Module:5

Satellite Link Design

 Module-5
• Basic transmission theory
• System noise temperature and G/T Ratio
• Noise figure and noise temperature
• Calculation of system noise temperature
• G/T ratio for earth stations
Link budgets
• Uplink and downlink budget calculations
• Error control for digital satellite links –
• Prediction of rain attenuation and propagation impairment counter measures.
 Introduction
• Design of a satellite communication system is a complex process requiring compromises between many
factors to achieve the best performance at an acceptable cost.

• Weight is the most critical factor in design of any satellite, as an increase in weight directly leads to
higher costs.

• Overall dimension also an important factor because spacecraft must be fit within the launch vehicle.

The weight of a satellite is driven by two factors:

➢The number and output power of the transponders on the satellite - High power transponders require
lots of electrical power, which can only be generated by solar cells.

➢The weight of station-keeping fuel.

• Three other factors influence system design: the choice of frequency band, atmospheric propagation
effects, and multiple access technique.
 Introduction
Designing a satellite system requires

• Knowledge of the required performance of the uplink and downlink,

• The propagation characteristics and rain attenuation for the frequency band
being used at the earth station locations

• The parameters of the satellite and the earth stations.

 Basic Transmission Theory
The calculation of the power received by an earth station from a satellite transmitter is fundamental to
the understanding of satellite communications.

• Flux density and the link equation.

Consider a transmitting source, in free space, radiating a total power 𝑃𝑡 watts uniformly in all directions-
Such a source is called isotropic.

At a distance R meters from the hypothetical isotropic

source transmitting RF power 𝑃𝑡 watts,

the flux density crossing the surface of a

sphere with radius R m is given by

𝑃𝑡 2
F= W/ 𝑚
4π𝑅2
 Basic Transmission Theory
All real antennas are directional and radiate more power in some directions than in others. Any real
antenna has a gain G(θ), defined as the ratio of power per unit solid angle radiated in a direction θ to the
average power radiated per unit solid angle

𝑃(𝜃)
G(θ)= W/ 𝑚2
𝑃0 /4π
where

P(θ) is the power radiated per unit solid angle by the antenna

𝑃0 is the total power radiated by the antenna

G(θ) is the gain of the antenna at an angle θ.

The reference for the angle θ is usually taken to be the direction in which maximum power is radiated,
called the boresight direction of the antenna.
 Basic Transmission Theory
For a transmitter with output 𝑃𝑡 watts driving a lossless antenna with gain 𝐺𝑡 , the flux density in the
direction of the antenna boresight at distance R meters is

𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡
F=
4π𝑅2
W/ 𝑚2
The product 𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 is often called the effective

isotopically radiated power (EIRP), and describes

the combination of transmitter power and antenna gain in terms of an equivalent isotropic source with
power 𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 watts, radiating uniformly in all directions.

If we had an ideal receiving antenna with an aperture area of A 𝑚2 , as shown in Figure, we would collect
power 𝑃𝑟 watts given by

𝑃𝑟 = F × A watts
 Basic Transmission Theory
A practical antenna with a physical aperture area of 𝐴𝑟 𝑚2 will not deliver the power
given in above Eq. Some of the energy incident on the aperture is reflected away from
the antenna, referred to as scattering, and some is absorbed by lossy components. This
reduction in efficiency is described by using an effective aperture 𝐴𝑒 where

𝐴𝑒 = 𝜂𝐴 𝐴𝑟 𝑚2

Where, 𝜂𝐴 is the aperture efficiency of the antenna, it accounts for all the losses between
the incident wavefront and the antenna output port.

