Laboratory Manual

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING / ELECTRONICS

Created pao, nrr: Oct-04

182E - Mobile Station Measurements

Revised

This laboratory exercise covers the following subjects: Identification and evaluation of GSM system parameters Spectrum analyzer study of GSM transmissions

To be returned: Name Group nr. Course Teaching Assistant Approved Signed

Department of Electrical Engineering @ University of Gvle

Date: Period Year Course-Code

Comments

Purpose
The purpose of this laboratory experiment is to achieve a deeper understanding about the structure of a cellular system. General instructions The experiments should be performed individually or in groups of two or three students. Collaboration with one or two other groups will be necessary. Reports should be submitted one per group.

Preparations
Before commencing the exercise, the student must have basic GSM system knowledge such as channel allocations, physical and logical channels and network structure (Ref. [1] and lecture notes).

References
[1] Rappaport; Wireless Communications principles and practice [2] Users Guide for Network Monitoring menu [3] Willassen, S Y; A Method for Implementing Mobile Station Location in GSM; http:/www.willassen.no/msl

Abbreviations used
ARFCN CF LAC MCC MNC RBW VBW Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number Center Frequency Location Area Code Mobile Country Code Mobile Network Code Resolution Bandwidth Video Bandwidth

182E - Mobile Station Measurements

2004-10-20

Instructions 1 FIELD MEASUREMENTS WITH A MOBILE STATION

In this part of the exercise, you are supposed to take short tour in the university neighborhood while gathering information from a mobile station with Field Test Display, a special network monitoring software, installed. This information shall be compiled and analyzed to see if it is possible to characterize the network. A comparison between different operators shall be done together with your classmates afterwards as a part of the analysis. Maps with measurement positions indicated will be supplied separately.

1.1 Field measurement

Find the Net Monitor of the mobile station (see ref. [2]). Make notes about Location Area Code, Mobile Network Code and Mobile Country Code. This information can be found under Menu 11 in the MS. Use the form attached to this manual. For each measuring position marked on the map make notes about all the nine Control Channels, both channel number and power level shall be noted. Also, make notes about Serving Cell Identity. Equipment Mobile station equipped with Field Test Display software Note pad Map marked with measurement positions

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1.2 Analysis
For each one of the detected control channels you are supposed to make an analysis. Try to figure out where the transmitter is located. If you know the distance, you can also calculate the radiated power level (transmitted power plus antenna gain). The direction is achieved by looking in which direction the strongest signals are received; the distance by studying the rate of change in the desired direction. Small variations means relatively long distance and big variations means short. This can be confirmed by looking at Friis Equation. Moving 1 meter at a distance of 500 meters from the transmitter gives a change of 0.017 dB; the same move at a distance of 3500 gives a change of 0.0025 dB. In order to make good conclusions out from the measurements, its easier if a plot is done. The lack of results from some channel at one or more positions can make it difficult to get a distinct plot; therefore, low values can be added to the empty positions. The value should be below the lowest of the measured values at the current position, typically 100. Make X- and Y-coordinates from the positions on the map. Select a reference position and measure with a ruler the distance to the other positions; use easterly direction as positive X and northerly as positive Y. Create sequences (vectors) in Matlab for power levels and co-ordinates. P=[Pp1 Pp2 Ppn] X=[Xp1 Xp2 Xpn] Y=[Yp1 Yp2 Ypn] There P is the power level, X is the X- and Y is the Y-coordinate for each measurement point pn. Make the plot with the command: patch(X,Y,P) In the plot that is shown high power level is represented by red and low level by blue.

A color bar indicating which power level each color represent, is achieved by the command: colorbar

For printing purpose a greyscale plot is a better alternative, this can be done with the command: clormap(gray)

Mark your approximated transmitter positions on the map. Mark the cell id for each measurement point and which transmitters that are corresponding to those cell id:s.

