Actix Spotlight Desktop User Guide

June 2013

Desktop

The content of this manual is provided for information only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Actix. Actix assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that appear in this documentation. Copyright © Actix 2013. All rights reserved. All trademarks are hereby acknowledged.

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Contents

1

A

BOUT

S

POTLIGHT

... 6

1.2 USING SPOTLIGHT TO SOLVE NETWORK PROBLEMS ... 7

1.3 ABOUT SPOTLIGHT PROJECTS ... 10

2

I

MPORTING

C

ELL

S

ITE

D

ATA

... 11

2.1 IMPORTING NETWORK DATA ... 11

2.2 UPDATING CELL SITE DATA ... 20

2.3 LOADING CELL SITE DATA ... 20

2.4 CELL SITE DISPLAY ... 21

2.5 SETTING THRESHOLDS FOR DATA IMPORT ... 26

3

S

TARTING

S

POTLIGHT

... 27

4

C

REATING A

P

ROJECT

... 28

4.1 STEP 1: CHOOSE NAME AND TEMPLATE ... 28

4.2 STEP 2: SET PREFERENCES AND THRESHOLDS ... 29

4.3 STEP 3: CHOOSE DATA ... 32

5

U

SING THE

S

UMMARY

D

ASHBOARD

... 34

5.1 NAVIGATING AROUND SPOTLIGHT ... 35

5.2 THE TOP PANEL ... 37

5.3 THE ISSUES PANEL ... 38

5.4 THE MAP ... 39

6

U

SING

S

POTLIGHT REPORTS

... 40

7

U

SING THE

R

ADIO

N

ETWORK

E

XPLORER

... 42

7.1 ABOUT THE RADIO NETWORK EXPLORER ... 42

7.2 CDMA / EVDO CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS ... 44

7.3 CDMA / EVDO NEIGHBOR LIST ANALYSIS ... 50

7.4 CDMA / EVDO PILOT POLLUTION ANALYSIS ... 56

7.5 EVDO SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ... 60

7.6 GSM CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS ... 65

7.7 GSM 2G MISSING NEIGHBORS ANALYSIS ... 75

7.8 LTE CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS ... 81

7.9 LTE 4G – 3G/2G MISSING NEIGHBORS ... 85

7.10 UMTS / HSPA 3G NEIGHBOR LIST ANALYSIS ... 89

7.11 UMTS / HSPA 3G-2G NEIGHBOR LIST ANALYSIS ... 95

7.12 UMTS / HSPA CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS ... 101

7.13 UMTS / HSPA CELL PILOT POLLUTION ANALYSIS ... 108

7.14 ABOUT THE INTERFERENCE FACTOR (‘F’ FACTOR) ... 112

8

U

SING THE

E

VENT

E

XPLORER

... 115

8.1 ABOUT THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 115

8.2 DATA SERVICE ANALYSIS ... 118

2

9

P

ERFORMING A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS

... 137

9.1 BEFORE YOU START ... 137

9.2 TO LOAD DATA INTO ANALYZER CLASSIC ... 137

10

B

ATCH

S

ECTOR

P

LOT

... 139

11

C

REATING A

S

POTLIGHT

P

ROJECT

T

EMPLATE

... 142

11.1 STEP 1: CHOOSE NAME AND STARTING TEMPLATE ... 143

11.2 STEP 2: CHOOSE DEVICES ... 144

11.3 STEP 3: CHOOSE KPIS AND REPORTS ... 148

11.4 STEP 4: CHOOSE ATTRIBUTES ... 149

11.5 STEP 5: CHOOSE GLOBAL FILTERS ... 153

12

T

ROUBLESHOOTING

S

POTLIGHT

... 154

12.1 NO REPOSITORY DETECTED ... 154

12.2 THE MAPS IN YOUR REPORT ARE EMPTY ... 154

13

A

PPENDIX

A:

C

ELL

S

ITE

P

ARAMETERS

... 155

13.1 CDMA CELL SITE PARAMETERS ... 155

13.2 GSM / GPRS / EDGE CELL SITE PARAMETERS ... 156

13.3 LTE CELL SITE PARAMETERS ... 157

13.4 UMTS / HSPA+ CELL SITE PARAMETERS ... 158

14

A

PPENDIX

B:

S

POTLIGHT REPORTS

... 160

14.1 CDMA SPOTLIGHT REPORT ... 160

14.2 EVDO SPOTLIGHT REPORT ... 163

14.3 EVDO REV A SPOTLIGHT REPORT ... 167

14.4 GSM SPOTLIGHT REPORT ... 171

14.5 HSPA SPOTLIGHT REPORT ... 176

14.6 UMTS SPOTLIGHT REPORT ... 181

15

A

PPENDIX

C:

CDMA

THRESHOLDS

,

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 186

15.1 CDMA THRESHOLDS ... 186

15.2 CDMA EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 189

15.3 DROPPED CALL DIAGNOSIS FOR CDMA ... 190

16

A

PPENDIX

D:

D

ATA

S

ERVICE

A

NALYSIS THRESHOLDS

... 192

16.1 DSA THRESHOLDS... 192

17

A

PPENDIX

E:

EGPRS

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 199

17.1 EGPRS THRESHOLDS ... 199

17.2 EGPRS EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 201

17.3 EGPRS DIAGNOSES ... 203

18

A

PPENDIX

F:

EVDO

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 205

18.1 EVDO THRESHOLDS ... 205

18.2 EVDO EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 209

2

18.4 LOW THROUGHPUT DIAGNOSIS FOR EVDO ... 212

18.5 SCHEDULING ISSUES DIAGNOSIS FOR EVDO ... 214

19

A

PPENDIX

G:

GSM

THRESHOLDS

,

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 216

19.1 GSM THRESHOLDS ... 216

19.2 GSM EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 220

19.3 CALL SETUP FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM ... 221

19.4 LOCATION UPDATE FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM ... 223

19.5 DROPPED CALLS DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM ... 225

19.6 HANDOVER FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM ... 226

20

A

PPENDIX

H:

HSPA

THRESHOLDS

,

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 227

20.1 HSPA EVENT EXPLORER ANALYSIS ... 227

20.2 HSPA CALL DROP ANALYSIS EXAMPLE ... 227

20.3 HSDPA LOW THROUGHPUT EXAMPLE ... 230

20.4 HSPA EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 234

20.5 HSPA THROUGHPUT KPIS ... 238

20.6 HSDPA THRESHOLDS ... 240

21

A

PPENDIX

I:

