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Network Engineering COUNIFF3 Verizon Wireless
3305 160th Ave. SE
M/S 231
Bellevue, WA 98008
SEA Hickman Park RF Documentation
Overview:
Verizon Wireless strives to provide excellent wireless service for our customers with a network of cell
sites that allows our customers to reliably place and receive mobile phone calls. In this particular case, we
are trying to provide and enhance coverage in the residential areas in the town of Edmonds, in
Snohomish County, within an area roughly located east to 100th Ave. W, west to Timber Ln., north to
Nottingham Rd. and south to NW 205th St.. Development of the proposed site entails placing three
antennas at the replaced utility pole. Providing coverage to our residential customers, along with
continued growth in our customer base and call traffic in this area has dictated the need for the proposed
site.
Coverage:
In order to provide excellent service, which Verizon Wireless defines as —80 dBm, the antenna height and
site location need to provide a line of sight to the roads, offices, and homes where our customers work
and reside. A total of three antennas are being proposed to be installed on 62' replaced utility pole, in
order to provide the necessary radio frequencies supporting all of Verizon Wireless voice and data
services.
One key feature of the new cell site will be providing strong in -building coverage to the surrounding
business and residential areas. Strong in -building coverage is often the most difficult goal to attain
because of the degradation of the Radio Frequency (RF) signal through the building itself. A RF signal
will quickly drop off when it must travel through solid obstacles such as tree foliage or buildings. For this
reason a tower height that is greater than the existing tree and building clutter is required to provide a
better, less obstructed view of the intended coverage area. Early cellular designs placed cell sites with
tall towers on top of hills. This provided cellular companies the ability to cover the most area possible
with very few cell sites. As cellular subscriber numbers have increased this has meant that these high
cell sites have been forced to provide service to a large number of subscribers in a large area. Cellular
design has evolved so that multiple, shorter cell sites, located near high traffic, high population areas are
now favored. This allows for a single cell site to provide service for more subscribers in a smaller area.
This ultimately results in fewer dropped calls and access failures for the user because the serving cell site
is located closer providing a stronger RF signal.
Because of surrounding vegetation and the rolling terrain features of the proposed coverage area, a taller
height would be preferable, as an obstruction before antennas degrades or block signal levels to our
customers. While a taller height is desired, 62 feet is the minimum height necessary for the proposed site
to provide adequate levels of coverage to the surrounding area, as vegetation around or other obstacles
at the proposed site location are at or above 50 feet. There is a chance that our customers will not have
a line of sight to antennas on the tower at the proposed location due to obstacles, so this is a reason to
install RRU and TMA at antennas in order to amplify signal levels at the antennas on the tower and hence
improve the quality service for our customers due to degradation of signals due to obstacles between
customers and antennas on the tower. Verizon Wireless has a frequency licenses in 700 MHz, 850MHz,
PCS and AWS frequency bands. In order to provide excellent service, Verizon Wireless would need to
install a separate antenna for each frequency band in three directions that would require a total of 12
antennas. However, Verizon Wireless plans to install only three antennas at the replaced utility pole in
order to minimize a visual impact for the new site.
Propagation Maps:
There are several methods for determining where coverage gaps exist within a given network of wireless
sites. One of these is through the use of propagation maps. The propagation map is a computer
simulation of the strength of Verizon Wireless signals at a given height and location in the context of the
network. Propagation maps are one tool for determining whether a proposed site will meet the coverage
objective and what antenna height is needed to provide robust service for Verizon Wireless customers.
The radio propagation tool is designed to take factors such as terrain and tree coverage into account, and
is calibrated with drive test data so that it depicts a reliable estimate of coverage that would be provided
by a proposed site.
The propagation maps that follow show three levels of service, designated as the following colors:
Green = -80 dBm, a level of service adequate for providing reliable coverage inside a building
Yellow= -90 dBm, a level of service adequate for providing reliable coverage outdoors or
inside a car
White= > -90 dBm, unreliable signal strength, not capable of reliably making and holding a
call
RF Documentation for SEA HICKMAN PARK
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Exhibit 1A is a propagation map that shows the existing level of coverage in the proposed service
area in the context of surrounding Verizon Wireless sites.
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Exhibit 1 B shows the level of service that would be provided with the proposed site.
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Exhibit 1C shows location of the existing Verizon Wireless sites in the area (shown as red polygons
on the below map)
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Capacity:
An additional function of some wireless sites is to provide additional capacity in an area. The capacity of
wireless networks is limited by the number of available antennas and the radios associated with those
antennas. When a mobile user attempts to make a call on a wireless network where capacity is limited by
these factors, the resulting busy signal can be very frustrating. To remedy capacity issues, additional
antenna sites are added to an area to provide additional calling capacity for Verizon Wireless customers.
Antenna Diversity:
Antenna diversity, also known as space diversity, is one method of enhancing wireless signal to improve
the quality and reliability of a wireless link. Often, in cluttered environments such as the environment
surrounding the subject site, there is not a clear line of sight between the antennas and customers'
handsets. In these cases, the signal may be reflected along multiple paths before it finally reaches the
receiver. These deflections can result in phase shifts, time delays, attenuations, and signal distortion that
the customer may experience as an echo or warbling in the signal, or the signal dropping altogether.
Antenna diversity is especially effective at remedying these types of issues because multiple antennas
provide several "observations" of the same signal. Each antenna will experience a different interference
environment. So, for example, if one antenna is experiencing a deep fade, it is likely that another antenna
in the same sector will have sufficient signal. Providing signal diversity then, is absolutely necessary for
providing robust signal at the proposed location.
Wireless E- 911
Approximately 230,000 Wireless 911 calls are made every day nationwide, and this number continues to
increase. (source: CTIA, the Wireless Association) Wireless E-911 service depends on reliable signal
strength and a fairly dense network of antenna sites in order to function effectively. Because of our
federally -mandated obligation to provide wireless E-911 service, ssignal reliability is paramount. Using
multiple antennas with spatial diversity is an effective way to decrease the number of drop -outs and lost
connections to ensure that coverage in this area is robust and reliable.
Summary:
In summary, the proposed site at a height of 62 feet would barely meet the coverage objective of the
subject site. The height of the proposed antenna and the three antenna array is the minimum required for
the effective functioning of the proposed wireless communication facility, as vegetation around the
proposed site location is at or above 60 feet. Verizon Wireless plans to install only three antennas at the
replaced utility pole in order to minimize a visual impact for the new site.
Sincerely,
Renald Gasparovic
Verizon Wireless
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