Scanning: General

Scanning can be done either

• manually from the Navigator’s Equipment tab, or

• as an activity in a Service Control script.

The configuration dialogs are the same in both cases, and they are gone through in chapters 14–19.

Note, however, that scripted scanning is currently available for a subset of supported scanning devices:

13.1. Scripted Scanning

Scripted scanning works just like scripting of other activities and does not require special comment; please refer to chapter20 (the scan activities are listed in section20.16.5).

Scanning Type/

Scanning Device

Manual Scripted

Andrew i.Scan Anritsu DRT PCTel R&S TSMW Sony Ericsson SRU Transcom

Chapter 13. Scanning: General

13.2. Manual Scanning

13.2.1. Setting Up a Scan Manually

Scanning tasks can be set up manually on the Navigator’s Equipment tab;

specifically, from the Activities subtab in the bottom pane.

• First, to be able to access the scanning configuration dialogs, you need to activate the device you want to scan with (if it is not already activated).

See chapter8.

• Once the device has been activated, the Activities subtab is populated.

For a scanning-capable device, the available activities will include ones collected under a Scan node. Expand this node to view a list of the scanning methods that this device supports.

• Right-click the scanning method you want to use, and select

Configuration Sets from the context menu. This opens a dialog where you define a setup for the selected scanning method. The dialog contents depend on the technology and scanning method chosen as well as on the make and model of the scanning device. All details are covered in subsequent chapters (14–19).

13.2.2. Performing a Scan Manually

With suitable configuration sets already defined, you can initiate a scan manually as follows:

• On the Navigator’s Equipment tab, select the device to scan with.

• On the Activities subtab, expand the Scan node.

• Right-click the scanning method you want to use, and from the context menu select the desired configuration set among those in existence.

• Right-click the scanning method item again, and from the context menu select Start.

While the scan is ongoing, it will be indicated in the top pane of the Equipment tab for the device that is busy scanning.

It is possible to scan with several devices simultaneously.

• To stop scanning, go to the Activities subtab again. Under the Scan node, right-click the scanning method being executed, and select Stop.

13.2.3. Recording Scan Data Manually

To record data from a manually initiated scan, create a new logfile as described in section11.1.

13.3. Presenting Scan Data

The output of scans is primarily intended to be displayed in a suite of ready-made bar charts and other windows. The scanning presentation windows are fully synchronized with the rest of the application, and the output from all of these can be displayed in parallel.

However, since all scan data is available in information elements, you are free to present it in any presentation window. For example, scan data can be displayed in status windows of your own design. How to build a status window is covered in chapter24. The information elements of interest are all found in the Information Elements and Events volume.

13.4. Technical Data on Scanning Devices

• A Sony Ericsson phone cannot act as a regular phone while it is scanning.

It cannot engage in voice/video calls or data services during this time.

• Frequency band support is determined by the scanning device and by the antennas. For band support in connectable scanning devices, see the Getting Started Manual, section10.1.4.

• Detailed data on the scanning capabilities and performance of Sony Ericsson phones is provided in the technical paper “Scanning with Sony Ericsson TEMS Devices”, included on the installation CD in the

subdirectory Documents.

Chapter 13. Scanning: General

• Some technical data on PCTel scanners and antennas used with them is provided in the Getting Started Manual, section10.7.2.5.

For further information on third-party scanning devices, please consult documentation from the respective suppliers.

13.5. Notes on Scanner Multitasking

13.5.1. PCTel Scanners

Within a cellular technology, scanning methods are conceptually

independent, and they can be run concurrently by PCTel scanners. Only the scanner measurement capacity places a limit on the possibilities of handling several scanning tasks in parallel. For example, a WCDMA SCH timeslot scan at maximum resolution may require the full resources of the PCTel scanner, so that it cannot perform any other tasks at the same time.

A PCTel scanner’s measurement capacity is indicated as a number of measurement points. As you set up the scanning tasks, you are continuously notified in the setup dialog of how many measurement points that remain.

13.5.2. DRT Scanners

For a DRT scanner, TEMS Investigation sets a limit on the amount of scan data it will accept. (The DRT scanner can produce more data than this, but the data volume would then become unmanageably large.) Again the limit is expressed in terms of measurement points, and the setup dialog keeps track of the number of measurement points that remain to be allocated.

13.5.3. Rohde & Schwarz TSMW

The TSMW scanner uses a form of automatic load balancing to make the best possible use of the scanner’s measurement capacity. If the scan tasks that are running have a combined resource allocation of less than 100% in their setups, then the actual resource use will be raised automatically if the scan tasks require it.

The resource percentage selected is the minimum that the scan task is guaranteed to get when executed. It is therefore not possible when setting up scan tasks to allocate more than 100% of resources in total. (There is no inverse mechanism treating the selected resource percentages as “opening bids” that can be pared down at execution time.)

R&S recommends that each scan task should be allocated at least 20% of resources in the setup dialog.

13.5.4. Sony Ericsson Phones and SRUs

Sony Ericsson phones and SRUs do not handle concurrent execution of multiple scanning methods.

13.6. Notes on GPS Units in Scanners

The internal GPS in a scanner equipped with such a device will deliver data only if it is selected as Preferred GPS and activated in TEMS Investigation.

See section8.5.

Chapter 14. GSM Scanning