LTE

THRESHOLDS

,

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 244

21.1 LTE THRESHOLDS ... 244

21.2 LTE_CT THRESHOLDS ... 248

21.3 SPOTLIGHT THRESHOLDS ... 252

21.4 LTE EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 252

21.5 RRC DROP DIAGNOSIS FOR LTE ... 254

21.6 CALL DROP DIAGNOSIS FOR VOLTE ... 256

21.7 LTE IRAT MISSING NEIGHBOR ANALYSIS ... 258

22

A

PPENDIX

J:

UMTS

THRESHOLDS

,

KPI

S AND DIAGNOSES

... 260

22.1 UMTS THRESHOLDS ... 260

22.2 UMTS EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ... 264

22.3 DROPPED CALLS DIAGNOSIS FOR UMTS ... 266

22.4 CALL SETUP FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR UMTS ... 268

22.5 EXCESSIVE CALL DIAGNOSIS FOR UMTS ... 270

23

A

PPENDIX

L:

I

NFORMATION FOR

A

DMINISTRATORS

... 271

23.1 HIDING ANALYZER EVENT DIAGRAMS FROM SPOTLIGHT USERS ... 271

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1 About Spotlight

Today’s performance optimization and troubleshooting processes are typically inefficient, costly, and error prone. Engineering teams commonly use disparate tools that are poorly integrated lacking the automation and scalability

fundamental for rolling out and maintaining complex wireless networks.

Actix Spotlight lowers the overall cost of performance optimization by delivering maximum engineering productivity in a managed workflow.

Designed by optimization engineers, for optimization engineers, Spotlight identifies key performance indicators, provides automated root-cause

troubleshooting, coverage and interference identification, and concise reporting. Engineers can solve and report on more problems faster by eliminating time consuming data manipulation and manual deduction.

1.1.1 Radio Network Analyses

Spotlight provides the following analyses for examining the performance of the radio network:



Coverage and Overspill Analysis – this determines the coverage footprint of cells and identifies overshoot against coverage design boundaries.



Grade of Service – this determines the relative grade of service for cells, based on user-defined thresholds.



Pilot Pollution – this automatically identifies inbound vs. outbound pilot pollution. Prioritizes which cells in the network are strong candidates for tilts and coverage optimization.



Neighbor List Analyses – this grooms 3G-3G and 3G-2G neighbor lists, based on scanner data for sites positioned within a user-defined radius.

1.1.2 Event-based troubleshooting

Based on the drive test data provided for the analysis, Spotlight automatically generates root-cause diagnostics for the most common subscriber problems—for example, dropped calls.

1.1.3 Reporting

Spotlight displays the results of its automatically generated analyses on integrated, professional-quality reports including embedded maps.

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1.2 Using Spotlight to solve network problems

Spotlight is designed to allow you to follow your own investigations throughout the various analysis pages and reports.

However, a typical general analysis of the data in Spotlight would be to start from the Summary Dashboard (shown below). Examine the summary map (1) and then the appropriate report for the loaded data (2), which might indicate the presence of one or more problems. Cell coverage, missing neighbors and pilot pollution problems can be investigated from the Radio Network Explorer analyses (3); links to these are also shown as Important Issues (4) in the Issues panel of the Summary Dashboard. These might then point you at specific problem events which you can examine and diagnose using the Event Explorer (5); links to these are shown as Critical Issues (6) in the Issues panel.

Some typical scenarios for using Spotlight are outlined below:

1.2.1 Perform a quick overview of network performance

Examine the available Spotlight report(s) to see whether any of the performance criteria thresholds have been exceeded. If there are any problems, you can follow

1

2

3

4

5

6

2 them up by using the Radio Network Explorer or Event Explorer investigation

pages.



Using Spotlight reports (see page 40)

1.2.2 Optimize neighbor lists and export suggested changes to the OMC

Use the Neighbor List analyses in the Radio Network Explorer. This process should be performed as part of the rollout phase of a network to construct and optimize the adjacency lists of each cell, and throughout the life of the network as changes to traffic and tilt affect the coverage pattern and interference interaction between the cells.



CDMA/EVDO Neighbor List (see p50)



GSM 2G Missing Neighbors (see p75)



LTE 4G-3G/2G Missing Neighbors (see p85)



UMTS/HSPA 3G Neighbor List (see p89)



UMTS/HSPA 3G-2G Neighbor List (see p95)

1.2.3 Determine cell coverage

Use the Cell Coverage analyses in the Radio Network Explorer.



CDMA/EVDO Cell Coverage (see p44)



GSM Cell Coverage (see p65)



LTE Cell Coverage (see p81)



UMTS/HSPA Cell Coverage (see p101)

1.2.4 Identify inbound vs. outbound pilot pollution

Use the Pilot Pollution analyses in the Radio Network Explorer. You can visualize the offending sectors on the map, determine the relative degree of pollution for each cell and prioritize which cells in the network are strong candidates for down-tilts and coverage optimization.



CDMA/EVDO Pilot Pollution (see p56)



UMTS/HSPA Cell Pilot Pollution (see p108)

1.2.5 Identify sites failing their recommended design targets

Use the EVDO System Performance analysis in the Radio Network Explorer (see p60).

1.2.6 Investigate failure events

Select a Critical Issue from the Summary Dashboard (p42), or open the Event Explorer (p115).

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1.2.7 Investigate problems in detail at the message level

Select a Critical Issue from the Summary Dashboard, or open the Event Explorer. Now select the Drilldown option (see p118).

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1.3 About Spotlight projects

In Spotlight, a project is a collection of saved application settings and data files relating to a particular drive test initiative, specifically the:



Template used for the project. This defines the extent of the data from the drive test files that you want to process and store within Spotlight's

database, and defines which KPIs and reports will be used in the project.



Network information that you want to use (the cellrefs file).



Preferences that determine how the data is to be loaded.



Thresholds that trigger particular conditions or Events in Spotlight's analyses.



Drive test files that you want to examine.

The term KPI (key performance indicator) means not simply a statistic that reflects network performance in some way, but also a related pre-defined

analysis. For all of the KPIs that represent an issue, an overall summary is shown in the Spotlight Summary Dashboard side panel. However, the analysis is

provided in either the Event Explorer or the Radio Network Explorer, depending on the KPI type:



Event KPIs - Most of these KPIs relate to a specific type of call or session failure event, such as dropped calls or handover, call setup or location update failures, etc. and include automated root cause diagnosis and drilldown to the sequential message data at the click of a button. However, some of these KPIs relate to general events (such as call attempts) in order to provide context for the failure events and these do not include diagnostics and drilldown functionality.



Radio Network KPIs - These KPIs relate to general issues for the radio network, such as coverage, pilot pollution, missing neighbors, and so on. For these KPIs, the Radio Network Explorer provides a detailed analysis that is very specific to the particular issue.

Reports provide summaries, tables, charts, and maps that can be saved as an Excel workbook or Web page.

