IXUS’ philosophy for RF compliance is based on two pillars, simplicity and accuracy, Danie Ludick, PhD, CEO of IXUS, told a webinar audience recently. The webinar, “Easy & Accurate RF Compliance,” included a description of the company and its product, a live demonstration and a presentation of case studies. The speakers comprised Ludick and Andrew H. Thatcher, MSHP, CHP, a consulting health physicist of Thatcher Consulting, LLC.
“Our philosophy is based on simplicity,” Ludick said. “We want to present you with a simple workflow that’s efficient and also, above anything else, accurate so that when you do site analysis and RF safety analysis you know that you can be confident your results are correct.”
IXUS was developed by Alphawave Mobile Network Products. The company is owned by Alphawave Holdings, a South African technology investment firm, which also owns FieldSENSE, a personal RF monitor company. Alphawave Mobile Network Services began in 2005, specializing in RF Compliance using 3D modeling and simulation of base stations and towers, using the IXUS software. Since 2009, the process has focused on RF system safety assessment, and in the last two years, research efforts have been focused on 5G.
“IXUS is an integrated software solution designed to help mobile network operators manage compliance with RF safety guidelines across whole networks,” Ludick said. “This sophisticated system offers monitoring and management of compliance – from planning to re-configuration – for the thousands of sites in a network.”
There are two core components that make up IXUS: the IXUS Manager and the IXUS Modeler. In the IXUS Manager, the user can manage all of the sites they need to analyze. It is where the user can pull in and manage all of the information that is associated with the RF safety assessment for a particular site, as well as print reports of those tests from fixed report templates or customized report templates.
The RF calculations are performed in the IXUS Modeler, which is a Windows-based desktop computer aided design application. “In the IXUS Modeler, you will generate the buildings by drawing your shapes and sizes for the structures using CAD tools,” Ludick said. “To do that, you can import things like blueprints, Google Maps and photographs to model your site. Then, you position and apply your antennas at particular points.”
The IXUS Suite offers a simple three-step process for RF Assessment:
- Gather information including as-built documents, drawings, aerial photos, network data, pictures and any other information required for compliance. Incorporate measurement data directly from devices like the Narda SRM. Upload these to the IXUS Manager.
- Extract this data into the IXUS Modeler. Build 3D models and calculate the exclusion zones, drawing the sites and placing the antennas using CAD tools.
- The information from the IXUS Modeler is then synchronized back to the IXUS Manager, which creates reports based on a pre-loaded report template or a custom one.
IXUS provides technical information on more than 4,000 antenna models from various manufacturers at its portal for antenna emissions modelling. The list is updated on a regular basis by the company’s antenna engineers.
“Something that sets us apart in this field is the length to which we go to ensure that our antenna models are comprehensive,” Ludick said. “We also make sure that it resembles the information that we get from antenna manufacturers in the form of verified data sheets and patent information. We use a combination of methods, some of which is based on full wave techniques, to get the most accurate representation for what that antenna will do when used for RF safety compliance studies. That includes our 5G antenna models.”
In the second half of the webinar, Thatcher shared how IXUS verifies that an actual site is in compliance. He also showed the results of an electromagnetic energy report from a site on top of a building with multiple rooftop site levels. Additionally, he discussed the simplicity and accuracy of the analysis software and how it can be to accelerate small cells studies.
Thatcher was hired to do a validation and verification of the RF compliance safety for rooftop access of a condominium in a dense, urban environment with picnic benches right next to the antennas. Using a 3D IXUS model, he did a spatial average of the power density and found that the areas that were open to the public were not over the limit. He showed another 3D model of a rooftop, which documented where to put the RF warning signs and fencing.
“When I prepare a report and send it to a client, especially for a rooftop environment, it needs to be very detailed, so the people who are deploying the signage and fencing know exactly what to do,” he said. “It’s very easy and quick, in the IXUS model, to include a lot of detail. It’s not like something I have to spend a ton of time creating.”
Thatcher discussed another job where he was hired to analyze a building with multiple rooftop locations. In previous attempts to analyze the rooftops, all the areas failed the occupational exposure limit. Using IXUS software, he was able to perform analysis that was specific to the accessible areas of the rooftops, which passed.
Thatcher showed another use case study where there were three adjacent buildings, one of which had three rooftop sites. He was concerned that the other two rooftops might be unsafe due to RF exposure. Using a 3D model that he had created in 40 minutes, he displayed both horizontal and vertical environmental slices. He found evidence that access to the other rooftops should be limited.
“It was a huge time saver for me to do all of this and do it so quickly,” he said. “We contacted the landlord, which owned all three buildings, and it agreed to limit access to the other rooftops, so that meant we were compliant with FCC RF safety limits. It was a win-win.”
Thatcher does RF compliance analysis for one of the leading U.S. carriers, which gives him all the antenna combinations for the upcoming year that are planned for pole and roof-top deployments.
“I’ll take a look at all different combinations of power levels and heights of the antennas and then do my analyses,” he said. “So, before these antennas go out into all the regions and markets, we know if there are any problem areas.”
Thatcher does ground level analysis of small cells, which covers pedestrians, but he also offers RF training for utilities, which have workers in boom trucks near the small cells. “They want to know how close their workers can safely be when they are up in the boom at the level of the antenna,” he said.
To watch the webinar on-demand visit here. For more information, visit https://ixusapp.com/ or email [email protected].
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