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Multiple Access Methods

The document discusses multiple access methods for satellite communications. It describes three main types: Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). FDMA divides the available bandwidth into frequency slices. TDMA allows stations to transmit at the same frequency but separated in time. CDMA spreads the signal bandwidth and encodes it so that multiple stations can transmit simultaneously without interfering with each other.

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82 views5 pages

Multiple Access Methods

The document discusses multiple access methods for satellite communications. It describes three main types: Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). FDMA divides the available bandwidth into frequency slices. TDMA allows stations to transmit at the same frequency but separated in time. CDMA spreads the signal bandwidth and encodes it so that multiple stations can transmit simultaneously without interfering with each other.

Uploaded by

georgeng90
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Multiple Access Methods

One transponder serving several earth stations simultaneously

Multiple access is a radio transmission scheme that allows several earth stations to transmit in
the same time span. This provides the way to network these stations together, either in a Star
or a Mesh network.

Types of Multiple Access Methods

There are three types of Multiple Access Methods to understand:

 Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) - flexible and simple


 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) - popular
 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA Spread Spectrum) - highly secure

This illustration shows how the most common Multiple Access Methods allow the capacity of
a standard transponder to be shared.
FDMA
 

 
 
Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) seeks to share transponder capacity by
dividing it up into slices of bandwidth based on frequency (illustrated in the center part of the
diagram).

 FDMA is flexible and simple; each earth station has its own block of bandwidth, and
a comparable portion of the transponder power as well.
 Since the total bandwidth and power of a transponder are limited, the sum of
individual channels (carriers) is thus constrained.
 Present in an FDMA transponder is a noise floor composed of intermodulation
distortion (IMD) which is managed by the satellite operator.

 
TDMA

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is perhaps the most popular means of building a
digital network composed of many stations. It is the basis of most VSATs as well as the
leading digital cellular system, GSM.

Individual earth stations, or VSATs, transmit on the same frequency and so overlap each
other (illustrated below:) . However, they are separated in time to preclude them from
jamming each other.

A central control station, such as a hub, provides the timing reference and allows new stations
to enter the TDMA network. It can also assign blocks of capacity and re-arrange these as
needs change.

Example of the time line of a typical TDMA system.                     

This example of a TDMA system would occupy the entire transponder and allow data
transmission speeds of 60 Mbps or more.

More typically, a transponder is divided up in frequency as in FDMA, and one of these


frequencies may be for a TDMA access channel. This reduces the transmission speed and
therefore the cost of equipment, and dish size as well.
CDMA

Decades ago, the military organizations of the world adopted the Code Division Multiple
Access (CDMA) scheme to meet the need for highly secure and easily concealed
communication. CDMA uses a spreading code to scramble the data and spread the
bandwidth. In the past 15 years CDMA has become popular in commercial wireless and
satellite communications.

Another term for CDMA is Spread Spectrum, which indicates that the bandwidth of the
information is actually multiplied by the spreading code. Spreading factors range from 4 to
1000, where the improvement gained is proportional to this factor (converted to dB, it is
called the spreading gain).

How CDMA works

In CDMA, multiple stations can transmit on top of each other - on the same or overlapping
frequencies and at the same time.

This seeming contradiction is possible because the signals are separately encoded and appear
to each other to be background noise.

Techniques

There are two basic CDMA techniques, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FSSS). FSSS is the dominant CDMA technique in
satellite communications, illustrated below for a single channel of communication.
Qualcomm successfully adapted it to cellular telephone.

The coding comes about through a spreading process within the top circle with the cross
through it (a multiplier). This takes the information bits, at the top left, and multiplies it by a
high-speed spreading code called the chip.

Once transmitted, the CDMA signal can be added to other CDMA signals as well as noise
and interference.

In the receiver, the incoming signal is again multiplied by the same chip code, which is
carefully synchronized. The output at the bottom left is the original data.

Because the receiver has its own spreading multiplier and identical copy of the chip code, any
other CDMA signals and interference after this second multiplication will get even more
spread out and hence become less troublesome.

While the principle would appear to make communication perfect, in actuality the unwanted
signals accumulate and can overwhelm the desired signal to the point of non-reception.
 
A Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum communication system, composed of a transmitter (top),
satellite link (right), and receiver (bottom).

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