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2 Importing Cell Site Data

2.1 Importing Network Data

This chapter describes how to import delimited network element data into Spotlight, using various Analyzer features.

Analyzer’s Network Explorer feature allows you to import network element data, creating a cell plan file called cellrefs.txt. Network Explorer also lets you browse and edit this network information once it has been loaded into Analyzer.

In this chapter, CDMA network data is used as an example, but the appendices show important information relating to other network technologies.

Analyzer’s network data import process requires two files:



A delimited text file that contains unformatted data arranged in tabular form, with one row for each individual sector in a network.



A blank file, containing only Analyzer header information, to be populated with formatted data.

2.1.1 Obtaining Site Data in Tabular Format

In order to import cell site data from your own network, you will need to obtain a delimited text file containing the data listed in the table below. To maximize the benefit Analyzer can bring to network analysis, the parameters listed in bold in the table on the following page are required for cell data to function with logged data in the main workspace. All other parameters are optional. A full list of network parameters for different technologies is given in Appendix A: Cell Site Parameters.

The data may come from a network database or a planning tool configuration file. As long as the data is in a tabular format, with one row for each sector, Analyzer will be able to import the data.

CDMA Cell Site Parameters for Import: Parameter Analyzer

Group Analyzer Name Purpose

Site Name CDMA_Site SiteName Text description of the Site for display on map.

Site Number CDMA_Site SiteID Numeric identifier for the Site.

Latitude CDMA_Site Latitude Locates Site icons on map. Longitude CDMA_Site Longitude Locates Site icons on map. Sector Number CDMA_Cell Sector ID Sector-specific information useful for display on maps (can be alpha or numeric) Azimuth CDMA_Cell Azimuth Orients the sector icons on the

2 Parameter Analyzer

Group Analyzer Name Purpose

Beamwidth CDMA_Cell Beamwidth Governs the shape of the sector ‘wedge’ icon to reflect the beamwidth of antenna deployed at the site.

PN Offset CDMA_Cell PN Used in CDMA Toolkit

calculations, lines to neighbor cells and to color sector/site icons on maps to reflect PN planning.

Base Station

Power CDMA_Cell EIRP Base station power, used in CDMA Toolkit calculations. Mobile Country

Code CDMA_Cell MCC For information only. System Identity CDMA_Cell SID For information only. Network Identity CDMA_Cell NID For information only. Broadcast

Identity CDMA_Cell BID For information only. PctPilot CDMA_Cell PctPilot For information only. PctTraffic CDMA_Cell PctTraffic For information only. PctPaging CDMA_Cell PctPaging For information only. PctSync CDMA_Cell PctSync For information only. Active Set

Search Window Setting

CDMA_Cell SRCH_WIN_A Used in CDMA Toolkit calculations to compare current search window settings with those suggested by Analyzer. Neighbor Set

Search Window Setting

CDMA_Cell SRCH_WIN_N Used in CDMA Toolkit calculations to compare current search window settings with those suggested by Analyzer.

List of neighbors CDMA_Cell CDMANeighborList Used in CDMA Toolkit calculations to compare current neighbor list settings to those suggested by Analyzer.

Sector Display –

Wildcard CDMA_Cell Face_Display Use to color sectors on the map by a custom integer field. Sector Display –

Wildcard CDMA_Cell Azimuth_Display Use to color sectors on the map by a custom integer field. Sector Display –

Wildcard

CDMA_Cell Phase_Display Use to color sectors on the map by a custom integer field.

2 Parameter Analyzer

Group Analyzer Name Purpose

Layer Type CDMA_Cell LayerType Use this field to manage multiple cell layers to be displayed and hidden separately.

The figure below is an example of a delimited CDMA file that could be used to import a site list into Analyzer. Though the columns can be in any order for import into Analyzer, the figure shows all of the REQUIRED fields. Additionally, the Excel spreadsheet must be saved as a TEXT file for import into Analyzer.

2.1.2 Guidelines for Formatting Tabular Data

Analyzer does not need the cell site data fields to be listed in a particular order, but to get the best results, follow these guidelines:



The Site ID field must contain a unique value for each site location. Beware of non-unique Site IDs – that is, entries that have multiple sets of latitudes and longitudes for the same Site ID. Duplicated Site IDs will result in site markers appearing on the map without sector wedges. Site Names do not need to be unique – they are just used for labeling

purposes.



Position information must be accurate for Analyzer to correctly display sites in the right location on the map. Longitudes that have a 'West' notation should be represented as a negative decimal value, as should

2



Before importing new cells into Analyzer, ensure that Analyzer is pointing to a valid cell site database.



A valid cell site database is a text file in which the first line contains the text below:

; #NetworkData – datafile



Every Analyzer installation comes with a clean file called cellrefs.txt located in the directory called:

C:\Program Files\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs



The file to be populated need not be named “cellrefs.txt”. Rename this file with a meaningful name in order to prevent the file from being overwritten during reinstallation.

To point the Analyzer to the file you wish to populate with the new cell site data, use the File Location line in the Tools > Preferences dialog. See the section on Loading Cell Site Data later in this document for more details.

2.1.3 Importing the Data

Once you have obtained your cell site database in delimited format and pointed Analyzer to a valid cellrefs file, you are ready to open the Network Explorer and import the site information. The following example is for CDMA technology, but the method works across all network technologies. See Appendix A: Cell Site Parameters for more information on other technologies.

1 To access the Network Explorer, select Cells > Network Explorer.

2

The Network Explorer display consists of two panels. The left panel contains a tree view of the network element data. The right panel shows details about relevant parameters for the current selection. If you have pointed Analyzer to a cellrefs file containing only header information, you will not see any cell site data at this time.

2 From the toolbar, select Import > Import From New Template to open the Import dialog.

3 Select the appropriate network data file.

4 Click Open to display the Import Settings dialog.

5 Give the Template a meaningful Template Name. 6 Check the appropriate Delimiter.

7 In most cases, the default information under the General Settings and Coordinate Information headers will apply. Adjust these settings if necessary.

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9 Expand the CDMA_Site data node. Click in the Column field next to the Site_Name parameter. Select the parameter name from your site

database that corresponds to the Site_Name parameter. Repeat for each of the required fields in the CDMA_Site data node, based on the table below (See Appendix A: Cell Site Parameters for more information on other technologies):

Field Mapping required for proper operation?

Site_Name Optional, but this field is frequently used for the site label. SiteID Required, and this field must be unique for each site in the

database. Latitude Required Longitude Required

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10 Expand the CDMA_Cell data node. Click in the Column field next to the Sector_ID parameter. Select the parameter name from your site database that corresponds to the Sector_ID parameter. Repeat for each of the required fields in the CDMA_Cell data node, based on the table below (See Appendix A: Cell Site Parameters for more information on other

technologies):

Field Required for proper operation?

