Passive Intermodulation Testing (PIM)

Transcription

1 ~ 1 ~ Passive Intermodulation Testing (PIM) Novacom Concealment Systems Concealment Material Testing Results Esteban Garcia, CEM CEO Novacom 2279 Eagle Glen Parkway, # Corona, CA (office) (fax) Novacom PIM

2 ~ 2 ~ Table of Contents I. Introduction...3 II. A. Background Information and Research...3 B. Objective...4 Materials...4 III. Procedures...7 IV. Data and Observations...8 A. Observations...8 B. Data...9 V. Calculations...9 VI. VII. VIII. Analysis...10 Conclusion...11 Attachments...11 Novacom PIM

3 ~ 3 ~ I. Introduction Novacom is a full service engineering, and concealment manufacturing company that specializes in innovative approaches to concealment material development, engineering, design and manufacturing for the wireless industry. Novacom has provided such services to the industry since 2006 and has designed, engineered, manufactured and installed sites for most of the major wireless carriers from Florida to California. During this time, Novacom has established itself as a respected expert in the field of wireless concealment and has been sought out in the industry for its expertise and knowledge. Novacom, established as a trade of Civil Environmental Survey Group (CES Group), Inc. in 2006 has been in business since Novacom provides two primary concealment products to the wireless industry as well as several secondary products: NovaCell (Poly Composite) A hybrid polymer composite panel encapsulated with a polyurethane hard coat that is 2 inches thick and is manufactured in 10 x6 panels. NovaPanel (Poly Composite PVC Based Panel Structure) A PVC based composite structure that is 3/4 inches thick and manufactured in 4 x8 panels. The purpose of this report is to present test results of Passive InterModulation (PIM) (also known as Passive IM) testing of several of Novacom s materials for use on wireless telecommunications sites using frequencies in the 600MHz and 1900MHz spectrum. However, Radio (RF) testing has been completed on several Novacom materials up to GHz. A. Background Information and Research Passive IM (PIM) is an increasing concern in the wireless community, because of the debilitating affect it can have on the performance of the telecommunications network. Passive IM is generated whenever more than one frequency encounters a non linear electrical junction or material. The resulting creation of undesired signals (noise), mathematically related to the original frequencies, can result in decreased system capacity and/or degraded call quality. Novacom PIM

4 ~ 4 ~ Reduced capacity and call quality at a cell site can lead to reduced income for the wireless service providers. The economic loss is compounded when the affected customer becomes frustrated with poor signal and switches over to a competing provider. Good communication quality requires maintaining an acceptable Carrier to Interference (C/I) ratio. Therefore, the goal is to keep I as low as possible. In the ideal case, I would always be below the receiver noise floor. One source of undesired interference is PIM. A typical industry specification requires a passive IM level no greater than 110dBm when two +43dBm carriers are injected into the device under test, (i.e., 153dBc.) To put this into perspective, this is a ratio of 1:2,000,000,000,000,000, or the equivalent of trying to measure the distance to the sun to an accuracy of one tenth of a millimeter. B. Objective The objective of the testing performed on Novacom s materials is to determine PIM level transmission through the material from existing antenna structures for a more real world test result. The test provides a PIM range and a Pass/Fail result for each material tested. II. Materials Novacom s Concealment products span the spectrum from polymer composite blends to vinyl ester molded composite structures and fiberglass reinforced polymers. Novacom s materials are manufactured in a 40 sf, manufacturing facility housed within a 3 acre yard, located in Lake Elsinore, California., Novacom seeks and maintains key relationships with vendors to provide consistent raw materials used in our manufacturing process. Novacom uses Made in the USA raw materials. Novacom PIM

