Blog 18: Third Answer

EQ:

How can an RF Field Engineer best troubleshoot cellular coverage in a city?

Answer #3:

By troubleshooting the internal software within a Radio Base Station.

3 Details:

1. Two key issues in the implementation of software radios are the development of optimal receivers that require the minimum number of bits in the wide-band analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and efficient channelizers that extract individual channels from the digitized wide-band signal.
2. The idea of software radio is to place the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) as close as possible to the antenna, ideally right after the low noise amplifier (LNA) and bandpass filter (BPF), thus the remaining RF/IF functions, such as channelization, downconversion, synchronization, and filtering, can be performed digitally on a general purpose processors (GPP) to provide the full advantages of reconfigurability.
3. The main advantage of software radio is flexibility. Application developers are interested in software radio because operating characteristics of the radio can be changed on-the-fly: frequency band, modulation scheme, error correction, etc

Research Source:

Lee, C. (2008). Power-efficient integrated cognitive and software radio system: Architecture, algorithms, and protocols. (Order No. 3299835, Princeton University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 202. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304508399?accountid=10357. (304508399).

Zangi, K.C.; Ericsson Inc., Traingle Park, NC, USA ; Koilpillai, R.D.

<http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=761036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fiel4%2F49%2F16463%2F00761036.pdf%3Farnumber%3D761036 >

Blog 10: Senior Project, The Holiday

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

Over the break, I completed 10 hours of mentorship for my senior project. With my mentor, we traveled to 3 Radio Based Stations to troubleshoot each one. The first RBS that we visited was located in the city of Compton. When we arrived to the area we immediately spotted the problem, because the power meter (Gives power to the Radio Based Station) had been run over by a truck.

First RBS

The second RBS we traveled to was in the City of Industry, and the problem with this site was that their was a power outage in the whole region. All of the lights were off, their was no electricity and we had to provide a power generator for the station until Edison brought the power back up.

Second RBS

Second RBS

The final RBS that I went to was located on top of a rooftop. The site had a simple issue which was that, the station had a bad setting. It took a really long time to discover out the problem as it was so small and we thought the solution was something else but we figured it out in the end.

Third RBS

2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why? What was the source of what you learned?

The most important thing that I have learned from my mentorship experience over the break, was how to replace a radio for an RBS. This was very important because most of the times if their is an issue with an RBS it mostly comes through the radios that provide cellular networks to the public. So in order to fix the issue we need to replace the damaged one with a brand new one. It took a lot of responsibility because the radios cost around thousands of dollars and damaging another one would cause alot more problems. I learned to replace a damaged radio, through the help of my mentor when we arrived to the second RBS located on a rooftop.

3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

I would talk to my mentor's colleague because he has been an RF Field Engineer since my father has been and he can answer my questions in a whole new perspective from my mentor's interview.

EQ

1. I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2. Review the following EQs

A. What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

This essential question does tie into all three of the criteria's.

- Does this question provide a "framework for studies?"

The word, "factor" has a major part as to why it is not just a yes or no question and why it can have alot of research. Not only can you provide an opinion toward what the most important factor is but also source statistical evidence that supports a factor. Sure the answer can be straight to the point, but finding that point will require tons of research and knowledge towards your topic.

 - Does this question "take a stance?"

The word "factor" allows for a specific argument as to what they believe (based upon their research) is the best way possible to lose weight. This could be confused with a fact but instead it's an opinion that can lead towards an argument as to what the most important factor is. 

- Does this question provide a clear format?

Yes it does, because it states what the speaker is going to talk about, gives the audience an idea as to what their topic might be, and how this question can be answered. 

B. What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

Wow, talk about grammar issues, so I fixed it for you: 

"What is the most important factor towards securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?"

- Does this question provide a "framework for studies?"

Yes it can provide alot of research towards criminal investigation but looking at what the question is asking, the author of the EQ doesn't really know what he will research about in criminal investigation. It isn't a yes or no question but it is still unclear as to what the author will be discussing.

 - Does this question "take a stance?"

No it does not because how can you bring up an argument when the EQ has not been completed. In other words, the words, "most important" is incomplete; most important what?