Sector_ID Required. This field can be used to color sectors on the map by face number (i.e. 1 = red, 2 = blue, 3 = green). Azimuth Required

Beamwidth Required EIRP Optional PN Required MCC Optional

2

Field Required for proper operation?

NID Optional BID Optional PctPilot Optional PctTraffic Optional PctPaging Optional PctSync Optional SRCH_WIN_A Optional SRCH_WIN_N Optional CDMANeighborList Optional

Face_Display Optional, but map this field to a custom integer field to color sectors on the map by that field. An example of a custom field would be the phase of the site where: 1 = On Air

2 = Under Construction 3 = Planned for Next Year

Azimuth_Display Optional, but map this field to the integer azimuth field in order to color sectors on the map by azimuth range. Phase_Display Optional, but map this field to a custom integer field to

color sectors on the map by that field. An example of a custom field would be the phase of the site where: 1 = On Air

2 = Under Construction 3 = Planned for Next Year

LayerType Optional. Use this field to manage multiple cell layers. Cells can be displayed or hidden on the map by layer.

11 Click Finish when all the columns have been assigned. If the current workspace contains existing site data, you will be asked whether you want to remove existing data before importing new data. Select Yes to

overwrite existing data. Select No to append to existing data.

If any errors occur during the import, a pop-up message will indicate that an error log has been created. The error log specifies the cause of each error encountered and can be found in:

C:\Program Files\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs\ImportErrors.log

12 Inspect the cell data in the Network Explorer by expanding the

All_CDMA_Site_Elements folder in the left-hand pane of the Network Explorer.

13 Double-click on any site name in the right hand pane. The Name, Location and ID of the site will appear, as well as a folder containing CDMA Cell Elements. Drill into the CDMA Cell Elements folder and examine the values corresponding to each sector.

2 15 Close the Network Explorer by clicking the “X” at the upper right hand

corner.

16 After closing the Network Explorer, view a new map by selecting View > Display New Map.

17 If cell icons do not appear on the map, right click on the CDMA_Cell layer in the map legend at the left hand side of the map window. Select Zoom to Layer to zoom the map to the appropriate location. Be sure to close the map with the “X” at the upper right hand corner to save all changes to the map view.

If you see site markers appearing on the map without sector wedges, this is probably due to non-unique Site IDs in the imported cell site data. Sites can also appear skewed on the map if the latitude and longitude information has been transposed.

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2.1.4 Importing multiple technologies

To import multiple technologies using the same cellrefs file, follow this procedure: 1 Import the first technology and save the cellrefs file.

2 Import the second technology and save that cellrefs file.

3 Using a text editor such as Windows Notepad, copy all of the second cellrefs file apart from the first line, and paste it in at the end of the first cellrefs file.

You now have a cellrefs file that can import data for both technologies.

2.2 Updating Cell Site Data

You can make minor cell plan changes (a few azimuths, PNs, etc.) directly from the Network Explorer. Simply browse to find the site and sector of interest and double click on a single parameter to activate the text.

Be sure to save the modifications before exiting the Network Explorer!

2.3 Loading Cell Site Data

In order to display cell sites in Analyzer, and integrate cell site data with real-time measurements, a formatted cell site database must exist that contains location and configuration data for each cell site. The previous section explained how to create a cell site file from a spreadsheet containing network parameters. In Analyzer, the formatted cell site file is known as the ‘cellrefs’ file, although this file can have any name.

Analyzer reads cell site data upon opening a new workspace. Therefore, if any changes to cell site data are made, you must start a new workspace (or reopen Analyzer) in order for the changes to take effect.

Follow these steps to point Analyzer to a formatted cell site file: 1 From the main menu, select Tools > Preferences.

2 In the Change Preferences dialog, on the File Location line, click on the name of the current cellrefs file.

3 In the Open dialog, navigate to the cellrefs file you would like to use and select Open.

4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

5 A message box will be displayed saying that the new cellrefs file takes effect when a new workspace is loaded. Click OK to close the message box. Analyzer loads cells upon opening Analyzer or starting a new workspace. From the Main Menu, choose File > New Workspace to create a new workspace.

6 In the new workspace, click View > Display New Map. If cell icons do not appear on the map, right click on the CDMA_Cell layer in the map legend at the left hand side of the map window. Select Zoom to Layer to zoom the map to the appropriate location. Be sure to close the map with the “X” at the upper right hand corner to save all changes to the map view.

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2.4 Cell Site Display

2.4.1 Displaying Site Labels

By default, site and cell labels will be displayed on the Analyzer map. You can leave the labels as they are, modify the way they are displayed, or turn them off entirely. The site labels are displayed independently of cell labels. This allows you to display of Site Name or Site ID in addition to or instead of PN, Azimuth, or Beamwidth.

In Analyzer, “sectors” are called “cells” based on the European terminology. The following instructions specify first site labeling, then cell labeling:

1 In the Layer Control dialog box, select the site layer (named CDMA_Site-Site_Name)

2 Under the Properties heading in the Layer Control dialog, press the Labels button.

3 The MapInfo-style Label Properties box will appear. Check each of the following options:

▫ Show

▫ Allow overlapped text (recommended) ▫ Hide adjacent duplicate text (optional)

4 In the Label Properties box, use the drop down Data Field menu to

determine the label format to display. Currently, there are two formats of labels from which to choose:

▫ The Site_Name (default) shows only the site name. ▫ The KeyField label shows only the site ID.

5 If you wish to offset the label from the cell site symbol, use the options in the Position box in the Label Properties dialog.

6 If you wish to change the font of the labels, use the Label Style button in the Properties dialog.

7 Select OK to exit the Label Properties dialog.

The Site Labels have been formatted. Next, format the Cell Labels:

1 In the Layer Control dialog box, select the cell layer (named CDMA_Cell-Beamwidth-PN)

2 Under the Properties heading in the Layer Control dialog, press the Labels button

3 The MapInfo-style Label Properties box will appear. Check each of the following options:

▫ Show

▫ Allow overlapped text (recommended) ▫ Hide adjacent duplicate text (optional)

2 4 In the Label Properties box, use the drop down Data Field menu to

determine the label format to display. All CDMA_Cell parameters are available as options for labeling.

5 The PN Label shows the PN for each sector, displayed next to the sector. If you wish to offset the label from the cell site symbol, use the options in the Position box in the Label Properties dialog.

