Microwave Network Planning and Design - Frequency Planning

Microwave Network
Planning and Design--

Frequency Planning
Microwave Frequency Planning
Purpose of frequency planning:
Make reasonable use of the frequency resources so

that the new microwave links and existing ones do
not interfere with each other and the system
availability of the microwave network can be
ensured. In the process of planning for the
microwave network, appropriate frequency bands
and channels should be selected and interference
avoidance should also be taken into account.
Page 2
Frequency 4 GHz L6 GHz U6 GHz 7 GHz 8 GHz 11 GHz 13 GHz 15 GHz 18 GHz 23 GHz 26 GHz 38 GHz
Band
Range Microwave Frequency Planning

3.6-4.2 5.9-6.4 6.4-7.1 7.1-7.7 7.7-8.5 10.7-11.7 12.7-13.2 14.5-15.3 17.7-19.7 21.1-23.6 24.5-26.5 37.0-39.5
Division of microwave frequency bands:
Infrared Visible
LF MF HF VHF UHF SHF EHF rays light
Microwave
 10 Km 1 Km 100 m 10 m 1m 10 cm 1 cm 1 mm
f 30 KHz 300 KHz 3 MHz 30 MHz 300 MHz 3 GHz 30 GHz 300 GHz
Microwave frequency bands suggested by ITU-R for common use:
Page 3
Principles of selecting proper frequency bands:
1. Select proper frequency bands according to the frequency resources (licenses) owned by
the carriers and the stipulations of local radio management committees.
2. Select proper frequency bands according to the characteristics of the designed networks
and routes. For example, high-frequency bands are generally used for mobile networks and
MANs because quite a few channels available at high-frequency bands.
3. Select proper frequency bands according to their characteristics.
• Low-frequency bands (L6G/U6G/7G/8G/11G) are suitable for long-distance links and

high-frequency bands (13G/15G/18G/23G/26G/38G) are suitable for short-distance links.
• Due to the limited number of channels existing at low-frequency bands, interference tends
to arise in the long-distance transmission.
• High-frequency bands are suitable for high-speed data transmission and interference
sustainable because there are many channels with broad bandwidth.
• High-frequency antennas feature high gains. Compared with low-frequency bands, high-
frequency bands require small clearance. Towers with these antennas properly used can
be lower than others.
Page 4
Illustration of the selection of microwave frequency bands:
LAN/PCS
1.5 2.5
2
3.3 Long-distance 11 GHz
8
backbone networks
34
Mbit/s
Area, local, and edge networks
34
140 2
155 8
Mbit/s 34
140
155
Mbit/s GHz
1 2 3 4 5 8 10 20 30 40 50
Page 5
Division of microwave
Frequency frequency
Shift Frequencies (MHz)bands:
(T-R Spacing) Use
4-7 GHz 161, 154, 245 Long-distance network backbones
8 GHz 126, 161, 154. 199, 266, 311 Long-distance network backbones
11-13 GHz 266 Short and medium distance
15 GHz 308, 420, 490, 315. 720, 728 Short and medium distance
18 GHz 340, 1092.5, 1008, 1010, 1560 Short and medium distance
23 GHz 600, 1050, 1232, 1008, 1200, Short distance in urban areas
26 GHz 855, 1008 Short distance in urban areas
28 GHz 1008 Short distance in urban areas
32 GHz 812 Short distance in urban areas
38 GHz 700, 1260 Short distance in urban areas
Page 6
Figure 1 for configuring microwave radio frequency channels:
Lower half band Upper half band
Channel number
1 2 n 1' 2' n'
F3
Fo
Frequency
F1
F2
Center frequency
Fo: center frequency
Page 7
Figure 2 for configuring microwave radio frequency channels:
Each channel consists of a pair of transmission and receiving frequencies.
Channel Channel
1 1
Tx
1' 1'
Rx
n n
Tx
n' n'
Rx
High site Low site
The site which the receiving frequency higher than

transmitting frequency is called a high site.
The site which the receiving frequency is lower than the

transmitting frequency is called a low site.
Page 8
Principles of selecting proper bandwidth of microwave channels:
The bandwidth of a microwave channel is decided by the signal rate and radio modulation
scheme.
The most commonly used ways are the quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) and
quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).
• 2 x E1 requires 3.5 MHz (QPSK)

