Rohde & Schwarz integrates TETRA Release 2 data service enhancement testing into its comprehensive T&M portfolio

03/20/2010

Rohde & Schwarz is upgrading its portfolio of T&M equipment to provide test capabilities for the data service enhancements included in TETRA Release 2. The latest release of the TETRA standard is intended to increase the capacity of professional mobile radio networks. The company can now offer manufacturers of base stations and handsets new solutions for TETRA Release 2-compliant tests on transmitters and receivers. In addition, its R&S ROMES drive test system helps network operators and government authorities set up and optimize their TETRA networks. As a member of the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI), Rohde & Schwarz actively participates in standardizing TETRA and can integrate new requirements into its T&M portfolio at an early stage. Moreover, the company has extensive know-how in this field: Its Rohde & Schwarz Professional Mobile Radio subsidiary specializes in the development and installation of professional mobile radio systems in line with the TETRA standard.

The TETRA professional mobile radio standard is considered to be tap-proof and immune to interference. Police, rescue forces, transit authorities and large companies therefore use it as their standard of choice for voice and data communications. TETRA Release 2 of the ETSI standardization organization keeps the standard in step with the trend toward higher data rates and faster transmission: The TETRA enhanced data services (TEDS) defined in this release support higher bandwidths and higher-order modulation modes. Rohde & Schwarz is supporting the launch of TETRA Release 2 with T&M equipment for base station and handset manufacturers, network operators and government authorities.

Testing receiver and signal quality in accordance with TETRA Release 2

Receivers in TETRA base stations and handsets can be comprehensively tested using the R&S SMU200A, R&S SMJ100A and R&S SMATE200A vector signal generators. The new option (-K68) for TETRA Release 2 runs directly on the generators. By making the appropriate settings on the instrument, developers can easily and quickly generate high-quality, standard-compliant signals. The standard’s stringent adjacent-channel power (ACP) requirements of at least -74 dBc in the first and -77 dBc in the second adjacent channel are no problem at all for the Rohde & Schwarz generators. In production applications, the generators’ high speed enables short clock cycles. The -K68 option covers TETRA Release 1 as well. A Release 2 option for the R&S SMBV signal generator and the R&S AMU200A baseband generator will be available soon.

Manufacturers can use the R&S FSU and R&S FSQ high-end signal and spectrum analyzers to determine the signal quality of their TETRA base stations and handsets quickly and easily. Equipped with the R&S FS-K110 option for TETRA Release 2, the analyzers measure all the parameters required for development and production applications: error vector magnitude (EVM), adjacent-channel power (ACP), timing characteristics and frequency or I/Q errors. Operation is limited to just a few inputs such as frequency, number of carriers per channel and modulation mode. All other parameters are configured by the option at the press of a key. With their outstanding phase noise of -133 dBc (1 Hz) at 100 kHz offset, the R&S FSU and R&S FSQ analyzers have a dynamic range that meets the standard’s stringent requirements. Signals in line with TETRA Release 1 can be analyzed by the R&S FSQ-K70 option (for the R&S FSQ) and the R&S FSU-B73 option (for the R&S FSU).

Coverage measurements and interference detection using the TETRA drive test solution

Rohde & Schwarz offers network operators and government authorities a unique TETRA drive test solution for performing comprehensive coverage measurements, analyzing the efficiency of their networks in accordance with the ETSI standard and detecting interferences in the network. The R&S TSMW mobile radio scanner with the R&S ROMES4 drive test software can be installed in vehicles, trains and helicopters or transported in a backpack.

The measurement speed of up to 20 measurements per second for 400 coherent TETRA channels yields conclusive results even at 200 km/h. Plus, the drive test system features outstanding sensitivity (-115 dBm for TETRA broadcast synchronization channel decoding). Its frequency range of 30 MHz to 6 GHz covers all TETRA bands. In addition, the drive test system supports numerous other mobile radio standards as well as spectrum measurements. It can perform fast and precise coverage measurements on multiple technologies in parallel, including on TETRA, GSM and UMTS. The R&S ROMES4 software includes interfaces to handsets from major manufacturers. The software controls up to 32 devices at a time. Additional processing is possible using the R&S ROMES4NPA analysis software, either immediately on completion of the measurement in the field or subsequently at a workstation. The drive test system can be expanded with the R&S TSMW-K26 option for TETRA Release 1 and with the R&S TSMW-K26Q option for TEDS.

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