- Does this question provide a clear format?
Of course not, because the formatting is not specific in defining or answering the EQ. Instead you can add the word "factor" or "component" to have a clearer format. 

C. What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

- Does this question provide a "framework for studies?"

This can provide alot of research due to the answer being an opinion, not a fact. Everyone is different, and not everyone is going to have the same satisfactions. But providing a clue as to what a customer might like will require research and data.

 - Does this question "take a stance?"

If the answer is an opinion, then of course their are going to be arguments. So yes it does take a stance.

- Does this question provide a clear format?

Yes. It provides a factor to be answered and clear argument as to what will satisfy a customer. 

D. How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

- Does this question provide a "framework for studies?"

This question does offer a wide variety of studies on how to treat chronic pain, thus the author providing a scientific fact as to why that factor is the best treatment.

- Does this question "take a stance?"

No because the answer cannot be argued upon due to evidence and statistics backing up the authors answer. For example, you can only have a medicine that treats chronic pain in a much better manner and shows statistical evidence as to why it is used by most Anesthesiologists.

- Does this question provide a clear format?

Yes. It is clear and specific as to what the answer could be, which in this case it will be a fact.

3. What are the most important factors in troubleshooting cellular coverage in a city?

Research and Working EQ

1. What is your working EQ?

How can you troubleshoot cellular coverage in a city?

2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ?

Typically, when their is a problem in the mobile networks, it is most likely due to a Radio Based Station (RBS) experiencing failure in the software or hardware. An RF Field Engineer receives a ticket or e-mail from the Mobile Telephone Switching Office, which tells the employee what RBS it is and where it's located. 

To troubleshoot the cellular coverage, there are three possible solutions:

• First you need to check if the area has an Radio Based Station to transmit cellular data to cellphones. If there is no RBS in that area then you will have no service, and you won't have internet access or make phone calls. So to fix this problem the carriers need to install an RBS in that area. 
• If there is an RBS but there is still a problem in the network, then you will need to go operate and maintain the equipment and radios in the RBS.
• If all else fails, you will need to work with the performance of the sector, and checking the power antennae to up tilt it or replace the antennae for a better outreach.

3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

My summer mentorship and the mentorship that I am doing with my current mentor has helped me answer my essential question. There I have learned how to troubleshoot the cellular coverage in the best way possible.

4. Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

Oscar Holzmeister is my mentor and he is an RF Field Engineer for T-Mobile. We are going to Based Stations and troubleshooting all of them.

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

Positive Statement

What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

During my summer mentorship, I have learned how a radio based station (RBS) works and how it benefits others. To me, radio frequency has taught me how to be much more organized and how communication is a huge benefit when troubleshooting sites. For example, when my mentor needed to communicate anything to another individual or group he would have to call several people so they would know, what he is about to do is correct. Then he would have to use a scanner to scan the entire RBS to let the whole network know that the site is updated. With this I now have a better feel of how to stay organized and how to communicate to others in the best way possible.

EQ Content
Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

Title of the article: How Cell Phones Work"
Link: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm

This article justified not only the basis of how a cellular device transfers phone calls but has given a very simplistic overview of how radio frequencies plays a big role in our lives. Knowing how a cell phone works, fascinates me of how much is put towards making a simple phone call or even turning on a cellular device. Not only that, but this has helped me understand the frequencies of a cell phone, the different channels, the cell phone codes,digital cellphones and the cell phone network.


What has worked for you so far in the senior project?
As of right, the interview with my mentor and the mentorship hours has taught me so much and given me a head start of how I might present my two hour presentation. The interview has allowed me to get a feel of what it is like to work as a radio frequency engineer in a carrier network such as T-mobile and has given me more ideas on what to research and look up to learn more about my topic.


What hasn't worked so far?


So far, the only thing that hasn't worked for me is simply finding good research for my topic because most articles simply explain what radio frequency is all about, but they all have the same concept behind them.


Finding Value
What is a potential question you would like to study this year?


What is the most important factor to consider when troubleshooting radio based stations in the USA?


What do you plan to do for mentorship?

For mentorship I plan to do this with my current mentor which is my father, because so far he is an expert in this type of field and has been doing this type of work for over 20 years. We usually go to radio based stations to fix the T-Mobile networks all around his area which is Pasadena.