Wireless/Satellite Communication

I. SOLVED PROBLEMS
1. Calculate the earth bulge 2 mi, 10 mi, 22 mi away from a transmitter for a 25 mi terrestrial
microwave link.

2. Calculate the effective height of a 100 ft obstruction situated 10 mi from the receiving end of a
25 mi radio link for k=4/3

3. Determine the surface refractivity for a potential microwave site 250 m above sea level with a
sea level refractivity of 312 and also calculate the effective earth radius.

4. Calculate the maximum range for a microwave link for which the antenna heights are 100 and
60 ft.

5. Solve for the total height extended in feet for an obstacle situated 27-mi away from a 35-mi
microwave system assuming if the tree growth exists, add 40 ft for the trees and 10 ft for
additional growth (use 6 GHz and 0.6F1).
6. Calculate the 5th Fresnel zone radius to clear a 35 mi radio link operating at 12 GHz if the 1st
Fresnel zone radius is 61.57 ft.

7. Calculate the approximate height of a GEO satellite using Kepler’s Third law (A=42241.0979;
P = 0.9972)

8. Calculate the elevation angle, azimuth and slant range between the TVRO site (38.8°N
latitude, 77°W longitude) and Hughes Galaxy satellite that is in a geo-stationary orbit at 134°W
longitude above the equator.

9. Determine the orbital period and orbital velocity of a satellite located 15,000 km above the
surface of the earth.

10. Calculate the propagation time, propagation delay, and FSL for a geostationary satellite
located directly above an earth station antenna with an operating frequency of 12 GHz.
11. In satellite communications system, for a total transmit power of 500 watts, determine the
energy per bit for a transmission rate of 50 Mbps expressed in dBW.

12. For an equivalent noise bandwidth of 10 MHz in a satellite system and noise power of 0.0280
pW, determine the noise density in dBW.

13. For a satellite communication channel, the uplink C/No ratio is 80 dB/Hz. And the downlink
value is 90 dB/Hz. Calculate the overall C/No ratio in dB/Hz.

14. A coherent binary phase shift keyed BPSK transmitter operates at a bit rate of 20 Mbps with
a carrier-to-noise ratio C/N of 8.8 dB. Find the Eb/No.

15. A receiving antenna with a G/T of 25 dB is used to receive signals from a satellite 38,000 km
away. The satellite has a 100-watt transmitter and an antenna with a gain of 30 dBi. The signal
has a bandwidth of 1 MHz at a frequency of 12 GHz. Calculate the C/N at the receiver.

II. OBJECTIVES
1. A type of electromagnetic wave whose wavelength ranges from 1.0 mm to 30 cm, used in
radar, to carry radio transmissions, and in cooking or heating devices.
Microwave
2. A widely employed broadband transmission medium commonly used to transport the analog
FDM or digital PCM.
Microwave Link
3. Straight path, unobstructed by the horizon, between a transmitting and receiving antenna.
Line of sight
4. The microwave beam barely touches the obstruction (zero clearance).
Grazing path
5. The microwave beam is hindered by an obstruction.
Obstructed path
6. A numerical figure that considers the non-ideal condition of the atmosphere resulting to
atmospheric refraction that causes the ray beam to be bent toward the earth or away from the
earth.
K-curve
7. The amount of additional clearance that must be allowed to avoid problems with the Fresnel
phenomenon is expressed in Fresnel zones.
Fresnel Zone radius
8. A ______________ is a graphical representation of the path traveled by the radio waves
between the two ends of a link.
Path Profile
9. The loss incurred by an electromagnetic wave as it propagates in a straight line through
vacuum with no absorption or reflection of energy from nearby objects.
Free Space Loss
10. The point where “capture effects” takes place and the output signal-to-noise ratio suddenly
jumps to 30 dB.
FM Improvement Threshold
11. The ratio of the minimum wideband carrier power at the input to a receiver that will provide a
usable baseband output to the wideband noise power present at the input of a receiver, the noise
introduce within the receiver, and the noise sensitivity of the baseband detector.
Carrier-to-Noise Ratio
12. A “fudge factor” included in the system gain equation that considers the non-ideal and less
predictable characteristics of radio-wave propagation, such as multipath propagation and terrain
sensitivity.
Fade Margin
13. The difference between the nominal output power of a transmitter and the minimum input
power required by a receiver.
System Gain
14. An object put into orbit around Earth or any other planet in order to relay communications
signals or transmit scientific data.
Satellite
15.___________________ is the angle subtended by the direction of travel of an electromagnetic
wave radiated from an earth station antenna pointing directly toward a satellite and the horizontal
plane.
Angle of Elevation
16. Point in a satellite orbit located farthest from Earth.
Apogee
17. Point in a satellite orbit located closest to Earth.
Perigee
18. __________________ was the 1st artificial satellite used for relaying terrestrial
communications that rebroadcast President Eisenhower’s 1958 Christmas message.
Score
19. The 1st satellite capable to transmit and receive simultaneously but eventually destroyed by
the new discovered Van Allen radiation belts.
Telstar I
20.________________________ are satellites used for observation of distant planets, galaxies,
and other outer space objects.
Astronomical satellites

III. REFERENCES

 Ampoloquio, J. M. - Self-Sufficient Guide to Electronic Communications Engineering