5 ~ 5 ~ 3/4" NovaPanel Concealment System Panel NovaPanel is a proprietary concealment panel consisting of a blend of Polymer composite structures. 2 NovaCell Concealment Panel NovaCell is comprised of two primary components including Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Polyurethane Hard coat. NovaCell uses a proprietary polyurethane hard coat blend that is similar to that used for theme design, 3d prop fabrication making movie set environments, hard coating precast molds. Novacom s hard coat makes surfaces water-resistant and resilient to damage, sun and other natural conditions. Cured Poly Hard coat plastic is lightweight, flame, impact, and water-resistant. Poly Hard coat Polyurethane Plastic is a flame rated (E-84). Novacom s Poly Hard coat polyurethane plastic is formulated to economically coat a NovaCell Panel System Panel surface. Poly Hard coat cures in about 2 seconds and can be applied to vertical surfaces without running off. An advantage of the system is that large areas can be covered in a short period of time. It can be sanded for priming and painting. Poly Hard coat plastic can also be sprayed into a rubber mold to make fast, impact resistant castings for rocks, bricks, stones and other faux shapes for concealment design applications. The second component of NovaCell is Expanded Polystyrene. See Below. 1 ½ 2 ½ NovaCell Faux Tile Panel Sample See NovaCell. Expanded Polystyrene Expanded Polystyrene is a thermoplastic substance, which is in solid (glassy) state at room temperature, but flows if heated above its glass transition temperature of about 100 C (for molding or extrusion), and becomes solid again when cooled. Pure solid polystyrene is a colorless, hard plastic with limited flexibility. It can be cast into molds with fine detail. Polystyrene can be transparent or can be made to take on various colors. Novacom PIM

6 ~ 6 ~ Most common foam products, like coolers, wine shippers, molded end caps and corners, box packaging and even cups at the office water cooler are actually polystyrene foam. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is the generic industry for the white rigid material made by expanding polystyrene beads with steam and pressure to bond the beads together to form blocks or to shape molds. EPS is also used in the construction industry for insulation and void fill. 1/8 NovaFlex Skin NovaFlex is a proprietary blend of polyurethanes (PUR and PU) and by definition is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer (with at least two isocyanate functional groups) with another monomer (with at least two hydroxyl or alcohol groups) in the presence of a catalyst. Polyurethanes are applied to Novacom molds to create flexible, highresilience skins for use as bark, faux surfaces and fillers; rigid foam insulation panels; high performance adhesives; surface coatings and surface sealants; and hard-plastic parts. Moreover, polyurethane products often are inaccurately called urethanes, but must not be confused with urethane proper (ethyl carbamate), because polyurethanes neither contain nor are produced from ethyl carbamate. 1/32 & 1/8 Vinylester Skin Vinylester is a resin produced by the esterification of an epoxy resin with an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid. The reaction product is then dissolved in a reactive solvent, such as styrene, to a percent content by weight. It can be used as an alternative to polyester and epoxy materials in matrix or composite materials, where its characteristics, strengths, and bulk cost intermediate between polyester and epoxy. Vinyl ester has low resin viscosity (approx 200 cps), than polyester (approx 500cps) and epoxy (approx 900cps). Tinted Acrylic Flat Sheet Acrylic is a clear plastic that resembles glass, but has properties that make it superior to glass in many ways. Common brands of highgrade acrylic include Polycast, Lucite and Plexiglass. Novacom PIM

7 ~ 7 ~ There are two basic types of acrylic: extruded and cell cast. Cell cast acrylic is a higher quality acrylic and U.S. domestic cell cast is a superior choice for wireless applications that require the best. Imported cell cast acrylic is often manufactured to lesser standards. Acrylic is used to make various products. It is many times stronger than glass, making it much more impact resistant. Falling against an acrylic panel will not likely break it. An object that crash through glass windows will, in most cases, bounce off acrylic panels. Acrylic also insulates better than glass. III. Procedures 1. Testing Material - Create Testing Materials to exact standards used in wireless concealment applications. For testing purposes. The panels were made to the same specifications as those used in the field under real world conditions. As a tool to gage differences in material, samples were made separate to measure the delta between a completed panel and the raw material alone. In the case of NovaCell, the EPS (by itself) did not perform as well (though it passed) as the full NovaCell which included EPS and urethane hard coat. Picture 2.1 shows the urethane coated EPS sheet and picture 4.1 shows the EPS alone. 2. PIM Testing Vendor An independent third party testing vendor with certified PIM technician, using standardized and approved and calibrated PIM testing equipment was used. The third party independent testing company was a. Titan Telecom Jefferson Ave. Murrieta, CA Technician: Bryan Larson Title: Project Manager 3. Method - Establish Testing method and testing standards for measurement of PIM and determine PIM range for Pass/Fail determination Testing was performed using the following equipment: a. Summitek 1QA 1900 Novacom PIM

