SENG42283 – Mobile

Networks
Transmission Fundamentals

Sadeepa Sepala
sadeepa.sepala@gmail.com
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Radio Waves

■ Electromagnetic Radiation (Radio Waves) comprises both

an Electric and Magnetic Field.
■ Two fields are right angles to each other and direction of
propagation is at right angles to both fields
■ The plane of electric field defines the Polarization of the
wave
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Modes of Propagation
■ Ground- Wave Propagation
■ Sky Wave Propagation
■ Line of sight (direct) Propagation
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Ground Wave Propagation

Ground wave progresses along the surface of the earth, ie- the
signal follows the contour of the earth and can travel
considerable distance. Frequencies up to 2 MHz exhibits this
mode of propagation.
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Sky Wave Propagation

In sky wave propagation the waves reflects back to the earth by
Ionosphere of the earth's atmosphere. The signal is reflected
from the ionized layers of the atmosphere and travel forward
with number of hops.( main mode for frequencies 2~30Mhz)
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Line of sight Propagation

In this mode wave travels in straight line and requires a path
where both antennas are visible to each other (ie. within Line of
sight). Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency
(UHF) typically happens with this mode.
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Line of Sight Distance

■ Optical Line of Sight
○ d = 3.57 √h

■ Radio Line of sight.

○ d = 3.57 √(Kh)

■ Where
○ d - distance between antenna and horizon (km)
○ h - height of the antenna (m)
○ K - adjustment for refraction (4/3)
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Line of Sight Distance between two

antennas
■ d = 3.57 {√(Kht) + √(Khr)}

■ Where
○ d - distance between antenna and horizon (km)
○ ht - height of the transmitting antenna (m)
○ hr- height of the receiving antenna (m)
○ K - adjustment for refraction (4/3)
Radio Wave Propagation

■ Propagation Effects
■ Attenuation and Free space loss
■ Fresnel Zones
■ Atmospheric absorption
■ Refraction
■ Fading - Multipath
■ Noise - Thermal
Free Space Path Loss
■ Free-space path loss (FSPL) is the loss in signal strength of
an electromagnetic wave that would result from a line-of-
sight path through free space, with no obstacles nearby to
cause reflection or diffraction. The FSPL appears in vacuum
under ideally conditions, e.g. a radio communication
between satellites.Atmospheric absorption
Free Space Path Loss
■ Free-space path loss (FSPL) - Alternate formulae
○ d - in km and f in MHz

FSPL(dB) = 20log10(dkm) + 20log10(fMHz) + 32.5

○ Including Antenna gains (GT, GR - Transmit, Receive)

in dB.

FSPL(dB) = 20log10(dkm) + 20log10(fMHz) + 32.5 + GT +GR

Link Budget
■ Accounting of power levels from transmitter to receiver.

■ Power at Mobile receiver > sensitivity of Mobile receiver.

Fresnel Zones
■ Free-space path loss (FSPL) formula can only be applied if
the direct line of sight between transmitter and receiver is
not obstructed.
■ In this case specific region around the LOS should be
cleared from any obstructions. This region is called “Fresnel
Ellipsoid”
Fresnel Zones
■ Fresnel Ellipsoid is the set of all points around the LOS
where the total length of the connecting lines to the
transmitter and receiver is longer than the LOS length by
exactly a half a wavelength. It can be shown that this region
is caring the main power flow from transmitter to the
receiver.
Fresnel Zones
■ Fresnel Ellipsoid is the set of all points around the LOS
where the total length of the connecting lines to the
transmitter and receiver is longer than the LOS length by
exactly a half a wavelength. It can be shown that this region
is caring the main power flow from transmitter to the
receiver.
Thermal Noise
■ “the electronic noise generated by the thermal agitation of
the electrons inside an electrical conductor at equilibrium.”
■ Present in all electronic devices and medium and cannot be
eliminated ( at absolute zero ?? )
■ Function of temperature and independent of frequency
■ Amount of Thermal Noise power found in any device per
1Hz of bandwidth is

○ N0 = kT in (W/Hz)

Where
k - Boltzman Constant (1.3803x10-23 J/K)
T - Absolute Temperature ( ie Temperature in
Kelvin)
Thermal Noise
■ Alternate Formulae
○ Thermal noise present in B Hz of Bandwidth
■ N = kTB in Watts

Thermal noise present in B Hz of Bandwidth in dBw

■ N = 228.6 + 10log(T) + 10log(B)
Other Types of Noise
■ Intermodulation Noise
○ Is the amplitude modulation of signals containing two or
more frequencies. This generates additional signals that
are not integer multiples of original signal frequencies.

■ Cross Talk
○ Is the disturbance caused by electric or magnetic fields
of one communication system affecting a signal in
adjacent circuit.

■ Impulse Noise
○ Irregular pulses of short duration and relatively high
amplitude.
Signal to Noise Ratio
Diffraction
■ Radio Waves are ‘bend’ or ‘curved’ around objects
○ Occurs at objects which are in the size order of the wave
length
○ Bending angle increases if object thickness is smaller
compared to wavelength
○ Causes attenuation - diffraction loss
Diffraction
■ Knife edge diffraction
Diffraction
■ Knife edge diffraction function
Terrain Modeling
■ Topography - Effective antenna height, Knife edge
diffraction (multiple obstructions)
■ Surface shape/ Morphostructural - Correction factors
Terrain Modeling : Hata - Okumura model
■ Hata - Okumura model for GSM 900
Terrain Modeling : Hata - Okumura model
■ Corrections to Hata - Okumura model
Thank You !