For parabolodial reflector antennas, 𝜂𝐴 = 50-75%

For Horn antennas 𝜂𝐴 = 90%

 Basic Transmission Theory
Thus the power received by a real antenna with a physical receiving area 𝐴𝑟 and effective aperture area 𝐴𝑒 𝑚2 at a
distance R from the transmitter is
𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 𝐴𝑒
𝑃𝑟 = Watts
4π𝑅 2

A fundamental relationship in antenna theory is that the gain and area of an antenna are related by

𝐺𝑟 = 4𝜋 𝐴𝑒 ∕ 𝜆 2
𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 𝐴𝑒
Substituting for 𝐴𝑒 in 𝑃𝑟 = Watts
4π𝑅 2

𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 𝐺𝑟
𝑃𝑟 = Watts
(4π𝑅/𝜆)2

This expression is known as the link equation, and it is essential in the calculation of power received in any radio
link. (4π𝑅/𝜆)2 - path loss, 𝐿𝑝. It is not a loss in the sense of power being absorbed; it accounts for the way energy
spreads out as an EM wave travels away from a transmitting source in three-dimensional (3-D) space.
 Basic Transmission Theory
Collecting the various factors, we can write
𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃 × 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛
𝑃𝑟 = Watts
𝑃𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑠

In communication systems, decibel quantities are commonly used to simplify equations. In decibel terms,

𝑃𝑟 = 𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃 + 𝐺𝑟 - 𝐿𝑝 dBW

where

EIRP = 10 log10 ( 𝑃𝑡 𝐺𝑡 ) dBW

Gr = 10 log10 (4𝜋 𝐴𝑒 ∕ 𝜆 2 ) dB

Path loss 𝐿𝑝 is given by

𝐿𝑝 = 10 log10 [(4π𝑅/𝜆)2 ] = 20 log10 (4𝜋R∕𝜆) dB

This is for ideal antenna transmission. In practice, we have losses in the atmosphere due to attenuation by oxygen, water vapor,
and rain, losses in the antennas at each end of the link, and possible reduction in antenna gain due to mispointing. All of these
factors are taken into account by the system margin.

𝑃𝑟 = 𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃 + 𝐺𝑟 - 𝐿𝑝 - 𝐿𝑎 - 𝐿𝑡𝑎 - 𝐿𝑟𝑎 dBW

 Basic Transmission Theory
Example:1

A satellite at a distance of 40 000 km from a point on the earth’s surface radiates a power
of 10W from an antenna with a gain of 17 dB in the direction of the observer. Find the
flux density at the receiving point, and the power received by an earth station antenna at
this point with an effective area of 10 𝑚2 .

Example:2

The satellite in Example 1 operates at a frequency of 11 GHz. The receiving antenna has a
gain of 52.3 dB. Find the received power at the earth station in dBW and dBm. It is
common practice to quote transmit power in dBW and received power in dBm.
System Noise Temperature and G/T Ratio
• Noise temperature provides a way of determining how much thermal noise is generated by active and passive devices in the
receiving system.

• At microwave frequencies, a black body with a physical temperature, 𝑇𝑝 degrees kelvin generates electrical noise over a wide
bandwidth.

The noise power is : 𝑃𝑛 = k 𝑇𝑝 𝐵𝑛 watts

where

k = Boltzmann’s constant = 1.39 x 10−23 J/K= −228.6 dBW/K/Hz

𝑇𝑝 = physical temperature of source in kelvin degrees

𝐵𝑛 = noise bandwidth in which the noise power is measured, in hertz.

𝑃𝑛 is the available noise power (in watts) and will be delivered only to a load that is impedance matched to the noise source.

k 𝑇𝑝 is a noise power spectral density, in watts per hertz. The density is constant for all radio frequencies up to 300 GHz.
System Noise Temperature and G/T Ratio
• In satellite communication systems we are always working with very weak signals and must make the
noise level as low as possible to meet the CNR requirements.

• This is done by making the bandwidth in the receiver, to be just large enough to allow the signal
unrestricted, while keeping the noise power to the lowest value possible.

• We do not know the equivalent noise bandwidth and use the 3 dB bandwidth of our receiving system
instead.

• Amplifier noise temperatures from25 to 250K can be achieved without physical cooling for receivers in
the frequency bands up to Ka-band when GaAsFET amplifiers are employed.

• Noise temperature simply relates the noise produced by an amplifier to the thermal noise from a
matched load at the same physical temperature placed at the input to the amplifier.
System Noise Temperature and G/T Ratio
• Performance of a receiving system can be determined by the system noise temperature, 𝑇𝑠 - is the noise temperature of a
noise source located at the input of a noiseless receiver, which gives the same noise power as the original receiver, measured
at the output of the receiver, and usually includes noise from the antenna and the atmosphere.

