Hello Experts,
In tilt adjustment ranges, why is there a negative tilt? Does this mean the antenna is pointing upward?
Yes, a negative tilt value indicates an uptilt, meaning the antenna is angled upward.
What is the benefit of using an uptilt?
Isn’t it a waste of energy?
No, sometimes uptilt is necessary to cover areas on hills or reach high-rise buildings.
Oh, that makes sense.
However, I’m noticing uptilt in a flat, small town without tall buildings or towers.
Could there be another reason for this?
When you uptilt, the back lobe of the antenna points downward.
Sometimes, if the tower is on the edge of a hill with a town behind it, we use uptilt to reduce the impact of the back lobe on the area behind the tower.
There isn’t a significant issue with back lobes on MaMIMO antennas since the radio unit behind helps block them.
Check the CSI-RS beam pattern; some vendors design beams that extend over the horizon.
In this case, you would mechanically down-tilt the antenna and then uptilt the broadcast SSB beams to align accordingly.