• 4 x E1 requires 7 MHZ (QPSK)
• 8 x E1 requires 14 MHz (QPSK)
• 16 x E1 requires 28 MHz (QPSK)
• STM-1 requires 28 MHz (128QAM)
The more advanced modulation is, the smaller the bandwidth is required.
The 16E1 signal subject to QPSK requires the same bandwidth (28 MHz) as the STM-1 signal
subject to 128 QAM does.
Page 9
Principles of selecting proper microwave channels:
1. Try not to select the special frequency resources (licensed) used by other carriers even if
these frequency bands are not used in some areas (in case they may be used in the future).
2. If the planned microwave link features the same routing or parallel routing as another
microwave link, it is recommended that the frequency band/channels different from those of the
existing link are used. A different polarization mode should be configured even if the same
channel is adopted as a result of the little interference and big margin proved by the calculation
and analysis.
3. If the angle between two interleaving routes is comparatively small (for example, smaller than
30 degrees), a different channel should be selected. If the angle is quite large (for example,
larger than 60 degrees), the same channel can be used provided a different polarization mode is
configured. The same channel with the same polarization mode can be used only when the angle
is larger than 90 degrees. This is a generally adopted principle for microwave frequency
planning. For different equipment, antenna configuration, or capacity, analysis should be made
on the link accordingly.
4. In the design, the microwave link should be as far from the scatter communication station and
the satellite communications earth station as possible. When the antenna of the microwave
station is directed to the satellite orbit with a tolerance of ±2 degrees, the frequency band of the
communication satellite cannot be used.
Page 10
Example for the microwave frequency planning:
Front-back interference
Overreach interference
1V 1H
1V
2H 1H 1H
In frequency planning, reusing of frequency resources should be taken

into account, the internal and external interference should be avoided, and
the link quality should be enhanced.
Polarization should alternate every other hop for the decrease of
overreach interference. The polarization configured alternate every hop is
conducive to the decrease of front-back interference upon the antenna.
Page 11
Two-frequency system and quadruple-frequency system used in
microwave frequency planning:
For the 1+1 system or 2+0 system of the frequency diversity, the use of the two-
frequency system can save the frequency resources, while the use of the quadruple-
frequency system can decrease the internal and external interference and enhance the
link quality. Whether to select the two-frequency system or the quadruple-frequency
system depends on the interference within the planned microwave network system and
the mutual interference between the microwave links to be established and the links
existing in the system.
Case 1: When the link to be 2,4

established interleaves with an 1,3
existing one, the two-frequency 1,3 2,4
system can be used for the
former provided the same
system is used for the existing
link, and a different channel
Existing link
should be selected in this case.
Link to be established
Page 12
Two-frequency system and quadruple-frequency system used in
microwave frequency planning:
Case 2: When the link to be

established interleaves with an 2,4
2,4
existing one, the quadruple- Existing link
frequency system can be used 1,3 1,3
for the former provided the same Link to be established
system is used for the existing
link. In this case, the neighboring
links should have different
channels.
Case 3: When the link to be 1,3 1,3

established has a branch,
the quadruple-frequency 2,4
system should also be used
for this branch.
Page 13
Two-frequency system and quadruple-frequency system
used in microwave frequency planning:
Case 4: When the link to be established 1,3

forms a loop-line with quite small angles,
the quadruple-frequency system should be
selected. 2,4 2,4
1,3
Case 5: When the routing deflection angles are
too great, but the angles of La and Lb are quite
small, for example, smaller than 15 degrees,
comparatively great overreach interference may
occur if the two-frequency system is selected
for Site A and Site D. Therefore, the quadruple- B
A 1,3 1,3 Lb D
frequency system should also be used in this
case. La
C 2,4
Case 6: The quadruple-frequency system should also be selected in such circumstances as the front-
back ratio difference of the antenna is smaller than 60dB, the SWR(Standing Wave Ratio) of the antenna
feeder is large, and the equipment has weak immunity to interference.
Page 14
Selection of proper frequency diversity channels:
When the microwave link is designed to adopt the frequency diversity protection, attention
should be paid to the selection of channel spacing between the master channel and
diversity channel. The formula to calculate the improvement in the frequency diversity is
as follows:
where
: frequency diversity improvement
: frequency spacing between the master channel and diversity channel
: Radio center frequency
: flat fade margin
: transmission section length
From the formula, we can find that the improvement in the frequency diversity is proportional to the
channel spacing. Generally, the channel spacing should be at least 2 times of the radio frequency
bandwidth. For a greater improvement in the diversity, the channel spacing should be as large as possible.
Page 15
Case Study for Microwave Frequency Planning
GSM Network frequency planning in Mauritius:
Case study purpose: to be familiar with the preceding rules for microwave frequency
planning and apply them to practice.
Project area: Mauritius in the Eastern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere
Requirement of the longitude and