6 If you wish to change the font of the labels, use the Label Style button in the Properties dialog.

7 Click OK in the Label Properties dialog, and then OK in the Layers dialog to apply the labels.

2.4.2 Coloring Sectors on the Map

By default, sectors are colored by PN on the map. To color the sectors according to a different field (i.e. Sector_ID, to color sectors by face), or to make all sectors the same color:

1 Click the Cell Sites button at the top of the map. 2 In the Series drop-down, choose CDMA_Cell.

2 3 Use the Cell Color drop-down choose how to color the field. To make all

sectors the same color, specify an unused field (i.e. MCC). To color sectors by face (i.e. 1 = red, 2 = yellow, 3 = blue) choose Sector_ID.

4 Click OK to exit the Sites / Cell Properties dialog.

5 Site coloring will appear as specified. To modify face colors, expand the CDMA_Cell parameter in the legend. Right-click on individual ranges and choose Selected Range’s Style to modify colors.

Note that the sector need not be colored and labeled by the same parameter. The figure below shows sectors colored by Sector_ID and labeled with the PN. Use the Layer Control dialog to adjust labeling as desired.

2

2.4.3 Searching for Cells

Search for Cells provides a mechanism for locating specific cell sites based on user-defined search criteria.

To conduct a search:

1 Display site data of interest on the map.

2 From the main menu, select Cells > Search for Cells.

3 From the main menu, select Window > Tile Horizontally or Window > Tile Vertically to arrange the CellRefs Search dialog and the map in the workspace.

4 Ensure that CDMA is visible in the Technology drop-down. 5 Use the Add, Edit and Delete buttons to modify search criteria.

6 Click the Search Now button to show in the Results window all matching cell sites from the current cellrefs file.

7 From the Results window, select a row to highlight and center the corresponding sector on the map.

8 Click the Highlight All button to highlight all matching sectors on the map.

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2.4.4 Viewing Cell Site Information

A cell’s Azimuth, Beamwidth and Sector ID can be obtained by running the mouse over a sector on the map.

To obtain more detailed information on each site or sector: 1 Display site data of interest on the map.

2 From the main menu, select Cells > Display Cell Data.

3 From the main menu, select Window > Tile Horizontally or Window > Tile Vertically.

4 Click on a sector wedge or site dot on the map. Details about that sector or site will appear in the Display Cell Data window.

2

2.5 Setting Thresholds for Data Import

Ensure that before entering Spotlight, you set the appropriate technology thresholds to enable Spotlight to use your own criteria for identifying particular events and circumstances. See the relevant appendix for details.

2

3 Starting Spotlight

To start Spotlight, click on Actix Software from the Windows Start menu (or, if you have a combination of licensed products, select Spotlight from the

Engineering Process dialog). This screen is now displayed:



If you have just started using Spotlight, you will want to create a New Project.



If you already have an existing project within Spotlight's database, click the project's related Open button to proceed to the Summary Dashboard. In the example screenshot shown above, there are several existing

projects.



If you want to Delete a listed project, note that you will be asked to confirm your choice.

Note that you can also choose to start in classic mode, without the Spotlight interface and analyses, and directly investigate the data using Analyzer's rich tool set.

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4 Creating a Project

4.1 Step 1: Choose Name and Template

This page is the first step in creating a new Spotlight project.



Type in a unique Project Name.

Project templates define the extent of the data from the drive test files that you want to process and store within Spotlight's database under the project name.



Either select a predefined Template from the scrolling list, or click on New Template to create your own.

Templates shipped as standard with Spotlight are shown in blue and do not have creation dates associated with them. A Master Template is available at the bottom of the list, with all KPIs and reports selected. To delete a particular template, highlight it in the scrolling list and click Delete Template. Note that templates that are shipped as standard with Spotlight may not be deleted.

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4.2 Step 2: Set Preferences and Thresholds



In the second step in creating a new Spotlight project, you must specify a cellrefs file for your project.

Note A cellrefs file contains network configuration information in a delimited text format, and is usually created using the output from a planning tool.



You can also use the settings and thresholds links to set various other options for your project.



CellRefs – Select a valid cellrefs file that contains the details (name, ID, and location, etc.) of all of the cell sites and sectors that you want to analyze. If you want to analyze data from more than one technology, the cellrefs file must contain the information for all of those technologies.

Note Spotlight always makes a local copy of the selected cellrefs file, in case the original cellrefs file is updated to reflect changes made to the network. The Spotlight project database relies on the associated cellrefs file remaining unchanged – if it is, the project will no longer work. Spotlight is designed to be used for short-duration drive test campaigns, so this should not present a problem – and if you do need to use the new cellrefs data, simply create a new

project that references the new cellrefs file.



Settings – Click this link to open the Preferences dialog box. This has many options, many of which configure the way various specific types of data are decoded. There are also a number of neighbor list settings for CDMA and UMTS – these are used to fine-tune the algorithms used by the neighbor list analyses in the Radio Network Explorer.

2 Although you can change these settings using the Data Settings link in the

Radio Network Explorer's top panel, you should set them using the link on this page when you create the project.

Note When you work in Spotlight, make sure that you do not enable the Automatic Import options in the CellRefs group of Preferences.



Thresholds – Click this link to open the Thresholds Editor, where you can configure the user-defined thresholds that are used in Spotlight.

Thresholds are used in Spotlight in two main ways:

▫ Event detection – Most of the KPIs in the Event Explorer are ultimately based on event attributes that are detected by the Actix event detection mechanism as the data is loaded into the project's repository.

These KPIs are usually based on a single event attribute (for example, the GSM dropped call KPI is based on the

EventCallDropped event attribute), although a few might be based on multiple event attributes (for example, when incoming and outgoing call setup failures are stored in separate event attributes). Many of the analyses in the Radio Network Explorer are also based on event attributes. For example, the UMTS pilot pollution analyses are based on the UuPilotPollution and Uu_Scan_PilotPollution event attributes.

When an event detection algorithm involves a user-definable threshold, you can configure the corresponding KPIs and analyses by changing those thresholds. The thresholds used in the event detection mechanisms for the various technologies are documented in detail in the Settings and Preferences section of the help, which also provides information about which attributes are affected. The documentation provides information about the names of the event attributes that underlie each KPI and analysis. This is useful when reading about event detection thresholds and helps you to look up the definition of those attributes in the Attribute Help system.

▫ KPI definitions – Thresholds are used in the queries that define the raw data that is to be stored in the repository and from which the various KPIs are derived.

Thresholds are also used in the calculations that are subsequently performed on the data as it is retrieved from the repository prior to display in Spotlight.

The documentation provides a list of these thresholds for each technology.

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4.2.1 What happens to the project’s preferences and threshold settings

After you click the last step’s Done button, Spotlight automatically saves the preferences and thresholds that are currently selected (including a copy of the entire cellrefs file). These saved settings are automatically reloaded whenever you subsequently open the project. This is done for several reasons:



Spotlight does not expect that the cellrefs file will change after you have started loading data—the addition of even a single cell sector in the cellrefs file can result in incorrect results within Spotlight (this is why Spotlight is not compatible with the Automatic Import option for cellrefs data.)