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LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS WITH SPECTRUM ANALYZER

In this part of the exercise you are supposed to identify the control channels of the GSM Radio Base Stations surrounding the Radio Lab with use of a spectrum analyzer.

2.1 Spectrum analyzer settings

The following equipment is required: - Spectrum analyzer Anritsu MS 8604A - Dipole antenna (or similar) for 0.9 2 GHz - Adapter N(m) BNC(f) (or N(m) connector type matching the antenna) Connect the antenna to the spectrum analyzer input and press the yellow [Preset] button. Execute the following settings: - Span 2 MHz - CF-step size 2 MHz - CF: according to Channel Allocation Table (See Appendix A) - Reference Level: 60 dBm - RBW, VBW, Sweep Time and Attenuation: All set to AUTO Instructions: Look for Control Channels and make notes of their frequencies. Calculate ARFCN for the Control Channels you found. What characterizes a Control Channel? How do you distinguish it from Traffic Channels?

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Appendix A
Channel Allocations in the Swedish GSM Network
Four operators share the Swedish GSM network. Their respective part of the spectrum can be found in table 1. Operator Total BW [MHz] 2 x 5.0 2 x 4.8 2 x 1.6 2 x 0.2 2 x 7.2 2 x 0.2 2 x 7.2 2 x 0.2 2 x 7.2 2 x 5.0 2 x 1.8 2 x 3.0 2 x 0.2 2 x 3.0 2 x 0.2 2 x 3.0 2 x 0.2 2 x 15.6 2 x 3.0 2 x 8.4 2 x 3.0 2 x 8.4 2 x 22.0 Channel No. ARFCN 975 999 1000 1023; 0 18 9 10 - 45 46 47 82 83 84 119 120 124 512 - 520 521 535 536 537 551 552 553 567 568 569 646 647 661 662 703 704 733 734 775 776 885

SweFour Not occupied SweFour Guard Band Telia Sonera Guard Band Tele 2 Guard Band Europolitan/Vodafone Not occupied Not occupied SweFour Guard Band Tele 2 Guard Band Europolitan/Vodafone Guard Band Telia Sonera Guard Band Tele 2 Guard Band Europolitan/Vodafone Not occupied

Table 1 Channel allocation for the Swedish GSM Network as described by PTS (Post och telestyrelsen) in summer 2003.

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Appendix B
Frequency to Absolute RF Channel Number conversions for GSM
Channel numbers in GSM-900:

Frequency range uplink: 890 915 MHz; downlink 935 960 MHz ARFCN 1 - 124
( f c 890) 0.2 ( f c 935) ARFCN Downlink = 0.2 ARFCNUplink =

Channel numbers in E-GSM:

Frequency range uplink: 880 915 MHz; downlink 925 960 MHz ARFCN 975 1023 and 0 - 124
ARFCNUplink = ARFCN Downlink ( f c 880) ( f 890) + 974 if f c 880MHz f c < 890MHz; otherwise ARFCNUplink = c 0.2 0.2 ( f 925) ( f 935) = c + 974 if f c 925MHz f c < 935MHz; otherwise ARFCN Downlink = c 0.2 0.2

Channel numbers in GSM-1800:

Frequency range uplink: 1710 1785 MHz; downlink 1805 1880 MHz ARFCN 512 - 885
ARFCN Uplink = ARFCN Downlink ( f c 1710) + 511 0.2 ( f 1805) = c + 511 0.2

Channel numbers in GSM-1900:

Frequency range uplink: 1850 1910 MHz; downlink 1930 1990 MHz ARFCN 512 - 810
ARFCN Uplink = ARFCN Downlink ( f c 1850) + 511 0.2 ( f 1930) = c + 511 0.2

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Appendix C

Operator MCC P1 Serving channel Cell Id ARFCN P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P2 P3 MNC P4 P5 P6 LAC P7 P8 P9 P10

182E - Mobile Station Measurements

2004-10-20