Satellite Link Design

Transponder bandwidth is usually the most

expensive resource in a satellite communications
link.

For maximum efficiency, a satellite link should

be engineered to balance bandwidth and power.

Traditionally, it involved playing with

modulation and coding to get the right balance for
fixed satellite and earth station parameters.
 Traditionally, you could reduce Bandwidth or Power,
but not both without significantly increasing the
expenditure.
Reduce Occupied Bandwidth :
Use Higher Order Modulation
Increases Transponder Power Utilization
Increases HPA Size and/or Antenna Size.
Reduce Transponder Power Utilization :
Use Lower Order Modulation or more powerful FEC
Increases Occupied Bandwidth
Reduces HPA Size and/or Antenna Size
Without Using Lower Order Modulation
Increase Antenna Size antenna size
 Reduce bandwidth by 50%.
Increase data throughput by a factor of 2.
Reduce antenna size by 30%.
Reduce transmitter power by a factor of 2.
Provide 3dB more link margin.
 Allocated BW PEB

Portion of transponder BW actually used. Fraction of transponder power required to

close link.

Linear function of modulation and FEC. Complicated function of hub antenna,

remote antenna and satellite specifics
along with required Eb/No.

Decreases with higher order modulation. Increases with powerful FEC.

Bandwidth Limited links have greater Power Limited links have greater PEB
allocated than PEB. than Allocated.
 Allocated Bandwidth :
Bandwidth, Allocated Bandwidth or Occupied Bandwidth is
the frequency space required by a carrier on a transponder.

E.g. : a duplex E1 (2.048 Mbps) circuit with 8-PSK modulation,

FEC rate 3/4 and 1.4 spacing requires:
2.048 / (3 * 0.75) * 1.4 * 2 = 2.548 MHz

For a 36 MHz transponder, 2.548 MHz corresponds to 7.078%

bandwidth utilization.
 Power Equivalent Bandwidth :

Power Equivalent Bandwidth (PEB) is the transponder power

used by a carrier, represented as bandwidth equivalent.
PEB calculation example:
Transponder EIRP = 37 dBW
Output Backoff (OBO) = 4 dB
Available EIRP = 37 4 = 33 dBW = 10^3.3= 1995.26 Watts
Transponder Bandwidth = 36 MHz
Power Available / MHz = 1955.26 / 36 = 55.424 W
If a carrier uses 24 dBW, then
PEB = Power used by your carrier/transponder saturated
power
PEB = 10^2.4/ 55.424 = 4.532 MHz

This corresponds to 12.59% of available transponder power.

 Antenna Gain
Power of Amplifier

Uplink
Path Loss
Rain Attenuation
Satellite

G/T
EIRP (Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power)
SFD (Saturated Flux Density)
Amplifier Characteristic

Downlink :
Path Loss
Rain Attenuation
Receiving Earth Station

Antenna Gain
LNA /LNB Noise Temperature
Other Equipment
EIRP :

Is the effective radiated power from the

transmitting side and is the product of the
antenna gain and the transmitting power,
expressed as

EIRP = Gt + Pt Lf [dB]

Where,
Lf is the Feed Losses
Signal Power (Pr) :

Pr = EIRP Path Loss + Gr (sat) [dB]

Where,
Path Loss = (4D / ) 2
D is the Slant Range (m)