TETRA

Terrestrial Trunked Radio

Frequencies & Channels

Instruments

3920 Radio Test Set

Bursts & Frames

TETRA in Europe:

TETRA in Asia:

380 to 400 MHz

350 to 380 MHz

410 to 430 MHz

806 to 821 MHz, 851 to 866 MHz

450 to 470 MHz

870 to 876 MHz, 915 to 921 MHz

Measurements & Limits

RF power

1 multiframe (1.02 s)

Maximum power, power control steps; see table in previous column

Typical duplex spacing:

5 MHz or 10 MHz (at 300 to 500 MHz) or 45 MHz (at 800 to 1000MHz)

Burst power versus time

1 TDMA frame (56.67 ms)

1

16

17

18

+6 dBc
+3 dBc
0 dBc

1 time slot (14.167 ms)

2305 Stabilock TETRA Test Set

Calculation of RF parameters:

DL carrier frequency = frequency band 100 MHz + radio carrier number 25 kHz +
frequency offset

Lmin

1 symbol (55.56 s)

UL carrier frequency = DL carrier frequency duplex offset

Example: TETRA band from 410 to 430 MHz, first UL channel = 410.0125 MHz,
equivalent DL channel = 420.0125 MHz
Duplex spacing = 10 MHz

Duplex offset = 12.5 kHz

Frequency band = 4 (400 MHz)

Radio carrier number = 800

t1

253 254 255

t2

Lmin = max (70 dBc, 36 dBm)

Burst type
34 ramping & PA
linearis.

4
tail
bits

84 scrambled bits

30 extd.
training
seq.

84 scrambled bits

t1

Control uplink burst

Normal uplink burst
Discontinuous downlink burst
Continuous downlink burst

Control uplink burst

8140 TETRA AirAnalyzer

4 15 bits
tail guard
bits period

t3

16 symbols
16 symbols
7 symbols
Unspecified

t2

t3

103 symbols
231 symbols
246 symbols
Unspecified

15 symbols
15 symbols
7 symbols
Unspecified

Normal uplink burst

Advantages of TETRA Technology

Fast call setup time
(group call: < 300ms)

34 ramping & PA
linearis.

Modulation

Emergency and priority calls

High spectral efficiency

Direct mode communication between

radios

Infrastructure separate from public mobile

networks (avoids congestion)

Data services

Fallback mode for base stations

The phase change determines the information transferred.

Phase change

Transferred bits

+/4
+3/4
3/4
/4

00
01
11
10

Frequency-economic

4 14 bits
tail guard
bits period

216 scrambled bits

block 2

22 bits
training seq.

216 scrambled bits

block 1

Format: /4 DQPSK (differential quadrature

phase shift keying, shifted by 45)

Security features

Individual and group calls

4
tail
bits

Frame alignment
Burst timing error (deviation from the timing given by the base station)
Limit = symbol

Normal continuous downlink burst

2
12
train. phase
adj.
seq.

14 bits
22 bits 16 bits
broadc. training broadc.
block sequence block

216 scrambled bits

block 1

216 scrambled bits or PA linearisation

block 2

2
10
phase train.
adj. seq.

Frequency error limits for TETRA mobile stations

EN 300 392-2 (V+D) ed. 2: Limit = 100 Hz
EN 300 396-2 (DMO):

Synchronisation continuous downlink burst

2
12
train. phase
adj.
seq.

80
frequency correction

120 scrambled
synchronisation bits
block 1

38
synchron.
training seq.

30 scr. bits
(broadcast
block)

Limit = 1 kHz (master), 100 Hz (slave)

2
10
216 scrambled bits or PA linearisation phase train.
block 2
adj. seq.

Residual carrier power

General Technical Data

Channel bandwidth
Access technology
Time slots (channels per carrier)
Modulation
Symbol rate
Maximum data rate
Call setup time
Communication
Encryption
Voice codec

TEDS
25 kHz
TDMA
4
/4 DQPSK (2 bits per symbol)
18000 symbols/s (255 symbols/slot)
28.8 kbit/s
< 300 ms
Point to point (duplex, simplex)
Point to multipoint
Air interface
End to end
ACELP (Algorithmic Code Excited Linear
Prediction), 4.8 kbit/s

DC offset in the I-Q modulator

Power Levels, Power Control

TEDS (TETRA Release 2)

Channel bandwidth

Access technology
Time slots
Modulation
Symbol rate on each sub-carrier
Downlink packet data throughput (kbit/s)
4-QAM
16-QAM
64-QAM
64-QAM
64-QAM

Extended air interface specification for

higher data rates on traffic channels
25 kHz (8 sub-carriers)
50 kHz (16 sub-carriers)
100 kHz (32 sub-carriers)
150 kHz (64 sub-carriers)
TDMA/OFDMA
4
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM):
4-QAM, 16-QAM, 64-QAM
2400 symbols/s (34 symbols/slot)
25 kHz
50 kHz 100 kHz 150 kHz