If the overall end-to-end gain of the receiver is 𝐺𝑟𝑋 and its narrowest bandwidth is 𝐵𝑛 Hz, the noise power at the demodulator
input is

𝑃𝑛0 = k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛 𝐺𝑟𝑋 watts

The noise power referred to the input of the receiver is 𝑃𝑛 where

𝑃𝑛 = k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛 watts

Let the antenna deliver a signal power 𝑃𝑟 watts to the receiver RF input. The signal power at the demodulator input is 𝑃𝑟 𝐺𝑟𝑋
watts.

𝐶 𝑃𝑟 𝐺𝑟𝑋 𝑃𝑟
= =
𝑁 k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛 𝐺𝑟𝑋 k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛
 Calculation of System Noise Temperature
• Figure shows a simplified communications receiver with an RF amplifier and single frequency
conversion, from its RF input to the IF output.

• The superhet receiver has three main subsystems: a front end (RF amplifier, mixer and local oscillator
[LO]) an IF amplifier (IF amplifiers and filters), a demodulator, and a baseband section.

• The RF amplifier is generates a little

noise , So it is called low noise amplifier.

• The mixer and LO forms a frequency

conversion stage that down converts – RF to IF.

• The IF signal then filtered and amplified accurately.

 Calculation of System Noise Temperature
• Many earth station Rx use the double superhet configuration, which has two stage frequency conversion.

• The front end of the receiver- converts

Incoming RF signal to first IF in the range

900-1400MHz.

• A unit that combines the LNA and

down converter is known as a low noise block converter (LNB).

• IF signal is sent over a coaxial cable to a set-top receiver,

the indoor unit that contains another down converter and a tunable local oscillator. The local oscillator is tuned to
convert the incoming signal from a selected transponder to a second IF frequency.

• The second IF amplifier has a bandwidth matched to the spectrum of the wanted signal.
 Calculation of System Noise Temperature
• The entire receiver is then reduced to a single equivalent noiseless block with the same end-to-
end gain as the actual receiver and a single noise source at its input with temperature 𝑇𝑛 .The
total noise power at the output of the IF amplifier of the receiver .

𝑃𝑛 = 𝐺𝐼𝐹 k 𝑇𝐼𝐹 𝐵𝑛 + 𝐺𝐼𝐹 𝐺𝑚 k 𝑇𝑚 𝐵𝑛 + 𝐺𝐼𝐹 𝐺𝑚 𝐺𝑅𝐹 k𝐵𝑛 (𝑇𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝑖𝑛 ) watts

𝐺𝐼𝐹 𝐺𝑚 𝐺𝑅𝐹 - gains of the IF amplifier, mixer, and RF amplifier.

𝑇𝐼𝐹 𝑇𝑚 𝑇𝑅𝐹 - equivalent noise temperatures.

𝑇𝐼𝑛 is the noise temperature of the antenna, measured at its output port.

𝑃𝑛 = 𝐺𝐼𝐹 𝐺𝑚 𝐺𝑅𝐹 [(k 𝑇𝐼𝐹 𝐵𝑛 )/ (𝐺𝑅𝐹 𝐺𝑚) + k 𝑇𝑚 𝐵𝑛 / 𝐺𝑅𝐹 + k𝐵𝑛 (𝑇𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝑖𝑛 )]

𝑃𝑛 = 𝐺𝐼𝐹 𝐺𝑚 𝐺𝑅𝐹 k𝐵𝑛 [( 𝑇𝐼𝐹 )/ (𝐺𝑅𝐹 𝐺𝑚) + 𝑇𝑚 / 𝐺𝑅𝐹 + (𝑇𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝑖𝑛 )]

 Calculation of System Noise Temperature
• The single source of noise shown in Figure with noise temperature 𝑇𝑠 generates the same noise power
𝑃𝑛 at its output

𝑃𝑛 = 𝐺𝐼𝐹 𝐺𝑚 𝐺𝑅𝐹 𝑇𝑠 k𝐵𝑛

• The noise power at the output of the noise model in Figure will be the same as

the noise power at the output of the noise model in the previous Figure if

k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛 = k𝐵𝑛 [(𝑇𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝑖𝑛 ) + 𝑇𝑚 / 𝐺𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝐼𝐹 / (𝐺𝑅𝐹 𝐺𝑚) ] watts

𝑇𝑠 = [(𝑇𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝑖𝑛 ) + 𝑇𝑚 / 𝐺𝑅𝐹 + 𝑇𝐼𝐹 / (𝐺𝑅𝐹 𝐺𝑚) ] K

Succeeding stages of the receiver contribute less and less noise to the total system noise temperature.

