs for the
TX and RX antenna feeder are all below 1.5, and the background has no SWR
alarms.

5． This BTS uses the V3 equipment and adopts the S222 no-combiner mode with
the TA. The internal cabling of the cabinet was not changed during engineering
modification, so the antennae feeder should be checked. Check of the feeder
tube found no crossing. When checking the lightning arrester, we found that on
12 feeder tubes, six lightning arresters were LAT1000-K15-N and six were
LAT1000-H-N.Meanwhile, we found that the lightning arrester models in the

33
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

RX feeder tube were inconsistent, and it was the same case with the RX feeder
tube. Obviously the lightning arresters were not correctly installed.

 Note:

According to lightning arrester characteristics, LAT1000-K15-N should be used on the

RX feeder tube and LAT1000-H-N should be used on the TX feeder tube. Incorrect
usage may cause unbalanced UL/DL signals of the cell, thus causing a drop in the
success rate of handoff between cells.

6． We therefore changed the installation locations of the lightning arresters so that

the six TX feeder tubes use LAT1000-H-N while the six RX feeder tubes use
LAT1000-K15-N.

7． After changing the lightning arresters, road test showed that handoff from other
cells to any cell of BTS A mostly succeeded.

8． On the next day, we observed the traffic measurement statistics indices for cell
handoff performance of BTS A: Cell-in handoff failure times within BSC: 515,
27, 23;Cell-out handoff failure times within BSC: 16, 10, 29. The overall
handoff success rate of the BSC became 94.32% and the problem was solved.

Fault Summary

Some lightning arresters have a narrow work bandwidth, and lightning arresters for RX
feeders and TX feeders use different frequency bands. If they are inversely installed,
faults in this example may occur.

4.6 Coverage shrinkage due to insufficient cabinet top transmitting

power
Description

Equipment fault results in insufficient cabinet top transmitting power that causes
coverage shrinkage. This problem can be found via background alarm and performance
analysis, or through on-site measurement of the cabinet top transmitting power.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Carrier internal fault. The background reports PA output power alarms.

2． The cable from the carrier to the CDU has a high attenuation, and the
background reports the PA voltage SWR alarm of the TRM;
34
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

3． CDU fault or the CDU does not support the currently used frequency;

4． The low power carrier is used, such as using 40 W carrier as the 60 W carrier;

5． The cable from the CDU to the cabinet top is damaged, causing a high
attenuation;

6． The cables inside the cabinet are not firmly connected, causing a high
attenuation;

Fault Summary

This problem often occurs at the site, and can be solved by replacing boards and RF
jumpers after alarms are reported.

For large sites, the carriers need to be combined many times before reaching the
cabinet top, so the transmitting power of the cabinet top is inherently low. Therefore,
when judging whether the coverage of a BTS is shrinking, we should first know the
theoretical coverage of the BTS under its current configurations.

4.7 LAPD inaccessible due to CMB and EIB DIP error of the BTS
Description

When deploying a site, the iBSC shows that the E1 line is not connected all the time.
The OMC reports the LAPD link broken alarm.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． First, we need to troubleshoot the transmission problems.

1) Conduct loop-back tests on the iBSC side. The E1 line loopback in the iBSC
equipment room is normal, and the loopback of cables between the DDR and the
iBSC in the BTS equipment room is normal. Loop back the cable between the
DDF of the BTS equipment room and the BTS, the BTS SYN indicator is off,
which is normal.

2) The result of remote end loop-back test is normal. So transmission faults are
excluded.

2． Check with the signaling tracing tool finds no OAM signaling.

3． After replacing the E1 cable from the DDF to the BTS, the problem continued.

4． After replacing the CMB, the problem continued.

35
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

5． After modifying BTS data on iOMCR and replicating the correct data of the test
BTS to this BTS, the problem continued.

6． Check the impedance DIP switch of CMB and EIB. The DIP switch did not
match the 120 Ohm mode. After modifying the DIP switch and power on the
BTS, the CMB indicator of the BTS and the DTB E1 indicator of the iBSC are
normal, and the LAPD link broken alarm disappears.