8 ~ 8 ~ The Summitek 1900 was used during testing of PXA185060/8CF b. Summitek 1QA 800 The Summitek 800 was used during testing of BXA763/4CF 4. PIM Test Testing consisted of placing the material in front of one of two antenna s tested which included: a. PXA185060/8CF b. BXA763/4CF Testing included placing the material in front of the antenna lying flat and parallel to the antenna, then recording the PIM range. The material was then tilted at a 45-degrees angle and another measurement taken (See picture 1.2), then at a 45 up tilt and the PIM range recorded (See picture 7.2). This was repeated for each material. In some cases, the material was placed in contact with the material to measure the PIM while the material was in direct contact with the antenna. 5. Record Results Recorded all conditions and PIM measurements independently through visual and audio observations. Recorded results also recorded on PIM equipment independently by PIM tester and provided herein this report as attachment. 6. Assemble Report This report was assembled using pictures taken the day of the test, PIM equipment test sheets provided as attachments to this report, and visual recording of the equipments measurements taking into account the Low and the Peak range. IV. Data and Observations A. Observations Conditions: Date: August 12, 2011 Time: 11:53AM Temperature: 88 Fahrenheit Dew Point: 57 Relative Humidity: 49% Wind: Calm - 4 Mph SW Visibility: Clear - 10 Miles UV Index: 6 Novacom PIM

9 ~ 9 ~ B. Data The following data is a compilation of the recorded results of the PIM equipments Low and Peak PIM Level readings for each material. V. Calculations This annotation is commonly used to specify the order of the IM product being discussed. The IM stands for "intermodulation." The numeric value that follows is the sum of the integer multipliers used for each of the two parent tones to realize the given IM product. This is best understood by reviewing the following table: Novacom PIM

10 ~ 10 ~ Most commonly, the lower order tones are of the largest magnitude. However, in frequency-selective systems, it is possible that an IM5 product might actually appear larger to the receiver than an IM3 product. VI. Analysis What is PIM? Passive IM, similar to Active IM but occurring in passive devices, is present whenever RF signals at two or more frequencies are simultaneously present in a conductor of RF energy. Every passive RF device generates passive IM products when more than one frequency is present in the device. The signals are mixed by the non-linear properties of junctions between dissimilar materials. Typically, it is the odd-ordered products (e.g. IM3=2*F1-F2) that can be very problematic should they fall within an uplink, or receive band of the base station because they appear to the receiver as interference. The result can be receiver desensitization, which is independent of the receiver's random noise floor. What is Good PIM level? The required PIM performance for a given RF device is a strong function of where that device is located in the final system. For example, an antenna must have excellent PIM performance as the PIM generated in the antenna is both received and radiated by the base station. Further, the transmit antenna is subjected to nearly the full carrier power of the base station. On the other hand, the PIM performance of a receive "clean-up" filter need not be so stringent. This filter might be located on the other side of a diplexer thus preventing the full carrier power level from reaching its input connector. Ultimately, it is up to the buyer to specify the maximum acceptable PIM level and carrier power levels. Commonly seen specifications for antennas are -100 to dbm IM3 levels with two, +43 dbm (20 Watt) per carrier tones. How is PIM specified? Passive IM is typically specified in absolute power (units of dbm) or power relative to only one of the test tones (units of dbc). For example, a -110 dbm IM signal caused by two +43 dbm tones is also specified as a -153 dbc IM level. In the case of unequal carrier power levels, Summitek Instruments has established the convention that units of dbc are relative to the largest of the incident carriers. Novacom PIM

11 ~ 11 ~ It is important to note that a carrier power level must always be specified with the given PIM performance level. This applies equally to PIM performance specified in units of dbm and dbc. VII. Conclusion Novacom s Materials received the following test results NovaPanel PASS NovaCell PASS NovaCell (Faux Tile) PASS NovaFlex PASS Vinylester FRP PASS Acrylic Flat sheet PASS VIII. Attachments Pictures during testing itc Reports Novacom PIM