𝑇𝑠 = = 𝑇𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑎 + 𝑇𝐿𝑁𝐴
 Calculation of System Noise Temperature
• In some circumstances, we need to use a differentmodel to dealwith noise that reaches the
receiver after passing through a lossy medium. Waveguide and rain losses are two examples.
When raindrops cause attenuation, they radiate additional noise whose level depends on the
attenuation.

𝑇𝑛𝑜 = 𝑇𝑝 (1 − 𝐺𝑙 ) 𝐾

where 𝐺𝑙 is the linear gain and 𝑇𝑝 is the physical temperature in degrees kelvin of the device or
medium.

For an attenuation of A dB, the value of 𝐺𝑙 is given by

−𝐴ൗ
𝐺𝑙 =10 10
 Example:3
Suppose we have a 4GHz receiver with the gains and noise temperatures in Table
Calculate the system noise temperature assuming that the mixer has a gain 𝐺𝑚 =
0dB. Recalculate the system noise temperature when the mixer has a 10 dB loss.
How can the noise temperature of the receiver be minimized when the mixer has a
loss of 10 dB?
 Noise figure and Noise Temperature
• Noise figure is frequently used to specify the noise generated within a device. The operational noise figure is defined by the following
formula.

𝑆
𝑁 𝑖𝑛
NF= 𝑆
𝑁 𝑜𝑢𝑡

Because noise temperature is more useful in satellite communication systems, it is best to convert noise figure to noise temperature, 𝑇𝑛 .
The relationship is

𝑇𝑛 = 𝑇0 (NF-1)

where the noise figure is a linear ratio, not in decibels and where 𝑇0 is the reference temperature used to calculate the standard noise
figure – usually 290K.

Example:4

An amplifier has a quoted noise figure of 2.5 dB. What is the equivalent noise temperature?

𝑇𝑛 = 290(1.78-1) = 226K
 G/T Ratio for Earth Stations
• The link equation can be rewritten in terms of CNR at the earth station

𝐶 𝑃𝑟 𝐺𝑡 𝐺𝑟 2 𝑃𝑟 𝐺𝑡 2 𝐺𝑟
=[ ][(𝜆 /4π𝑅) ] =[ ] [(𝜆 /4π𝑅) ] [ ]
𝑁 k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛 k 𝐵𝑛 𝑇𝑠

Thus CNR ∝ 𝐺𝑟 / 𝑇𝑠 , and the terms in the square brackets are all constants for a given satellite

system. The ratio 𝐺𝑟 / 𝑇𝑠 , which is usually quoted as simply G/T in decibels with units dB/K,
can be used to specify the quality of a receiving earth station or a satellite receiving system,

since increasing 𝐺𝑟 / 𝑇𝑠 increases the received CNR.

Satellite terminals may be quoted as having a negative G/T, which is below 0 dB/K. This
simply means that the numerical value of 𝐺𝑟 is smaller than the numerical value of 𝑇𝑠 .
 Example:5
An earth station antenna has a diameter of 30m with an aperture efficiency of 68% and

is used to receive a signal at 4150MHz. At this frequency, the system noise temperature

is 60K when the antenna points at the satellite at an elevation angle of 28°.What is the

earth station G/T ratio under these conditions? If heavy rain causes the sky temperature

to increase so that the system noise temperature rises to 88K,what is the new G/T value?
 Link Budgets
• The design of any satellite communication is based on two objectives: meeting a minimum CNR for a
specified percentage of time, and carrying the maximum revenue earning traffic at minimum cost.

• Calculation of CNR in a receiver is simplified by the use of link budgets.

• A link budget is a tabular method for evaluating the received power and noise power in a radio link.

• Link budgets invariably use decibel units for all quantities so that signal and noise powers can be
calculated by addition and subtraction.