Changing other preferences and thresholds can result in subtle changes in how Spotlight decodes data, defines events and determines what to store in the repository. Although changing these settings after you have started loading data into the project should not invalidate the results, it can lead to confusion and the potential for different definitions being used to generate the same event.

By saving and reloading the cellrefs file and other preferences and thresholds with the project, Spotlight avoids these potential problems. However, it does mean that any changes you subsequently make to the preferences and thresholds while working on the project will be lost next time you reload the project.

For example, you can change the neighbor list preferences using the Data Settings link in the Radio Network Explorer's neighbor list pages. As soon as you close the dialog box, the page will be updated to reflect the new settings.

However, next time you reload the project, the neighbor list settings will revert to those that were selected when you originally created the project.

You should therefore think through your requirements and set the settings and preferences accordingly before you start loading data.

Note Although you can change preferences and settings at any time using the Display Thresholds and Preferences options on the main Tools menu, this is not recommended when using Spotlight, because changing the CellRefs file can cause incorrect results and changing the other settings is potentially

confusing. Although changing most of the

preferences and thresholds will not affect the data stored in your project's repository, it will affect drilldown data and any data that you load into

Analyzer Classic for detailed analysis, with a potential for confusing discrepancies between the two sets of results. Also, the changes will be lost when you reload the project, as explained earlier.

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4.3 Step 3: Choose Data

In the third step in creating a new Spotlight project, you must specify the data files that you want to examine. The template selected in step 1 defines the information that will be loaded into the project database and how it will be processed.

Initially, the file list is empty:



Choose the data files to be processed by Spotlight:

If you have just a few files to process, click the Add Files button and select one or more files, which will be added to the list of chosen files. If you have a folder full of file to be processed into Spotlight, click the Add Folder button and select the folder. If underneath the selected folder there are subfolders that also contain required data files, check the Add all subfolders box.

2 Once the list of chosen files has been populated, you can remove a specific

file by clicking the remove link at the end of the row. You can also use the Remove All Files button if necessary.



Click Done to load the data and open the Summary Dashboard. The project will be saved to this folder:

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Actix\Analyzer\Projects (depending on your current Windows user settings)

For best use, aim for at least 1GB of free disk space per project. Spotlight supports a maximum populated data volume of about 3GB.

The entire process of loading data is dependent on the volume of data to be loaded into the project. However, once the data has been loaded into the repository, it can be reattached very quickly.

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5 Using the Summary Dashboard

The Summary Dashboard shows an overview of the data loaded in the current Spotlight repository project.

If you have configured multiple devices during the template configuration phase, a separate tab per device will appear in the dashboard.

Note that due to the potential amount of information on display, Spotlight is designed to be used at full application window size, so you should keep your Spotlight application window maximized at all times.

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5.1 Navigating around Spotlight

At the top of the page, the navigation bar allows you to move around in Spotlight. It also provides some useful functions from any stage of your analysis:

Key for the following links:

1 Return to the Summary Dashboard page.

2 Return to the Radio Network Explorer (or Event Explorer) page.

3 Open the 'Choose an Engineering Process' dialog, allowing you to select another Spotlight project.

4 Filter out files and streams from all analyses (see Global Filters below). 5 Select additional files to load into the current project repository.

6 Specify a folder to be scanned for new files - any files copied there that match a specified filter are automatically loaded (see Auto Load below). 7 Returns the current Spotlight page to its default appearance.

8 Display help for the current Spotlight page.

5.1.1 Global Filters

If your current project uses Global Filters, a related link appears in the navigation bar. Click on the link to show a dialog similar to this:

This dialog allows you to specify any files or streams that you want to exclude from the analysis, and allows you to filter by time (not shown above).

Once you have specified the filter, note that you need to click the Add Filter link on the right to create the filter.

If you have configured regional filtering, this dialog will also give you the option to filter by region.

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5.1.2 Auto Load

While Auto Load is active, a selected folder is scanned and any matching files loaded.

Click the Auto Load link in the navigation bar to show the following dialog:

You can specify a folder (check the box to include subfolders) within which the Auto Load feature is to look for new files.

The filter allows you to narrow down which files you would like to load. You can use a ‘*’, so the filter could be, for example, *.cdp.

These settings will be kept until you change them.

When you have selected the folder and filter, click Next >> to display the Status page:

Note that while this page is open, Auto Load is operating, so this is something that for example you may want to leave running overnight.

The page shows the queue of files to be loaded and their status. New files to be loaded are added to the bottom of the list. The progress of the current file load is shown with a bar below the list.

To deactivate Auto Load and stop the current file load, click Cancel & Close (if no file is currently being loaded, this button just reads Close).

The above screenshot shows a file with the status: Pending. This status type only applies to multi-threading-disabled Analyzer.

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5.2 The Top Panel

The top panel has buttons linking to the Event Explorer and Radio Network Explorer pages.

The panel also includes a Summary table

consisting of information on the loaded dataset. The Reports link in this table displays all the existing reports defined to run on the template.

The Log Files link displays a dialog listing the log files processed in the project. The three tabs allow you to filter by File and Stream, or by Stream.

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5.3 The Issues Panel

On the left of the screen, this panel highlights particular issues that have been identified in the loaded data, based on the current threshold settings. If you have access to multiple technologies in the loaded data, a drop-down menu at the top of the panel allows you to switch between the technologies.

The Critical Issues section includes event-based key performance indicators (KPIs) like dropped call rate, failed call rate and rate of calls with excessive setup time.

The Important Issues section includes the various radio

network analyses. Depending on the nature of the issue, click on one of these issues to open the appropriate analysis on either the Radio Network Explorer page or the Event Explorer page.

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5.4 The Map

In Spotlight, the map is an integral part of the interface. The Summary map shows the entire drive with the default (technology-dependent) attribute plotted:



CDMA EcIo_1stBest



EVDO Consolidated_SINR_For_Nth_Best_Pilot[0]



GSM ServRxLevSub



UMTS / HSPA Uu_ActiveSet_EcNo[0] The drive test data is

binned according to the selections made in step 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed on the map will use the exact position rather than a binned position, so they may not

necessarily align with the data points.

From this map, you may be able to see one or more areas that may require investigation, using a Spotlight report or by following a link for a critical or important issue. Cell sector wedges are color-coded as follows:

green sectors were serving during part of the drive

yellow sectors were seen during the drive but were never serving empty sectors were not seen during the drive

Note that this image shows the map window undocked; by default the map view is docked in Spotlight, resulting in the Map icon being displayed next to the File menu at the top left of the screen. Click on this icon to control the size of map window and its docked or undocked condition.