Fault Summary

To solve link broken problems, first confirm if there is transmission fault and then
detect hardware faults.

After self-loop on the BTS side, you need to reset the CMB before checking indicator
status.

4.8 Standby rack in a dual-rack site cannot be called due to DIP

error
Description

The standby rack in a dual-rack site cannot be called. The downlink calling of Cell 1 of
the active rack is normal, but Cell 2 of the standby rack and Cell 3 of both racks cannot
be called normally.

This office opened a batch of dual-rack 8018 sites with S888 configuration in
emergency, including both 900M and 1800M sites. Afterwards, many subscribers
complained of call difficulty.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1．Check transmission configuration.

1) The A and B interfaces on the main rack top were connected to the BSC;

2) The E interface on the active rack top is connected to the A interface of the
standby rack.

2． Signaling analysis

1) Analysis of signaling of Cell 2 and Cell 3 found no problem with the SDCCH
assignment and occupation. When the MS initiates a call and waits for the BSC
to assign the TCH, it receives the disconnect message from the network saying

36
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

that "No circuit/channel available", which means that TCH assignment may
have problems.

2) Analysis of the CS signaling on the Abis interface found many CMM connection
failures.

3) Further signaling analysis found that carriers that have connection failure are
Carriers 7 and 8 in Cell 2 and 3, while the carrier connection in Cell 1 is normal.

 Note:

As seen from the signaling message CMM connection command, this signaling
message is used to notify the BTS to establish a dynamic connection relations between
the radio channel and the Abis pool timeslots. This dynamic connection relation should
be created when the BSC is assigning TCHs. Connection failure will inevitably cause
TCH assignment failure.

3． Since connection failure occurs only to carriers of the standby rack, it may
probably be caused by DIP error of the active rack. On-site examination shows
that the DIPs of the active/standby racks are as follows, and the DIPs of
Slave1_port and Slave2_port on the active rack are set to the E interface.

1) Active rack S2:11000000 S1:00000000

2) Standby rack S2:11000100 S1:00000000

4． Change the DIPs as follows:

1) Active rack S2:11000000 S1:11000000

2) Standby rack S2:11000100 S1:00000000

37
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

5． Restart the BTS and the fault is removed.

 Note:

A message link needs to be created between the active and standby racks for message
(such as CMM connection command) transmission purposes. The active rack creates
this message link according to DIP settings. When the active rack reads
slave1_port(00), it creates the message link to Standby Rack 1 to TS 31 of the E
interface; when it reads slave2_port(00), it creates the message link to Standby Rack 2
to TS 31 of the E interface, thus overwriting the message link to Standby Rack 1 and
disabling CMM connection commands from being sent to Standby Rack 1 and causing
connection failure.

Fault Summary

When a BTS is configured in the multiple cabinet mode, cascading connection mode or
the transparent channel mode, SLAVE1_PORT and SLAVE2_PORT are most likely to
be incorrectly configured. Note the following about their configurations:

1． In the dual cabinet mode, SLAVE1_PORT is set as the port connecting the
standby cabinet, and SLAVE2_PORT cannot be the same as SLAVE1_PORT.

2． In the cascading connection mode, the SLAVE1_PORT and SLAVE2_PORT

settings of the upper-layer site cannot be the same as that of the E1 interface for
cascading connection; they must be configured as ports other than cascading
ports.

3． When using the E/F/G/H interface to connect transparent channels, the settings
of SLAVE1_PORT and SLAVE2_PORT cannot be the same as that of the E1
interface.

If a site has multiple racks, call tests must be done on carriers of the standby racks.

4.9 Troubleshooting the chain networking fault of B8018

Description

The upper-level site is successfully started, but the lower-level site cannot start
and download software and data. The alarm management interface shows that
the site transmission is broken down.
Troubleshooting Procedure

38
 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

1． Analysis.The upper-level site can be started, which means the transmission from
the BSC to the upper-level site is good. Therefore, the problem may lie in the
transmission between the upper-level site and the lower-level site or data
configuration.

