COURSE # TOO-310
RADIOWAVE PROPAGATION CHANNEL ENGINEERING FOR PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS, PCS
A comprehensive, practical overview of the radiowave propagation channel characteristics in PCS presented by the author of the recently published course text book.
Modern wireless system performance depends to a large degree on the air interface characteristics, and hence, on the optimal choice of antenna and the radio channel for any given application. In general, personal radio communications can be characterized by three distinct propagation issues: infrastructure site antennas interacting with local scatterers, urban radiowave propagation, and small antennas situated in proximity to the human body. These three diverse situations form the basis for the investigation of the personal communication path link in radio messaging systems. This course provides a comprehensive yet practical overview of the propagation channel segment for PCS application with special emphasis on non-voice systems. Selected examples of PCS radiolink characteristics will be presented throughout the course.
The course, presented by the author of the textbook, covers the historical perspective of personal communications systems, and includes a review of the underlying electromagnetics principles. Antennas employed at fixed sites in a terrestrial communications infrastructure, the mobile antennas, an overview of the radio communications channel, and a review of the applications specific to personal communications and the frequency spectrum are presented. The course also investigates specific problems associated with personal communications using an earth orbiting satellite infrastructure. Radiowave propagation along a plane earth, including methods to test site characteristics, is followed by investigations of urban and suburban radiowave propagation, and wave behavior in multipath environments. The specification and measurement of radio device performance, including human body effects and simulated body devices is detailed, along with the fundamental properties and limitations of small antennas proximate to the user. Design procedures for a communications system in re-use as well as a wide-area simulcasting environment are reviewed as well.
Applications and benefits:
You will benefit by enhancing your understanding of the :
- Fundamental antenna parameters and concepts.
- Fundamentals of radiowave behavior in urban areas.
- Basic propagation channel system design and calculations.
- Radio/antenna performance parameters and their impact on path link margin.
Who should attend:
Systems Engineers and Technical Program Managers involved in personal communications system design and specification, and those who need an understanding of antenna performance in the environments where personal communications devices are used. Antenna Engineers who wish to broaden their understanding of antenna interaction in PCS environments. There is no prerequisite for this course; however, an engineering or science degree, or equivalent experience, is recommended.
Course Outline:
- Introduction and Fundamentals
- The Radio Frequency Spectrum
- ELF/VLF/HF/UHF/3 GHz and higher
- Picking an optimum frequency
- Multiple access techniques
- Designing a Radio Communication System
- Thermal noise, noise asymmetry
- Fixed-site antenna radiation patterns
- Link margins for specified performance
- Simulcast differential delay
- Proving coverage
- Waves in Multipath Propagation
- Statistical descriptions of signals
- Diversity transmission and reception techniques
- Fixed Site Antennas
- Array antennas
- Pattern shaping
- Multiple beam antennas
- Proximity effects in fixed-site antennas
- Small Antennas
- Quality factor, fundamental limitation
- Practical considerations in small antennas
- Communications Device Performance
- Measuring sensitivity of receivers
- Relating field strength to received power
- Compliance with RF exposure standards
- Antennas near the Human Body
- Simulated (SALTY) human body devices
- Body enhancement in body-worn receiver
- The Radio Communication Channel
- Guided waves
- Transmission lines
- The Friis transmission formula
- Wave polarization
- Communications Using Earth-Orbiting Satellites
- Satellite orbit fundamentals
- The satellite radio path
- Polarization effects
- Two-Ray Path Propagation Model
- Two-layer ground model
- An open field test range model
- Radiowave Propagation in the Urban Paths
- Theoretical and empirical propagation models
- Propagation within, near and into buildings
Text: Radiowave Propagation and Antennas for Personal Communications by K. Siwiak, 1998.
About the Instructor
Kazimierz (Kai) Siwiak, the author of the course's text, is a technical staff member and a Science Advisory Board Associate at Motorola. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Florida, Senior Member of the IEEE, and has been an internationally invited guest lecturer on antennas and propagation. Mr. Siwiak holds more than 40 patents, including 30 issued in the US, and has published numerous papers on antennas for personal communications, including one designated "Paper of the Year", in 1982 by IEEE-VTS. Mr. Siwiak served on the adjunct faculty at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. He is an Extra Class amateur radio operator and is a member of the SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment) team, the ARRL, and AMSAT. Prior to joining Motorola, he designed missile antennas and radomes at Raytheon. He received his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and his Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University.
Details:
Course: TOO-310 Duration: 3 Days FEE: $1,195 CEUs: 2.16
Please direct any additional inquiries regarding this course to Anita Hellstrom, Program Coordinator, by e-mail, FAX: (301) 871-4942 or TELEPHONE: (301) 871-9608.
Call toll free 1-800-683-7267 from anywhere in the Continental U.S. or CANADA.
Last modified May 6, 1999.