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6 Using Spotlight reports

Reports are a good place to start when attempting to identify problems in the loaded data. These can be accessed by clicking on the Reports link from Spotlight's Summary Dashboard page. Note that, to be available, a report must have been activated in the current project's template. A report shows all

unfiltered data in the project database for the associated technology.

Here's an example HSPA report: Navigation tabs on the bottom left let you explore the various pages of the report.

Spotlight provides the following reports:



CDMA (see p160)



EVDO (see p163)



EVDO Rev A (see p167)



GSM (see p171)



HSPA (see p176)

2 On the bottom right, the Show Excel Report button lets you open the report as

a Microsoft Excel file. From here, you can use the functionality of Excel to perform further analyses on the data, or simply save the report as an Excel file or print it out. Note that the maps are inserted into the Excel file as linked bitmaps. This means that if you save the report in Excel for a project (A) and then run the report again on a different project (B), the map bitmaps will be updated to reflect the data in project B. If you subsequently reopen the workbook that you saved for project A, Excel will display a message saying that the workbook contains links to other data sources and asking whether you want to update them. Make sure you choose the Don't Update option, because otherwise the report will be updated with the maps from project B.

The Save button exports the report as a web page. Note that the web page has an associated subfolder with a unique name containing various image and other files relating to that report. However, the image files in each subfolder are always called image1.gif, image2.gif, which may cause you problems in some situations.

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7 Using the Radio Network Explorer

7.1 About the Radio Network Explorer

You can access the Radio Network analyses from the Radio Network Explorer icon at the top of the Summary Dashboard page:

...or by clicking on an appropriate Issue link in the Issues panel on the left of the Summary Dashboard page:

2 The available Radio Network analyses for all technologies are as follows:



CDMA/EVDO Cell Coverage



CDMA/EVDO Neighbor List



CDMA/EVDO Pilot Pollution



EVDO System Performance



LTE Cell Coverage



LTE 4G – 3G/2G Missing Neighbors



GSM 2G Missing Neighbors



GSM Cell Coverage



UMTS/HSPA 3G Neighbor List



UMTS/HSPA 3G-2G Neighbor List



UMTS/HSPA Cell Coverage



UMTS/HSPA Cell Pilot Pollution

When you are viewing a particular Radio Explorer analysis page, you may find that several analysis conditions apply, depending on the data loaded in the project. At the top left, you will see a tab for each of these, taking you to the appropriate analysis.

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7.2 CDMA / EVDO Cell Coverage analysis

You can use this analysis to:



Determine the coverage footprint for each cell.



Visualize where a cell is the best server.



Determine the relative grade of service as regards to EcIo, Mobile Rx Power and Mobile TX Power for selected cell(s), based on user-defined thresholds.



Visualize where cells are overshooting their coverage design boundary, as defined by SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold, shown by the red line

surrounding a selected cell.

7.2.1 Before you start

You can use scanner or handset data for this analysis.

7.2.2 Using the cell coverage analysis

1 Click on an appropriate issue link (or on the Radio Network Explorer image followed by the Cell Coverage tab) to open the Cell Coverage analysis page.

2 Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made in

step 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed on the map (for example, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use the exact position rather than a binned position, so events might not align with the data points.

2 From the top table, click on the column heading # > Dist. to sort the table by this value.

3 Look for differences between the # > Dist. value and # Samples. Be careful not to include sectors with low sample counts (for example, below 50) as these will not be statistically relevant.

Here is one such site - Site A, Sector 3. Some samples (highlighted) are shown well outside the overspill threshold (the red circle around the selected cell) and close to another cell.

2 4 In this example, scanner data is available, so select the Analysis to be

Scanner - Where Seen to visualize the coverage situation for the loaded data.

2 Continuing to investigate the sectors from the top table, we find another

potential problem sector, Site B Sector 2.

There may be a problem with the highlighted neighboring sector, which could be solved by downtilting the selected sector. First, check that the two cells are two-way neighbors.

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7.2.3 Features of this analysis page



Top Panel - Shows summary information. Clicking on a row in this table

causes the side panel to display more information about the site, and the map zooms to the site and displays its coverage.



Map - When you click a row in the top table or on a site on the map, the

map shows the coverage wedge for the selected cell, EcIo and the

CDMA_Important_Issues (CDMA Grade of Service) attribute. The red circle represents the coverage design boundary, configured using

SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold. Data points outside this circle represent overspill.



Side Panel - When no rows are selected, the side panel displays overview

information. A table shows details of the sites: Best EcIo, Rx Power, and CDMA Grade of Service. When a site is selected, the panel shows various KPI values for the site and a histogram of the distances at which the cell was measured. A red line indicates the maximum range for the analysis, as defined by SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold.



Filters – Select this link to specify filters for the table on the top panel.



Attributes – List of most commonly used attributes that can be plotted on

the map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. The currently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight's analysis pages.



Events – List of the event attributes that can be plotted on the map. So

while looking at pilot pollution you could dump the CDMA Dropped Call event on the map and quickly find out if the call dropped due to pilot pollution. Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.



Analysis – Select Scanner (Best Server/Where Seen) or Handset (Best

Server/Where Seen) analysis. The analysis can operate in two modes: Best Server and Where Seen. Changing the mode affects the Ec/Io

attribute that is displayed on the map. Best Server mode shows the Ec/Io when the selected cell was the best server is displayed. Where Seen mode shows the Ec/Io whenever the cell was measured, and shows the coverage footprint for only those cells that were the best servers at some point in the drive.



PN Search – Visualize a PN on the map. Select a PN to color red all the

sites with this PN, so you can quickly identify co-PN locations.



Overview – Displays in the left panel an overview of statistics, plus Grade

of Service percentages for the entire drive. The map also shows the Grade of Service (the legend also shows sample counts).

2

This table shows how the CDMA Grade of Service is computed at each point: CDMA Grade of

Service EcIo condition* MRx Power condition* MTX Power condition*

Excess interference Within Exceed Within

External interference Within Exceed Exceed

Weak reverse link Exceed Exceed Exceed

Weak forward link Within Within Within

Low Rx signal Exceed Within Exceed

Poor coverage Within Within Exceed

*Conditions:



EcIo compared with CDMA_EcIoCombinedThreshold - This condition is used in conjunction with Mobile Rx Power and Mobile Tx Power Thresholds to determine the diagnosis for the dropped call, failed call and voice call with poor quality. Recommended value is -12 dB. Values should vary between -16 and -12 dB.



Mobile Rx Power compared with CDMA_MobileRxPowerThreshold - This condition is used in conjunction with EcIo and Mobile Tx Power Thresholds to determine the diagnosis for the dropped call, failed call and voice call with poor quality. Recommended value is -80 dBm. Values should vary between -75 and -90 dBm.



