RAMCO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

Academic Year: 2021-22 (Even Semester)

Degree, Semester& Branch : VIII Semester B.E. ECE B

Course Code & Title : EC8094 Satellite Communication
Name of Faculty member : Mr.L.K.Balaji Vignesh, AP/ECE

UNIVERSITY TWO MARKS QUESTIONS-ANSWERS

UNIT–III SATELLITE LINK DESIGN

1. Formulate the satellite uplink and downlink equation of a satellite access.

[Nov/Dec 2016]
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. The carrier to noise ratio can be applied to uplink,
which is given by,
[C/No]U = [EIRP]U+[G/T]U –[LOSSES]U –[k]
Here, the subscript U is used to denote the uplink.
[C/No]U ratio appears at satellite receiver.
[G/T]U ratio denotes the satellite receiver gain with respect to antenna temperature.
[EIRP]U denotes Earth station EIRP
DOWNLINK
The downlink of the satellite circuit is the one, in which the satellite is transmitting the
signal and the earth station is receiving it.
[C/No]D = [EIRP]D+[G/T]D –[LOSSES]D–[k]
Here, the subscript D is used to denote the downlink.
[C/No]D ratio appears at Earth station receiver.
[G/T]U ratio denotes the Earth station receiver gain with respect to antenna
temperature.
[EIRP]U denotes satellite station EIRP
2. Write the objectives with which the downlink of any satellite communication system
must be designed. [April 2014]
The downlink of any satellite communication system must be designed with the following
objectives. They are
 To guarantee continuity of the link for a specified percentage of the time i.e. minimum
carrier-to-noise (C/N) ratio.
 To carry the maximum number of channels at a minimum capital and maintenance cost.
3. A satellite downlink at 12 GHz operates with a transmit power of 5 W and an
antenna gain of 48.2 dB. Calculate the EIRP in dBW. [Nov/Dec 2017][Apr/May 2015]
EIRP = [G] + [PS]
= 10 log 5 + 48.2
= 55.19 dBW
4. What is noise power spectral density? [April/May 2018]
Noise power spectral density is the noise power per unit bandwidth. It is denoted by N0. It
is given by
 N0 = KTN
Where, K-Boltzmann’s constant, TN-Noise temperature
5. What is the basic form of cassegrain antenna? [May/June 2016]
 A cassegrain antenna is a parabolic antenna in which the feed antenna is mounted or
behind the surface of the concave main parabolic reflector dish. It is aimed at a smaller
convex secondary reflector suspended in front of the primary reflector
 To meet the high G/T ratio, cassegrain antenna is used in large earth stations. It is used in
telecommunications and radars.
6. State the reason for the high power amplifier in earth stations deploying some sort of
redundancy configuration. [May/June 2016]
Satellite earth stations employ redundancy in high power amplifiers (HPA). They are,
 To reduce the risk with significant cost
 To reduce the complexity
7. Define the term antenna gain. [Nov/Dec 2014, 2012]
In antenna measurement, an antenna’s power gain or simply gain is a key performance
number which combines the antenna's directivity and electrical efficiency. In a
transmitting antenna, the gain describes how well the antenna converts input power into
radio waves headed in a specified direction.
8. A satellite downlink at 12 GHz operates with a transmit power of 6 W and an
antenna gain of 48.2 dB. Calculate the EIRP in dBW. [Nov/Dec 2014]
EIRP = [G] + [PS]
= 10 log 6 + 48.2
= 55.98 dBW
9. For a given satellite and signal transmission, what are the earth station parameters
affecting the C/N ratio? [April/May 2014]
 Antenna Diameter
 Antenna Beamwidth
10. Why is the cassegrain antenna popular for large earth stations? [Apr/May 2014]
To meet the high G/T ratio, cassegrain antenna is used in the large earth station.
11. What is terrestrial interface? [Nov/Dec 2013]
 An interface is used to interconnect the terrestrial path and the satellite path. It serves as
a data and signal path.
 It serves as a data and signaling interface between TDMA processor and the terrestrial
network.
12. An antenna has a noise temperature of 35 K and it is matched into a receiver
which has a noise te mpe rature of 100 K. Calculate the noise power de nsity and
the noise power for a BW of 36 MHz. [Dec 2013]