12 1.1 - NovaPanel NovaPanel NovaCell

13 3.1 - NovaFlex Expanded Polystyrene EPS

14 5.1 Molded Fiberglass 5.2 Molded Fiberglass 6.1 Acrylic Flat Sheet 6.2 Acrylic Flat Sheet

15 7.1 NovaCell Faux Tile NovaCell Faux Tile 7.2 NovaCell Faux Tile

16 Summitek 1QA Summitek 1QA NOVACOM MATERIAL Thick Test 1900 (ET2) 800 (LTE) Angle Angle Angle Up tilt Angle (Touching) 0 Deg. 0 Deg. 45 deg. 45 Deg. 0 Deg. Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Nova Panel 3/4" W/O With Delta NovaCell 2" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak W/O With Delta NovaCell 1 1/2" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Faux Tile 2 1/2" W/O With Delta Expanded Polystyrene 2" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak W/O With Delta NovaFlex 1/8" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak W/O With Delta Vinylester FRP 1/8" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak W/O With Delta Vinylester FRP 1/32" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak W/O With Delta Acrylic Flat Sheet 1/4" Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak Low Peak W/O With Delta Antenna PXA185060/8CF BXA763/4CF BXA763/4CF BXA763/4CF BXA763/4CF TX MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz RX MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz Testing Equipment Summitek 1QA 1900 Summitek 1QA 800 Summitek 1QA 800 Summitek 1QA 800 Summitek 1QA 800

17 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company NOVAPANEL Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result 11:38 11:39 11:39 11: dbm -111 dbm Pass -108 dbm -107 dbm Pass -115 dbm -113 dbm Pass -114 dbm -104 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

18 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company NOVAPANEL Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -119 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

19 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification NOVACELL Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector's Enter Feeder's Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result LOAD :20 LOAD :21 LOAD :24 LOAD :25 LOAD :28 LOAD :29-76 dbm -76 dbm Fail -126 dbm -125 dbm Pass -112 dbm -109 dbm Pass -116 dbm -114 dbm Pass -112 dbm -108 dbm Pass -105 dbm -104 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

20 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company NOVACELL Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -121 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

21 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification NC-TILE Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result 11:52 11:53 11: dbm -124 dbm Pass -124 dbm -121 dbm Pass -120 dbm -116 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

22 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company NC-TILE Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -113 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

23 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification EPS Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result 11:34 11:35 11: dbm -101 dbm Pass -106 dbm -104 dbm Pass -103 dbm -102 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

24 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company EPS Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -121 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

25 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification NOVAFLEX Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result LOAD :32 LOAD :32 LOAD : dbm -110 dbm Pass -120 dbm -107 dbm Pass -109 dbm -107 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

26 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company NOVAFLEX Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -117 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

27 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company VINYLESTER Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result 11:41 11:42 11:42 11:43-94 dbm -93 dbm Fail -111 dbm -109 dbm Pass -119 dbm -118 dbm Pass -113 dbm -113 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

28 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company VINYLESTER Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -118 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

29 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification VE2 Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result 11:44 11:44 11:45 11: dbm -106 dbm Pass -109 dbm -107 dbm Pass -118 dbm -116 dbm Pass -117 dbm -115 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

30 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification VE2 RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result SYSTEM : dbm -116 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

31 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification ACRYLIC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector Enter Feeder Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result 11:48 11:49 11:49 11: dbm -111 dbm Pass -111 dbm -107 dbm Pass -125 dbm -124 dbm Pass -115 dbm -108 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa850a TX February /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1

32 itc Report RF system/component construction performance certification ACRYLIC RLC Site Details Site Sector Feeder Operator/Company Enter Sector's Enter Feeder's Test Parameters IM3 TITAN Pass/Fail Threshold dbm Test Point Time PIM PIM Peak Result PIM SOURCE :40 PIM SOURCE :42 PIM SOURCE :44 SYSTEM :47-76 dbm -76 dbm Fail -115 dbm -114 dbm Pass -117 dbm -115 dbm Pass -118 dbm -118 dbm Pass Test Set Model Serial Number Calibration Due S/F Versions iqa1900a TX March /1.6.5 Page 1 of 1