UNIT III
SATELLITE LINK DESIGN
Satellite Uplink and Downlink Analysis And Design
Downlink
•The link from a satellite down to one or more ground stations or receivers
Uplink
•The link from a ground station up to a satellite.
•Satellite Uplink and Downlink Analysis describes how the link-power budget
calculations are made.
•These calculations basically relate two quantities, the transmit power and the
receive power.
•Link-budget calculations are usually made using decibel or decilog quantities
Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power
•A key parameter in link-budget calculations is the equivalent isotropic radiated
power, conventionally denoted as EIRP.
•the maximum power flux density at some distance r from a transmitting antenna
of gain G is
An isotropic radiator with an input power equal to GPS would produce the same
flux density. Hence, this product is referred to as the EIRP, or
G-gain of transmitting antenna
PS- transmit power,r-distance
EIRP is often expressed in decibels relative to 1 W, or dBW. Let PS be in
watts; then
where [PS] is also in dBW and [G] is in dB.
Transmission Losses
•The [EIRP] may be thought of as the power input to one end of the
transmission link, and the problem is to find the power received at the other end.
•Losses will occur along the way, some of which are constant
•Other losses can only be estimated from statistical data, and some of these are
dependent on weather conditions, especially on rainfall.
•The first step in the calculations is to determine the losses for clear weather or
clear-sky conditions.
•These calculations take into account the losses, including those calculated on a
statistical basis, which do not vary significantly with time.
•Losses which are weather-related, and other losses which fluctuate with time,
are then allowed for by introducing appropriate fade margins into the
transmission equation.
Free-space transmission
•As a first step in the loss calculations, the power loss resulting from the
spreading of the signal in space must be determined.
•This calculation is similar for the uplink and the downlink of a satellite circuit.
Feeder losses
•Losses will occur in the connection between the receive antenna and the
receiver proper. Such losses will occur in the connecting waveguides,
filters, and couplers.
•These will be denoted by RFL, or [RFL] dB, for receiver feeder losses
Antenna misalignment losses
•When a satellite link is established, the ideal situation is to have the earth
station and satellite antennas aligned for maximum gain, as shown in Fig.
There are two possible sources of off-axis loss, one at the satellite and one
at the earth station, as shown in Fig.
•The off-axis loss at the satellite is taken into account by designing the link
for operation on the actual satellite antenna contour;
•The off-axis loss at the earth station is referred to as the antenna pointing
loss. Antenna pointing losses are usually only a few tenths of a decibel;.
•In addition to pointing losses, losses may result at the antenna from
misalignment of the polarization direction
•The polarization misalignment losses are usually small, and it will be
assumed that the antenna misalignment losses, denoted by [AML], include
both pointing and polarization losses resulting from antenna misalignment
(a) Satellite and earth-station antennas aligned for maximum gain;
(b) earth station situated on a given satellite “footprint,” and earth-station
antenna misaligned.
The Link-Power Budget Equation
•Now that the losses for the link have been identified, the power at the
receiver, which is the power output of the link, may be calculated simply as
[EIRP]-[LOSSES]+ [GR],
•where the last quantity is the receiver antenna gain.
•Note carefully that decibel addition must be used.
•The major source of loss in any ground-satellite link is the free-space
spreading loss [FSL
•However, the other losses also must be taken into account, and these are
•simply added to [FSL].
•The losses for clear-sky conditions are
[LOSSES] = [FSL] + [RFL]+ [AML]+ [AA]+ [PL]
•The decibel equation for the received power is then
•[PR] = [EIRP]+ [GR] - [LOSSES]
•where [PR] =received power, dBW
•[EIRP] = equivalent isotropic radiated power, dBW
•[FSL] =free-space spreading loss, dB
•[RFL] = receiver feeder loss, dB
•[AML] = antenna misalignment loss, dB
•[AA] = atmospheric absorption loss, dB
•[PL] = polarization mismatch loss, dB
Uplink and Downlink
• Uplink:
The uplink of a satellite circuit is the one in which the earth station is
transmitting the signal and the satellite is receiving it.
• Downlink
The satellite is transmitting the signal and the
earth station is receiving it
•Effects of Rain
•Up to this point, calculations have been made for clear-sky conditions,
meaning the absence of weather-related phenomena which might affect the
signal strength rainfall is the most significant cause of signal fading.
•Rainfall results in attenuation of radio waves by scattering and by absorption
of energy from the wave
•Rain attenuation increases with increasing frequency and is worse in the Ku
band compared with the C band
•When a radio wave with some arbitrary polarization passes through
raindrops, the component of electric field in the direction of the major axes of
the raindrops will be affected differently from the component along the minor
axes.
•This produces a depolarization of the wave; in effect, the wave becomes
elliptically polarized
Uplink rain-fade margin
Rainfall results in attenuation of the signal and an increase in noise
temperature, degrading the [C/N0] at the satellite in two ways.
The increase in noise, however, is not usually a major factor for the uplink.
This is so because the satellite antenna is pointed toward a “hot” earth, and this
added to the satellite receiver noise temperature tends to mask any additional
noise induced by rain attenuation.
uplink power control is necessary to compensate for rain fades.
The power output from the satellite may be monitored by a central control
station or in some cases by each earth station, and the power output from any
given earth station may be increased if required to compensate for fading
Downlink rain-fade margin
The total sky-noise temperature is the clear-sky temperature TCS plus
the rain temperature:
Tsky = TCS +Train
Rainfall therefore degrades the received [C/N0] in two ways: by attenuating
the carrier wave and by increasing the sky-noise temperature.