Power
class
1
1L
2
2L
3

Max. power level

30.0 W
17.5 W
10.0 W
5.6 W
3.0 W

45.0 dBm V+D only

42.5 dBm
40.0 dBm
37.5 dBm
35.0 dBm

Bit error rate

Base station
Direct mode operation
Differential quadrature phase shift keying
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
Group short subscriber identity
Group TETRA subscriber identity
Inter-system interface
Individual short subscriber identity
Individual TETRA subscriber identity
Mobile country code

Aeroflex is a member of the TETRA Association.

measured
vector

Limit = 5%

Power
class

Max. power level

3L
4
4L
5

1.8 W
32.5 dBm
1.0 W
30.0 dBm
0.56 W 27.5 dBm
0.3 W
25.0 dBm

ideal
vector
residual
carrier
power
I

DMO
Vector error

Power step

Power class 1 Power class 2 Power class 3 Power class 4

(30 W)
(10 W)
(3 W)
(1 W)

11

27

58

90

22

54

116

179

1 (45 dBm)

45 dBm 2 dB

40 dBm 2 dB

35 dBm 2 dB

30 dBm 2 dB

33

80

175

269

2 (40 dBm)

40 dBm 2.5 dB

40 dBm 2 dB

35 dBm 2 dB

30 dBm 2 dB

44

107

233

359

3 (35 dBm)

35 dBm 2.5 dB

35 dBm 2.5 dB

35 dBm 2 dB

30 dBm 2 dB

66

160

349

538

4 (30 dBm)

30 dBm 2.5 dB

30 dBm 2.5 dB

30 dBm 2.5 dB

30 dBm 2 dB

5 (25 dBm)

25 dBm 2.5 dB

25 dBm 2.5 dB

25 dBm 2.5 dB

25 dBm 2.5 dB

6 (20 dBm)

20 dBm 2.5 dB

20 dBm 2.5 dB

20 dBm 2.5 dB

20 dBm 2.5 dB

7 (15 dBm)

15 dBm 2.5 dB

15 dBm 2.5 dB

15 dBm 2.5 dB

15 dBm 2.5 dB

Abbreviations
BER
BS
DMO
DQPSK
ETSI
GSSI
GTSI
ISI
ISSI
ITSI
MCC

Deviation of the measured vector from the ideal vector,

relative to the magnitude of the ideal vector.
Peak vector error (within a burst) limit: 30%
RMS vector error (averaged over a burst) limit: 10%

error
vector
ideal
vector
measured
vector
I

Receiver measurements
Based on bit error rate (BER) measurements at a defined input power level

MCCH
MER
MNC
MS
PDO
PEI
PTT
QoS
SCH/F
SwMI
T1

Main control channel

Message erasure rate
Mobile network code
Mobile station
Packet data optimised (standard not implemented)
Peripheral equipment interface
Push to talk
Quality of service
Signalling channel for mapping onto full bursts
Switching and management infrastructure
Test signal commonly used to test the TETRA receiver

T4
TCH
TDMA
TEDS
TIP
TMO
TS
V+D

Test signal for TETRA II testing (QAM in Frames 117,

DQPSK in Frame 18)
Traffic channel
Time division multiple access
TETRA Enhanced Data Service, supporting data transmission at rates from 50 to 250 kbit/s
TETRA interoperability profile (common TETRA standard subset defined by the TETRA Association)
Trunked mode operation
Time slot
Voice plus data, also known as TMO

Power step

Power class
1L (17.5 W)

Power class
2L (5.6 W)

Power class
3L (1.8 W)

Power class
4L (0.56 W)

1 (45 dBm)

42.5 dBm 2 dB

37.5 dBm 2 dB

32.5 dBm 2 dB

2 (40 dBm)

40 dBm 2.5 dB

37.5 dBm 2 dB

32.5 dBm 2 dB

27.5 dBm 2 dB
27.5 dBm 2 dB

3 (35 dBm)

35 dBm 2.5 dB

35 dBm 2.5 dB

32.5 dBm 2 dB

27.5 dBm 2 dB

4 (30 dBm)

30 dBm 2.5 dB

30 dBm 2.5 dB

30 dBm 2.5 dB

27.5 dBm 2 dB

5 (25 dBm)

25 dBm 2.5 dB

25 dBm 2.5 dB

25 dBm 2.5 dB

25 dBm 2.5 dB

6 (20 dBm)

20 dBm 2.5 dB

20 dBm 2.5 dB

20 dBm 2.5 dB

20 dBm 2.5 dB

7 (15 dBm)

15 dBm 2.5 dB

15 dBm 2.5 dB

15 dBm 2.5 dB

15 dBm 2.5 dB

www.aeroflex.com/tetra

T1 signal:

The test equipment transmits a pseudo-random bit sequence, the MS

synchronises onto the signal and counts bit errors (measurement in the
MS)

TT loopback: Receiver test mode initiated through a designated test protocol. The MS
loops back the received bit sequence to the tester, the tester counts bit
errors (measurement in the test equipment)
T1 loopback: Receiver test mode in which the MS loops back the received bit
sequence to the tester without any protocol (no call being set up). The
tester counts bit errors (measurement in the test equipment)
Limit:

0.01% at 112 dBm (receiver sensitivity, static conditions)

2010 Aeroflex. All rights reserved. Part No. 46891/612, Issue 1, 10/10