• The link budget must be calculated for an individual transponder, and must be repeated for each of the
individual links.

• When a bent pipe transponder is used the uplink and downlink CNRs must be combined to give an
overall CNR.
 Link Budgets
Link budgets are usually calculated for a worst case, the one in which the link will have the lowest CNR.

Factors that contribute to a worst-case scenario include:

• An earth station located at the edge of the satellite coverage zone or spot beam where the received
signal is typically 3 dB lower than in the center of the beam;

• Maximum path length from the satellite to the earth station;

• Low elevation angle at the earth station giving the highest atmospheric path attenuation in clear air;

• Maximum rain attenuation on the link causing loss of received signal power and an increase in receiving
system noise temperature.

• If the antenna is mispointed, a loss factor is included in the link budget to account for the reduction in
antenna gain.
 Link Budgets
• Earth station antennas are assumed to be pointed directly at the satellite, and therefore operate at their on-axis gain. If the
antenna is mispointed, a loss factor is included in the link budget to account for the reduction in antenna gain.

• The calculation of CNR in a satellite link is based on the two equations for received signal power and receiver noise power.

𝑃𝑟 = 𝐸𝐼𝑅𝑃 + 𝐺𝑟 - 𝐿𝑝 - 𝐿𝑎 - 𝐿𝑡𝑎 - 𝐿𝑟𝑎 dBW

A receiving terminal with a system noise temperature 𝑇𝑠 K and a noise bandwidth 𝐵𝑛 Hz has a noise power 𝑃𝑛 watts referred to
the input of the LNA where,
𝑃𝑛 = k 𝑇𝑠 𝐵𝑛 watts

The receiving system noise power is usually written in decibel units as

N = k + 𝑇𝑠 + 𝐵𝑛 dBW

where k is Boltzmann’s constant (−228.6 dBW/K/Hz).

• Input back-off (IBO) in satellite communication is the amount of reduction

in input power needed to achieve the desired output power and linearity.
 Example:6
A LEO satellite has a multi-beam antenna with a gain of 18 dB in each beam. A
transponder with transmitter output power of 0.5 watts at 2.5 GHz is connected to one
antenna beam. An earth station is located at the edge of the coverage zone of this beam,
where the received power is 3 dB below that at the center of the beam, and at a range of
2,000 km from the satellite. Using decibels for all calculations, find:

a) The power received by an antenna with a gain of +1 dB, in dBW.

b) The noise power of the earth station receiver for a noise temperature of 260K and an
RF channel bandwidth of 20 kHz.

c) The C/N ratio in dB for the LEO signal at the receiver output.
 Example:7
A geostationary satellite carries a C-band transponder which transmits 20 watts into an
antenna with an on-axis gain of 30 dB. An earth station is in the center of the antenna
beam from the satellite, at a distance of 38,000 km. For a frequency of 4.0 GHz:
a)Calculate the incident flux density at the earth station in watts per square meter and in
dBW/𝑚2 .
b) The earth station has an antenna with a circular aperture 2 m in diameter and an
aperture efficiency of 65%. Calculate the received power level in watts and in dBW at the
antenna output port.
c) Calculate the on-axis gain of the antenna in dB.
d) Calculate the free space path loss between the satellite and the earth station.
 Ku- band geo satellite system
• Satellite communication systems developed rapidly through the 1970s and 1980s filling all the available 4 GHz transponders on
GEO satellites serving populated areas on the world. Ku-band was the next available frequency band and larger GEO satellites
carrying both C-band and Ku-band transponders were launched to meet the expanding demand for video distribution services
and long-distance communications

Direct Broadcast Satellite Television

Effect of Rain on Direct to Home Satellite TV Ku-Band Downlink

• Total path attenuation, 𝐴total in dB, 𝐴total = 𝐴ca + 𝐴rain dB

−𝐴ൗ
𝑇𝑠𝑘𝑦 =273(1 − 10 10 )K

The antenna noise temperature may be assumed to be equal to the sky noise temperature, although in practice not all of the
incident noise energy from the sky is output by the antenna, and a coupling coefficient, ηc , of 90–95% is sometimes used when
calculating antenna noise temperature in rain.