latitude of the site:
Frequency resource: assigned by the user, 7G/28M: 2 chs; 8G/7M: 4 chs
Contents of planning:
• Channel planning
• High and low sites configuration
• Configuration of the polarization mode for the channel
Page 16
Complete the routing and capacity planning by referring to the
right map:
Legend:
STM-1
8E1
4E1
New relay stations
Service hub
BTS
Page 17
Channel selection 1:
Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity of
the microwave link and frequency resource the user owns.
Frequency resource owned by the user:
7G: 7.4-7.7; number of channels: 2; channel spacing: 28 MHz
Channel No. Frequency Channel No. Frequency
1h 7610 1l 7442
3h 7666 3l 7498
Page 18


1h 8178 1l 7912
2h 8192 2l 7926
Page 19


1h 8178 1l 7912
2h 8185 2l 7919
3h 8192 3l 7926
4h 8199 4l 7933
Page 20

The following channels are selected according to the capacity of the link:
For STM-1, select f1 and f3 channels (7425-7725) with 28 MHz bandwidth.

For 8E1 PDH, select f1 and f2 channels (7900-8400) with 14 MHz bandwidth.
For 4E1 PDH, select f1, f2, f3, and f4 channels (7900-8400) with 7MHz bandwidth.
Page 21
Frequency planning in Pathloss:
Implement the frequency planning in Pathloss by using the preceding rules flexibly.
Points to be noted in frequency planning:
1. All microwave sites must clearly mark the CALL SIGN, which cannot be the same
and will be used in the later interference calculation.
2. Two-frequency system. To prevent the co-channel interference, a site should use
different channels for multi-directions.
3. Deploy the sites in such a way as high sites and low ones alternate. Check the
interference calculation report to see whether this principle is observed.
4. Configure the sites with two polarization modes as required.
Page 22
Example for frequency planning in Pathloss:
1. Access the PL4.0 program.

2. Log in to the network module.
3. Open the completed routing file.
4. Take the link between Site 5 and Site 21 for instance. Set the CH parameters
after setting the parameters for Radio and Antennas.
5. Click CH. The TX Channels dialog box is displayed, as shown in the next page.
Page 23
Click CH. The TX

Channels dialog box
is displayed, as shown
in the figure on the
right side :
Page 24
Click Lookup. In the

File dialog box that is
displayed, click
Open and select the
corresponding
frequency planning
file from Freqplan,
as shown in the
figure on the right
side.
Page 25
Open the target

frequency planning
file, as shown in the
figure on the right
side :
Page 26
SDH adopts the hot

backup system. Select f1
channel with 7 GHz
bandwidth as required,
and then select the
proper frequency for use,
site 1 as the high site,
and the vertical
polarization mode before
returning to the previous
page and finally click OK,
as shown in the figure on
the right side :
Page 27
According to the
two-frequency
system, the
frequency planning
for the SDH
backbone ring is
completed, as
shown in the figure
on the right side:
Page 28
Site 21/1
According to the two-frequency

system, the frequency planning 3l 7498 V 7666 3h
1h 7610 V 7442 1l
for the SDH backbone ring is
completed, as shown in the Site 35/1
figure on the right side. 1h 7610 H 7442 1l

Note that a site (Site 5) in the Site 5/2
ring has both high and low Site 44/1

stations due to the odd number 3h 7666 H 7498 3l
of the BTSs. In frequency
Site 25/1
planning processes, this should
be avoided.
3l 7498 H 7666 3h
1l 7442 V 7610 1h
ADD1
3h 7666 V 7498 3l
ADD2
Page 29

Frequency/Polarization
Site Name 1 Site Name 2
Mode
Site 5 (high) Site 21 (low) 1/V
Site 21 (low) Site 35 (high) 3/V

