Measurements of Passive Intermodulation in 2G and 3G

Passive Intermodulation (PIM) occurs whenever multiple signals at two or more frequencies conduct simultaneously in passive devices, such as connectors, cables, filters and antennas, which contains some nonlinear response, the cause of which is often not known, and thus not predictable, although contact materials and effects due to oxide layers and dirt are often involved. In this paper not only the difficulties that the industry is experiencing in making PIM measurements, but also provides 2G and 3G base station equipment manufacturers with a tool to improve their measurements capabilities as they deal with PIM-related trade barriers such as intermodulation within GSM and/or UMTS and/or between these two standards.