2． Check data configuration. The O&M timeslot of the upper-level site is TS 16 of

PCM1, and the O&M timeslot of the lower-level site is TS 31 of PMC1; The
upper-level site connects to the BSC via Port A, and the lower-site connects to
Port E of the upper-level site via Port A. Data configuration is good.

3． Check the DIP setting for Site ID. The ID2, ID1 and ID0 for the upper-level Site
ID were set to 000, corresponding to O&M TS16; the ID2, ID1 and ID0 for the
lower-level Site ID were set to 001, corresponding to O&M TS31. The DIP
settings were correct.

4． Check the transmission from the upper-level site to the BSC. Self-loop the E1
cable between the DDR and the BSC on the upper-level site, and test result
shows that E1 transmission is normal; bit error rate check shows that all
timeslots transmitted by this E1 cable are normal.

5． Check the physical connections of the E1 transmission.

1) Physical connections between the upper-level site and the BSC include: E1 Line
1 and E1 Line 5 (75 ohm thin coaxial cable) that connect to the E1 Port1 on the
cabinet top. They are correctly connected to the DDF.

2) Check physical connections between the upper-level site and the lower-level
site.On the upper-level site side, E1 Line 3 and E1 Line 7 (75 ohm thin coaxial
cable) that connect to the E1 Port1 on the cabinet top are connected to the DDF,
which is wrong.

 Note:

For B8018, the cabinet top has two E1 Ports, namely E1 Port1 and E1 Port2. E1 Port1
supports 4 pairs of E1 lines: A(1&5), B(2&6), C(3&7) and D(4&6), and E1 Port2
supports 4 pairs of E1 lines: E(1&5), F(2&6), G(3&7) and H(4&6).Therefore, in the
cascading connection of B8018, the upper-level site needs two E1 lines that are
respectively connected to E1 Port1 and E1 Port2. E1 Lines 1&5 on E1 Port1
(corresponding to Port A) are connected to the BSC, while E1 Lines 2&5 on E1 Port2
(corresponding to Port E) are connected to the lower-level site.

39
ZXG10 B8018 Troubleshooting

3) On the lower-level site, the E1 Line 1 and E1 Line 5 (75 ohm thin coaxial cable)
that connect to the E1 Port1 on the cabinet top are correctly connected to the
upper-level site.

6． Change the E1 lines that connect the upper-level and lower-level sites to E1
Port2 (Port E).

7． The transmission of the lower-level site is solved. But new faults occur.

Description

After the transmission is normal, the lower-level site begins to download software and
data. After download is complete, all CDUs report the AEM not in position alarm,and
all carriers report the TPU power alarm. Dynamic Data Management shows that the
CU operation status for all channels is blocked.

Troubleshooting Procedure

1． Check data configuration. The site type is correctly configured as B8018 on the
OMC.

2． Check the physical connection between the DTRU and the RF cable of CDU.
Background data shows that the physical connection between the DTRU and the
RF cable of CDU on the BTS side is correct.

3． Check if the RF cable is connected properly, and fasten the connector with a
small spanner. The fault continues.

4． Check the hardware of DTRU and CDU. After replacing the faulty DTRU and
CDU with spare ones, the fault continues.

5． Check the DIP setting for Site ID. During this check, we found that ID15 to D12
were all set to 0, which was wrong. For the B8018 site, these four digits should
be set to 1100.

6． After changing the Site ID, the fault was removed.

Fault Summary

B8018 is designed with two E1 ports, and E1 Port 2 must be used to connect to the
lower-level BTS in when B8018 is used as a cascading BTS.

Many problems are caused by DIP error, so the engineering staff should be familiar
with the use of the DIP switches of B8018. Meanwhile, front-end and back-end

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 4 Fault Troubleshooting Cases

configurations should be kept consistent.

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