Statistics about the
frequency planning
Site 35 (high) Site 44 (low) 1/H
for the SDH
backbone ring:
Site 44 (low) Site 25 (high) 3/H
Site 25 (high) ADD 2 (low) 1/V
ADD 2 (low) ADD 1 (high) 3/V
ADD 1 (high) Site 5 (low) 3/H
Page 30
Take Site 21 for

instance. In Pathloss,
implement the
frequency planning for
the link of 8E1. Select
the 1+1 hot backup
mode, f1 channel in 8
GHz bandwidth, and
vertical polarization, as
shown in the figure on
the right side:
Page 31
Take Site 21 for

instance. The result
of the frequency
planning for the link
of 8E1 is shown in
the figure on the
right side:
8E1
frequency
configuration
Page 32
Take Site 21 for

instance. The result
of the frequency
planning for the link
of 4E1 is shown in
the figure on the right
side:
Page 33
Site Site Names Equipment Planned T R
The 2-hop SDH link,Names
1-hop 8E1
1 2 link, Frequency
and 3-hop 4E1 link converge at Site
21. As 4E1 has quite a few links, try
Site 21 in theSite 8 (high)
to select different channels 4E1 4H 7933 8199
direction of 8E1 links(low)
to reduce the
interference. In this case, f1, f3, and
f4 channels with 8 GHzSitebandwidth
21 are38
Site 4E1 3V 7926 8192
selected and a different
(low)polarization
(high)
mode is adopted. The statistics about
the frequency planning for Site 21 are
Site 21 Site 39 4E1 1H 7912 8178
listed in the table on the right side:
(low) (high)
Page 34
Site 39
The result of the Site 38 1h7926

81783lH 7912 1l
frequency 3h 8192 V
planning for Site
21 is shown in the
figure on the right Site 21
side:
1h 7610 V 7442 1l 3l 7498 V 7666 3h

4h 8199 H 7933 Site 35
4l 1h 8178 V 7912 1l
8E1-4PSK
Site 8
Site 5
Page 35
Case Study for Microwave
Frequency Planning
The reference result of

the frequency planning
is shown in figure on the
right side.
Note:
H---F1 V---L
H/L indicates the high/low
site.
F1 indicates the SDH
frequency; f1 indicates the
PDH frequency; V indicates
the polarization mode.
Page 36
Complete all frequency planning for the microwave network according to the
relevant principles and output the design result. The frequency configuration
in the software will be used for the future interference analysis.
Page 37

Microwave Network Planning and Design - Frequency Planning

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Microwave Network

Planning and Design--

Purpose of frequency planning:

Make reasonable use of the frequency resources so

Range Microwave Frequency Planning

Division of microwave frequency bands:

Microwave frequency bands suggested by ITU-R for common use:

3. Select proper frequency bands according to their characteristics.

• Low-frequency bands (L6G/U6G/7G/8G/11G) are suitable for long-distance links and

4-7 GHz 161, 154, 245 Long-distance network backbones

11-13 GHz 266 Short and medium distance

26 GHz 855, 1008 Short distance in urban areas

28 GHz 1008 Short distance in urban areas

32 GHz 812 Short distance in urban areas

38 GHz 700, 1260 Short distance in urban areas

Lower half band Upper half band

Fo: center frequency

Each channel consists of a pair of transmission and receiving frequencies.

High site Low site

The site which the receiving frequency higher than

The site which the receiving frequency is lower than the

• 2 x E1 requires 3.5 MHz (QPSK)

In frequency planning, reusing of frequency resources should be taken

Case 1: When the link to be 2,4

Case 2: When the link to be

Case 3: When the link to be 1,3 1,3

Case 4: When the link to be established 1,3

Project area: Mauritius in the Eastern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere

Requirement of the longitude and

Frequency resource: assigned by the user, 7G/28M: 2 chs; 8G/7M: 4 chs

• High and low sites configuration

• Configuration of the polarization mode for the channel

New relay stations

Frequency resource owned by the user:

7G: 7.4-7.7; number of channels: 2; channel spacing: 28 MHz

Channel No. Frequency Channel No. Frequency

Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity of

Frequency resource owned by the user:

8G: 7.9-8.4; number of channels: 2; channel spacing: 14 MHz

Channel No. Frequency Channel No. Frequency

Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity of

Frequency resource owned by the user:

8G: 7.9-8.4; number of channels: 4; channel spacing: 7 MHz

Channel No. Frequency Channel No. Frequency

Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity of

For STM-1, select f1 and f3 channels (7425-7725) with 28 MHz bandwidth.

Frequency planning in Pathloss:

Points to be noted in frequency planning:

Example for frequency planning in Pathloss:

1. Access the PL4.0 program.

Click CH. The TX

Click Lookup. In the

Open the target

SDH adopts the hot

According to the two-frequency

figure on the right side. 1h 7610 H 7442 1l

ring has both high and low Site 44/1

Frequency planning in Pathloss:

Site 5 (high) Site 21 (low) 1/V

Site 21 (low) Site 35 (high) 3/V

Site 25 (high) ADD 2 (low) 1/V

ADD 2 (low) ADD 1 (high) 3/V