Services · Radio coverage study
Radio coverage study for TETRA, DMR, P25, and VHF/UHF networks, in-tunnel DAS systems, and cellular networks.
We design the coverage of TETRA, DMR, P25, and VHF/UHF networks, of in-tunnel DAS systems, and of cellular networks: propagation simulation on digital mapping, link budget, site dimensioning, and frequency plan. The study closes with a technical report, the coverage maps, and the bill of materials, which can also be attached to a tender submission.
Before you buy a single piece of equipment you need to know where the signal will reach. That is what a radio coverage study is for: it establishes how many sites are needed, where to put them, at what power to transmit, and with which antennas, and it becomes the basis for everything else, from the design of the system to the frequency application. When it is done badly the figures add up only on paper, and once the system is switched on you are left with coverage holes behind a ridge, tunnel portals with no coverage, and channels that interfere with installations already present in the area.
We start from the data of the infrastructure to be served: digital terrain mapping, the alignment of the route, tunnel cross sections, available sites, and frequencies already assigned in the area. On that basis we build the propagation model, calculate the link budget in both directions, size equipment, antennas, and feeder lines, and check the frequency plan. Where we can, we calibrate the model against measurements taken on site, so the coverage maps rest on measured values and not only on calculated ones.
The areas the design covers.
Every study combines these areas according to the infrastructure to be served and the technologies required.
Outdoor coverage
We design PMR networks over open terrain: we choose the radio sites, the height, and the type of antenna, we calculate the field level along the route and we verify coverage across the whole service area.
In-tunnel coverage
We design the DAS with radiating cable or with distributed antennas: we calculate the attenuation of the cable, the position of the line amplifiers, and the signal injection points, then we verify that coverage is continuous between the open road and the inside of the bore.
Backbone links
We design the point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave links that carry traffic from the radio sites to the control room: elevation profile of the path, line of sight between the sites, antenna sizing, and definition of the backup routes.
Assessment of an existing network
When the network is already in service, we calibrate the model against the measurements taken in the field, we identify the coverage holes and we set out the work needed to close them.
What the study contains.
The surveys, the calculations, and the checks that make up a radio coverage study, grouped by area.
Input data and site survey
- Coverage requirements: areas to be served, services to be carried on the network, and terminal type (portable, mobile, fixed)
- Survey of the candidate radio sites: space in the equipment room, power available, access, and antenna support structures
- Alignment of the infrastructure, tunnel cross sections, and any radiating cable or ducts already installed
- Radio installations present in the area and frequencies already assigned
- Permitting, landscape, and site access constraints
Mapping and propagation model
- Reconstruction of the terrain, the buildings, and the obstacles on the digital mapping of the area
- Choice of the propagation model suited to the environment: open terrain, urban area, tunnel
- Calibration of the model against the measurements taken in the field, when a network is already in service in the area
- Simulation of the field level along the route and across the whole service area
- Identification of the coverage holes and of the areas where the signal margin is not sufficient
Link budget
- Calculation in both directions, from the portable terminal to the base station and from the base station to the terminal
- Equipment power, antenna gain, and losses of cables, connectors, combiners, and duplexers
- Receiver sensitivity and margin against the noise measured at the site
- Safety margins for propagation variations, for vegetation, and for the attenuation inside vehicles and buildings
- Check that the transmit path and the receive path of every site are balanced
Equipment, antennas, and feeder lines
- Choice of base stations and repeaters according to the power required and the number of carriers
- Antenna type, gain, radiation pattern, azimuth, and tilt
- Sizing of the feeder lines: cable type, length, and losses
- Combiners, duplexers, cavity filters, surge arresters, and grounding
- Power supply, autonomy during a mains failure, and heat dissipation in the equipment room
Coverage in tunnels and confined spaces
- Choice between radiating cable and distributed antennas according to the cross section of the bore and the length of the tunnel
- Calculation of the longitudinal attenuation of the cable and of the coupling losses towards the vehicle
- Number and position of the line amplifiers and of the signal injection points
- Continuity of coverage between the open section and the tunnel portal, in the cross passages between bores, and in the escape routes
- Services sharing the same infrastructure: the network of the motorway operator, emergency services, FM and DAB+, cellular telephony
Frequencies and interference
- Frequency plan in line with the ministerial assignments, with channel reuse between the sites
- Check of the interference with the installations already present in the area and on the adjacent channels
- Same-frequency simulcast networks: overlap areas, level difference, and delay between the sites
- Intermodulation products and isolation between the antennas installed on the same site
- Technical documentation supporting the permit applications and the frequency assignment request
Network architecture and transport
- Network topology, connection of the sites to the control room, and redundancy of the paths
- Microwave links: path profile, obstacles on the line of sight, and antenna sizing
- Integration with the control room, with the dispatch consoles, and with the recording of the communications
- Remote supervision of the equipment and delivery of the site alarms to the control room
Design documents
- Technical report with the design choices, the calculation assumptions, and the simulation results
- Coverage maps for every technology and for every type of terminal considered
- Block diagrams, site layouts, and RF line diagrams
- Bill of materials, technical specification, and priced bill of quantities
How a study is run.