N0 = (35 + 100)*1.38*10-23 = 1.86 * 10-21 J
PN = 1.86*10-21 *36*10 6 = 0.067 PW
13. Give the significance of EIRP. [Nov/Dec 2012]
EIRP, Effective Isotropic Radiated Power is also known as Equivalent Isotropic Radiated
Power. In antenna measurements, the measured radiated power in a single direction. EIRP
can also be thought of as the amount of power a perfectly isotropic antenna would need to
radiate to achieve the measured value. It is a combination of the output amplifier power
and the gain of the transmitting antenna. It is given by
EIRP = Ps G
14. What is the role played by duplexers? [April/May 2012]
Duplexer is a device that allows to use the same antenna for both transmissions as well as
reception.
15. State the functions of a LNA. Where is it employed? [April/May 2012]
The first stage in the wide band receiver is a low noise amplifier (LNA). It adds little noise
to the carrier being amplified at the same time, it provides sufficient amplification for the
carrier to override the higher level present in the following mixer stage.
16. What is an EIRP? [May/June 2011]
EIRP means Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power. It is a measure of radiated or
transmitted power of an antenna. It is a combination of the output amplifier power and the
gain of the transmitting antenna. It is given by
EIRP = Ps G
Where, Ps = radiated power, G= gain of the antenna
17. Define the term “Input backoff”. [May/June 2011]
When a number of carriers are present simultaneously in a TWTA, the operating point
must be backed off to a linear portion of the transfer characteristic to reduce the effects of
inter-modulation distortion. Such multiple carrier operation occurs with frequency-
division multiple access (FDMA). The point to be made here is that backoff (BO) must be
allowed for in the link-budget calculations.
[EIRP]U = [EIRPS]U-[BO]i
18. Why is the LNA in a satellite receiving system placed at the antenna end of the feeder
cable?
In order to reduce the receiver feeder losses, the LNA is placed at the antenna end of the
feeder cable.
19. Which parameter is generally regarded as figure of merit? Why? [Nov/Dec 2015]
 The G/T ratio is generally regarded as figure of merit of an earth station.
 It represents the sensitivity of an earth station. A higher value implies a more sensitive
station.
20. How does intermodulation noise originate in a satellite link? [Nov/Dec 2012]
 Intermodulation occurs where multiple carriers pass through any device with non-linear
characteristic. The third-order intermodulation products fall on neighbouring carrier
frequencies, where they result in interference.
 The intermodulation products appear as a type of noise which is termed as
intermodulation noise.
21. Define the term “Figure of Merit”. [May/June 2012]
 Figure of merit represents the sensitivity of an earth station.
 It is defined as the ratio of the receive antenna gain (G) to the total system temperature
(T).
[G/T] = [G] - [T] (db/k)
Where [G] = Receive antenna gain (db), [T] = Total system temperature (dbk)
22. The range between a ground station and a satellite is 42000 km. Calculate the fre e
space loss a frequency of 6 GHz.
[Free space loss] = 32.4 + 20 log 42000 + 20 log 6000 = 200.4 dB
23. Calculate the gain and the effective area of a 30 m parabolic antenna at a frequency
of 4 GHz. [Nov/Dec 2012]
Solution: Data Given: D = 30m, f = 4 GHz
 λ= = *10 =0.075 m
𝑓 4*109
2
Effective area, Ae = 0.65*A=0.65*𝜋𝐷
4
2
Ae = 0.65*𝜋(30) = 459.45 m2 (Ans)
4
Gain, G =Ae * 4𝜋
2

= 459.45* (4𝜋) =1026421.2

(0.075) 2
[G] = 10log10 (G)
= 10 log10 (1026421.2)
= 60.11 dB (Ans)
24. For a satellite circuit, the carrier-to-noise ratios are: uplink 23 dB, downlink 20 dB,
intermodulation 24 dB. Calculate the overall carrier-to-noise ratio in decibels. Suggest
a method to reduce intermodulation noise. [May/June 2016]
Solution:
Given(𝐶 ) = 23 dB =102.3 = 199.53, ( 𝐶 ) = 20 dB = 102 = 100, ( 𝐶 ) = 24 dB =
𝑁0 𝑈 𝑁0 𝐷 𝑁 0 𝐼𝑀
2.4
10 = 251.19
𝑁0 𝑁 0 𝑁
= ( 0 ) + (𝑁0) + ( )
𝐶 𝐶 𝑈 𝐶 𝐷 𝐶 𝐼𝑀
𝑁0 1 1 1
= + + = 0.019
𝐶 199.53 100 251.19
C 1
= = 52.65
N0 0.019
𝐶 𝐶
* += 10 log ( ) = 10 log (52.65) = 17.21 dBHz
𝑁0 𝑁0