𝑇A = ηc x 𝑇𝑠𝑘𝑦 K
 Ku- band geo satellite system
• Almost all satellite receivers use a high gain LNA as the first element in the receiver front end. This makes the
contribution of all later parts of the receiver to the system noise temperature negligible. System noise temperature is
then given by 𝑇𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 where,

𝑇𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = 𝑇𝐿𝑁𝐴 + 𝑇𝐴 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 K

𝑇𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛
Δ 𝑁𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = 10 log [ ] dB
𝑇𝑠𝑐𝑎

where 𝑇𝑠𝑐𝑎 is the system noise temperature in clear sky conditions.

The received power is reduced by the attenuation caused by the rain in the slant path, so in rain the value of carrier power
is reduced from 𝐶𝑐𝑎 to 𝐶𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 where

𝐶𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = 𝐶𝑐𝑎 - 𝐴𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 dB

The resulting (𝐶𝑁𝑅) 𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 value when rain intersects the downlink is given by

(𝐶𝑁𝑅) 𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = (𝐶𝑁𝑅) 𝑑 𝑐𝑎 - 𝐴 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 - Δ 𝑁𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 dB where (𝐶𝑁𝑅) 𝑑 𝑐𝑎 is the downlink CNR in clear sky conditions.
Ku- band geo satellite system
 upLink Budgets
• VSAT systems use earth stations with small antennas and transmitter powers below 5W, giving low uplink EIRP.

• In mobile systems the link from the satellite telephone to the gateway earth station is often the link with the lowest CNR.

• One high power gateway earth station provides service via a DBS-TV satellite to many low-cost receive-only stations, and the
high cost of the transmitting station is only a small part of the total network cost.

• The output backoff is typically 1–3 dB when more than one signal is present in the transponder, and is determined by the
uplink carrier power level received at the spacecraft.

• The power received at the input to the transponder is 𝑃𝑟𝑥𝑝 where

𝑃𝑟𝑥𝑝 = 𝑃𝑡 + 𝐺𝑡 + 𝐺𝑟 - 𝐿𝑝 - 𝐿𝑢𝑝 dBW

The noise power referred to the transponder input is 𝑁𝑥𝑝 watts

𝑁𝑥𝑝 = k + 𝑇𝑠 + 𝐵𝑛 dBW

(𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑢𝑝 = 𝑃𝑟𝑥𝑝 - 𝑁𝑥𝑝 dB

 Design for Specified CNR
• When more than one CNR is present in the link, we can add the individual CNRs reciprocally to obtain an overall CNR, which
we will denote here as (𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 .

1
(𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 = 1 1 1
+ + +⋯
𝐶𝑁𝑅 1 𝐶𝑁𝑅 2 𝐶𝑁𝑅 3

This is sometimes referred to as the reciprocal CNR formula. The CNR values must be linear ratios, NOT decibel values.

Since the noise power in the individual CNRs is referenced to the carrier power at that point, all the C values are the same.

𝐶
(𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 = 𝑁1 + 𝑁2 + 𝑁3 + ⋯

In decibel units:

(𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 = C dBW – 10 log ( 𝑁1 + 𝑁2 + 𝑁3 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠) dB

To calculate the performance of a satellite link we must determine the uplink (𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑢𝑝 ratio in the transponder and the
downlink (𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑑𝑛 in the earth station receiver.
 Design for Specified CNR
➢If the CNR values are equal, (𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 is 3 dB lower than either value.

➢If one CNR value is 10 dB smaller than the other value, (𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 is 0.4 dB lower than
the smaller of the CNR values.

➢If one CNR value is 20 dB or more greater than the other CNR value, the overall

(𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 is equal to the smaller of the two CNR values within the accuracy of decibel
calculations (±0.1 dB).

1
(𝐶𝑁𝑅)𝑜 = 1 1
+
𝐶𝑁𝑅 𝑢𝑝 𝐶𝑁𝑅 𝑑𝑛
 Satellite Communication Link Design Procedure
The design procedure for a one-way satellite communication link can be summarized by the following 10 steps. The return link design follows the same procedure.