The stages of a study, from collecting the input data to verifying the model in the field.
- Step 01
Requirements and site survey
We collect the coverage requirements, the services to be carried on the network, and the operational constraints, then we visit the candidate sites to check space, power, access, and structures for the antennas.
- Step 02
Mapping and simulation
We reconstruct the terrain and the obstacles on the digital mapping, we choose the propagation model suited to the environment and we simulate the field level across the whole service area.
- Step 03
Dimensioning and frequency plan
We calculate the link budget, we choose equipment, antennas, and feeder lines, we define the number and the position of the sites, then we check the frequency plan against the installations already present in the area.
- Step 04
Design documents
We hand over the technical report, the coverage maps, the diagrams, the bill of materials, and the technical specification, in the format required by the customer or by the tender documents.
- Step 05
Field verification
We run RF measurements and drive tests at the critical points of the design, we compare the values measured with those simulated and we update the study where needed.
What you receive.
The documents that stay with the customer, usable both in tender documents and during construction.
- Design report
The design choices, the operating parameters of the network, and the simulation results, with every calculation assumption stated.
- Simulated coverage maps
The field level predicted for every technology and every type of terminal, with the areas served and the coverage holes highlighted.
- Link budget
The site-by-site calculation of powers, gains, losses, and margins in both directions of communication, with the reference values adopted.
- Frequency plan
The frequencies proposed for every site and every service, in line with the ministerial assignments, with the documentation supporting the permit applications.
- Bill of materials
The list of equipment, antennas, cables, accessories, and works needed to build the network, with the quantities planned for every site.
- Technical specification and bill of quantities
Detailed technical specifications and a priced bill of quantities, ready to be attached to the documents of a public tender.
Which sectors use this service.
The sectors that turn to this service most often.
Highways and tunnels
We design, install, and maintain the radio coverage and monitoring systems for Autostrade per l’Italia, SITMB, SAV, RAV, Asti-Cuneo, and many other concessionaires. Over more than twenty years we have equipped more than 500 km of routes and over 100 tunnels.
Railways and metros
We design, install, and maintain radio coverage systems for railway and metro tunnels: multiband DAS systems, radiating-cable continuity monitoring, and microwave links to connect remote sites, backed by more than twenty years of experience in mission-critical communications.
Public safety
We design, build, and maintain mission-critical radio networks and control rooms for law enforcement, emergency medical services, and Protezione Civile: TETRA, DMR, and P25 networks, powered by the Respondr dispatch platform and over twenty years of experience in communications where failure is not an option.
Learn more.
Frequently asked questions.
The questions we hear most often about this service.
How reliable is simulated coverage compared with coverage measured on site?
It depends on the input data and on the environment. In open terrain, with detailed mapping and a model calibrated against real measurements, the simulation describes the field level along the route well; inside tunnels, in urban areas, and inside buildings the deviation grows, because the signal depends on materials and geometries that digital mapping does not describe. This is why we apply margins in the dimensioning and state the model used and the calculation assumptions in the report, so that whoever reads the study knows the values the network was dimensioned on. Where a network is already in service in the area we calibrate the model against the measurements taken in the field, and once the network is built we verify the critical points with measurements and drive tests.
Does the calculated coverage apply to portable radios too, or only to mobile radios in vehicles?
A coverage map is valid for the type of terminal it was calculated for. A mobile radio in a vehicle transmits at higher power and uses an external roof antenna; a portable carried on the belt has less power and a short antenna, and it works close to the operator’s body; inside a building or inside a vehicle the attenuation of walls and bodywork is added on top. This is why the link budget is calculated in both directions, from terminal to base station and from base station to terminal, and why we produce a separate map for every type of terminal planned: portable, mobile, and fixed. The worst case, the one the network is dimensioned on, is normally the portable transmitting towards the base station.
Does the study tie the purchase to the equipment of one specific manufacturer?
No. The study sets the performance the equipment has to deliver: transmit power, antenna gain and radiation pattern, receiver sensitivity, losses allowed on the feeder lines. The bill of materials lists reference models with their characteristics, but any equipment that meets those figures can be used, and this is what allows bids from different manufacturers to be compared in a tender. If the customer already has equipment in service, the dimensioning starts from its characteristics, so the new part of the network stays compatible with the existing one.
How long does a radio coverage study take?
It depends on the size of the area, on the number of sites to assess, and on the data already available. When the mapping and the documentation of the infrastructure are complete, only the calculation and the verification remain; if instead the sites have to be visited one by one, the site surveys extend the schedule. Calibration measurements, needed when a network is already in service in the area, also add time, as does how quickly the infrastructure operator supplies route alignments and documentation. We agree the delivery date in the quotation, once we have seen the data available and the number of site surveys required.
Request a quote for radio coverage study.
One of our Project Managers analyzes your specific project requirements and prepares a dedicated technical and commercial proposal.