Anritsu Announces Distance-to-PIM Technology

Anritsu Co. announces the commercial release of its Distance-to-PIM (DTP) technology that takes analyzing BTS sites to a new level by enabling construction crews, technicians and performance engineers to measure the integrity of both the transmission system and the surrounding environment for the first time. Developed as part of Anritsu's recently introduced MW8219A PIM Master, DTP addresses the growing need to measure Passive Intermodulation (PIM) due to the rollout of high-capacity platforms, such as HSPA+ and LTE.

DTP is a superior analysis tool compared to conventional PIM testers. It encompasses conventional PIM testing theory but offers users the convenience of distance information to assist in locating PIM problems. This is a major leap forward over conventional PIM measurements, and offers information and clarity never before available. A two-tone test is utilized and the test signals are stepped to obtain phase information, which is then processed to display the distance and level information.

A key advantage of DTP is that it allows measurements to be performed through the antenna system into the surrounding environment. This has a potentially significant cost savings, as it may reveal that the poor performance is due to an easily repaired corroded or loose mechanical structure, eliminating the need to have a tower crew visit the site.

With the DTP installed, the MW8219A PIM Master provides field personnel with a test system that can help ensure optimum network performance and also locate PIM faults before intermodulation distortion adversely affects signal transmission. PIM Master has been designed to work with Anritsu's S332E/S362E Site Master, MS2712E/MS2713E Spectrum Master, and MT8212E/MT8213E Cell Master handheld analyzers, as well as the MT8221B/MT8222A/MT8222B BTS Master handheld analyzers.

Field personnel can use the PIM Master to generate two high-power tones in the transmit band of a base station, and use any of the handheld analyzers to measure the 3rd, 5th, or 7th order intermodulation products in the receive band that travel down the same cable.

The MW8219A can conduct 40W testing, compared to many alternative methods that only measure at 20W. Using double the power allows the PIM Master to locate intermittent failures due to light corrosion, high-traffic loading, or changing weather conditions. It also permits users to find faults in a multicarrier antenna system or discover microscopic arcing in connectors.

Anritsu