1. Determine the frequency band in which the system must operate.

2. Determine the communications parameters of the satellite. Estimate any values that are not known.

3. Determine the parameters of the transmitting and receiving earth stations.

4. Start at the transmitting earth station. Establish an uplink power budget and a transponder noise power budget to find 𝐶𝑁𝑅 𝑢𝑝 in the transponder.

5. Find the output power of the transponder based on transponder gain or output backoff.

6. Establish a downlink power and noise budget for the receiving earth station. Calculate 𝐶𝑁𝑅 𝑑𝑛 and 𝐶𝑁𝑅 𝑜 for a station at the edge of the coverage zone (worst case).

7. Calculate SNR or BER in the baseband channel. Find the link margins.

8. Evaluate the result and compare with the specification requirements. Change parameters of the system as required to obtain acceptable 𝐶𝑁𝑅 𝑜 or SNR or BER values. This may
require several trial designs.

9. Determine the propagation conditions under which the link must operate. Calculate outage times for the uplinks and downlinks.

10. Redesign the system by changing some parameters if the link margins are inadequate. Check that all parameters are reasonable, and that the design can be implemented within
the expected budget.
 Example:8
This example examines the design of a satellite communication link using a Ku-
band geostationary satellite with bent-pipe transponders to distribute digital TV
signals from an uplink earth station to many receiving stations throughout the
United States. The design requires a clear sky overall CNR of 17.0 dB at the
receiving earth station, which will result in no bit errors in the received digital
video signal when FEC encoding is applied to the transmitted signal. The minimum
allowed overall CNR is 8.0 dB to ensure that the BER in the earth station receiver
does not exceed 10^−6.
Example:8
 Example:8
Ku-Band Uplink Design

We must first calculate uplink antenna gain and path loss. The uplink antenna has a

diameter of 5.0m and an aperture efficiency of 68%. At 14.15 GHz.

 Example:9
A C-band earth station has an antenna with a transmit gain of 54 dB. The transmitter
output power is set to 100 W at a frequency of 6.100 GHz. The signal is received by a
satellite at a distance of 37,500 km by an antenna with a gain of 26 dB. The signal is then
routed to a transponder with a noise temperature of 500 K, a bandwidth of 36 MHz, and
a gain of 110 dB.
a. Calculate the path loss.
b. Calculate the power at the output port of the satellite antenna, in dBW.
c. Calculate the noise power at the transponder input, in dBW.
d. Calculate the C/N ratio, in dB, in the transponder.
e. Calculate the carrier power, in dBW and in watts, at the transponder output
 Example:10
The satellite in Example #9 above serves the 48 contiguous states of the US. The antenna on the
satellite transmits at a frequency of 3875 MHz to an earth station at a distance of 39,000 km.
The antenna has a 60 E-W beamwidth and a 30 N-S beamwidth. The receiving earth station has
an antenna with a gain of 53 dB and a system noise temperature of 100 K and is located at the
edge of the coverage zone of the satellite antenna. (Assume antenna gain is 3 dB lower than in
the center of the beam). Assume the transponder carrier power is 10 W at the input port of the
transmit antenna on the satellite
a. Calculate the gain of the satellite antenna in the direction of the receiving earth station.
b. Calculate the carrier power received by the earth station, in dBW.
c. Calculate the noise power of the earth station in 36 MHz bandwidth.
d. Hence find the C/N in dB for the earth station.
 Example:11
A geostationary satellite carries a transponder with a 20 watt transmitter at 4 GHz.
The transmitter is operated at an output power of 10 watts and drives an antenna
with a gain of 30 dB. An earth station is at the center of the coverage zone of the
satellite, at a range of 38,500 km. Using decibels for all calculations, find:

a. The flux density at the earth station in dBW/ 𝑚2

b. The power received by an antenna with a gain of 39 dB, in dBW.

c. The EIRP of the transponder in dBW.

 Example:12
• The example below analyzes the links between a user and a gateway station.
(The link between the gateway station and the mobile terminal is defined as the
Outbound Link, and the link from the mobile terminal to the gateway is the
Inbound Link.). In this example we begin by assuming that 100 active users share
the common TDM channel on the outbound link from the gateway station to the
mobile terminal.
Example:12