Mobile Tx Power compared with CDMA_MobileTxPowerThreshold - This condition is used in conjunction with EcIo and Mobile Rx Power Thresholds to determine the diagnosis for the dropped call, failed call and voice call with poor quality. Recommended value is 5 dBm. Values should vary between 0 and 10 dBm.

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7.3 CDMA / EVDO Neighbor List analysis

This lets you use scanner data to optimize neighbor lists for sites within a user-defined radius of the selected cell. The missing neighbor algorithm generates add, remove and retain neighbor recommendations for each site and cell based on scanner measurements, and these can be exported directly to a CSV file for easy import and to update the switch directly.

7.3.1 Before you start

For this analysis, the project will need to contain scanner data.

7.3.2 Using the neighbor list analysis

1 To start this analysis, from the Summary Dashboard page click on the Radio Network Explorer button and click on this tab, or click on an appropriate Issue in the left-hand Issues panel.

2 If you have not done so before, check the data settings that control the neighbor list analysis algorithm.

3 Go to the top table and sort by the Add column.

You can now see the sector with the highest number of recommended additions to its neighbor list.

2 4 Click on the top row in the table to show information for that sector.

The map now shows green lines to each new neighbor recommendation. The thickness of each line shows how well the suggestion meets the criteria of the analysis. The circle represents the user-defined radius used by the analysis to identify potential neighbors. The map also displays the data points used in the analysis.

Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made in step 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed on the map (for example, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use the exact position rather than a binned position, so events might not align with the data points.

5 Examine each suggested additional neighbor.

You may have reasons for refusing to accept the suggestion on

geographical grounds (for example, existing cells between the sector and the suggested addition, as occurs several times in this example), or for reasons related to the data settings. For example, you may think that the number of samples was too small to justify the addition - in which case you may also want to alter the related data setting, which will immediately update the analysis. Also, you may know that one or more sites will be going off-air and should not be selected.

If you disagree with a suggested addition, you may want to use the PN Search feature to find an alternative sector to add to the neighbor list. Note that in this case you will not be able to output your choice, and will need to make the correction to the switch manually (for example, by editing the CSV file).

2 6 If you accept all suggestions for a sector, you can click the related button

in the table to mark your choice.

Note that the number beside the button changes to match your selection. For example, if there were 6 suggested additions in the first row, with none currently selected for export, the number would show 0/6. If you clicked the button, the number would read 6/6. If you do not want to select every recommendation for a sector, you can use the table in the side panel on the left, which shows each recommendation for a sector individually. So if you selected 3 additions, this would result in the number reading 3/6. This can be useful if there are a large number of

recommendations and you need to keep track of how many you have already selected.

7 Repeat this process for each row in the top table, as necessary. 8 You can now go through the same process for the 'Removals' column.

Note that by default the map does not show lines for removal recommendations.

9 Once you are satisfied with the recommendations that you have selected, you can output them to a CSV file. From the top of the page, click the Export data link.

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7.3.3 Features of this analysis page



Top Panel - Summary information is displayed in the top panel. It includes

in a tabular form number of addition, removals and retains neighbor recommendations for every site. Clicking on a row in this table causes neighbor information for the selected cell to be displayed in the side panel, and lines to neighbors to be drawn on the map.



Map - When a row is clicked in the top panel or a site is clicked on the

map, lines to neighbors are drawn from that site. The circle represents the user defined radius (Maximum Intersite Distance) used by the analysis to identify potential neighbors.



Side Panel - Details of the neighbor recommendations are displayed on the

side panel. Check boxes next to a recommendation can be selected for export to a CSV file.



Filters – Select this link to specify filters for the table on the top panel.



Attributes – List of most commonly used attributes that can be plotted on

the map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. The currently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight's analysis pages.



Events – List of the event attributes that can be plotted on the map.

Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.



Export data – Select this link to export neighbor recommendations to a

CSV file.



PN Search – Visualize a PN on the map. Input a PN to visualize on the map

and this feature would color red all the sites with this PN. This helps in quickly identifying co-PN locations.



Data Settings – This link opens up a dialog box for configuring the

algorithm that Spotlight uses for the missing neighbor analysis, which can be used to build lists of suggested neighbor cells to add and remove. All of the options take effect immediately after you click OK. See below for more information.

7.3.4 Data Settings

Setting Default Description Ec/Io

Threshold (dB)

-17 Only scanner measurements above this used-defined EcIo threshold will be included in the analysis.

Maximum

Neighbors 13 Defines the maximum number of cells in the neighbor list. Addition

Threshold (%) 1 Defines the percentage of samples that must be reached to trigger a cell being added as a suggested neighbor. This is used to reduce the effect of stray signals.

2 Setting Default Description

Removal

Threshold (%) 0.2 Defines the minimum percentage of samples that cells in the current neighbor list must achieve in order to be recommended for retention in the list. When the

percentages of samples fall below this threshold, cells will be recommended for removal from the list.

Minimum

Measurements 50 Only sectors which have been measured above the Ec/Io Threshold at least this many times will be included in the analysis. Note that the algorithm works off Binned data. Maximum

Intersite Distance (meters)

20000 Defines the maximum line-of-sight distance in meters between two cells for one to be considered for inclusion on the other's neighbor list. For rural areas where the

average intersite distance is naturally greater than a dense urban environment, use a higher value. To disable this feature, set this value to 0.

Angle to site threshold (degrees)

90 Defines the maximum angle between the edge of a cell's beam width and the data point, for that cell to be

considered for inclusion in the serving cell's neighbor list.

In this example, the beam width is shown as a darker blue arc, and the angle to site threshold in lighter blue arcs on either side. Acceptable data points are within this

threshold of the candidate sector's beam width, and are also within the Maximum Intersite Distance (the blue circle). This threshold ensures that missing neighbors are not suggested from reflected signals or back-lobes, and also that only cells angled towards the data point are suggested. To disable this feature, set this value to 0.

2 Setting Default Description

Include existing neighbors

Selected Select this option for the current neighbor list in the cellrefs file to be considered for additions and removals. Only process

first best PN

Selected Select this option to analyze the neighbors of the best cell only. De-select this option if you want to analyze the neighbor list of all of the cells within the reporting range. Max Neighbor

List Size 32 Allows you to define the maximum number of recommended neighbors. Note that the more potential neighbors you add, the longer it will take a handset to find appropriate neighbors, conceivably resulting in a dropped call.

Once a potential neighbor list has been calculated for each data point, they are aggregated by serving cell to produce the recommended neighbor list. This is compared with the existing list to calculate which are additions, retentions and removals.