Vsat Installation and Maintenance Trainingversion1

VSAT INSTALLATION
and
MAINTENANCE
Organized By SKANNET
Trainer: Ajuyah, Silvanus
December 9th, 10th and 14th 2009

Introduction
The VSAT Field Installation and Maintenance Training
Course,that
ensure is an Intensive
Installers of Structured Program
bi-directional designed
Satellite Earth to
Station acquire an understanding of the operational
technology used in SCPC-SCPC, SCPC-DVB and
SCPC-TDMA VSAT Industry.
The goals are to enable the participants achieve a better

understanding of the range of equipment and systems in
use, and realize how they can relate to the various
technical job
theoretical responsibilities.
and practical skillsThe training
transfer will offer both
as applicable to
VSAT Field Engineers, Support Engineers and
Operational Managers
VSAT Installation and 2

Maintenance Training (SKANNET)

Training Objectives
Through a series of intensive structured lecture and
hands-on training the course aims to:
• Pro
Provi
vide
de an in-
in-dep
depth
th tre
treatm
atment
ent of bas
basic
ic co
conce
ncepts
pts rel
relatin
ating
g
to Satellite communication
• Pro
Provi
vide
de in-
in-dept
depthhuunde
nders
rstand
tanding
ing of VS
VSAT
AT Ins
Insta
talla
llatio
tionn and
and
Site Survey
• Pr
Prov
ovid
ide
e in
in-d
-dept
epth
huund
nder
erst
stan
andi
ding
ng of h
how
ow to us
use
eT Tes
estt
Equipment
Analyzer) (Inclinometer, Compass, GPS and Spectrum
• Pr
Prov
ovid
ide
e in-d
in-dept
epth
h un
unde
ders
rstan
tandi
ding
ng of Mech
Mechan
anic
ical
al VS
VSAT
AT
Assembly, Satellite Tracking and Antenna Alignment

Training Objectives
• Prov
Provid
ide
e how
how to perf
perfor
orm
mPPea
eak k and
and Poll
Poll and
and
Commission a Full VSAT Installation
• Provi
Provide
de an in-
in-de
dept
pth
huund
nder
erst
stan
andin
ding
g of
of fau
fault
lt
diagnostics
• Provi
Provide
de spec
specif
ific
ic Prev
Preven enti
tive
ve Maint
Mainten
enan
ance
ce
Procedures and Documentation
• Provi
Provide
de Comm
Commun unica
icatio
tion
n tips
tips on work
working
ing
with
ith Ne
Netw
twor
ork
kO Opepera
rati
tion
on Ce
Centntre
res
s (NOC
(NOC))

Who Should Attend

• All those
those requ
requiri
iring
ng tech
technic
nical
al unde
unders
rsta
tand
nding
ing
of VSAT System
• Support Engineers
• Fre
reel
elan
ancece VS
VSAT
AT In
Inst
stal
alle
lerrs
• Prac
Practi
tici
cing
ng Eng
Engin
inee
eers
rs,, In
Info
form
rmat
atio
ion
n
Technologists, as well
and those concern as the
about managers, users
impact of
VSAT

Basic Principles of Satellite
Communication

What is a Satellite?
• A sate
satellllit
ite
e iis
s an
any
yoobj
bject
ect th
that
at orbi
orbits
ts or rev
revolv
olves
es
around another object. For example, the Moon is
a satellite of Earth, and Earth is a satellite of the
Sun.
• Comm
Communi
unicat
catio
ion
n sate
satellllit
ites
es a
act
ct a
as
s re
rela
lay
y stat
statio
ions
ns in
in
space. People
from one part ofuse
thethem
globetototransmit messages
another. These
messages can voice, data or video


• Be
Types
Befor
fore
eddis
iscu
cuss
ssin
ing
of
gssat
Satellite
ate
ellllit
ite
eoorb
rbit
its
s iin
nm
Orbits
mor
ore
eggen
ener
eral
al tter
erms
ms,,
it is important
im portant to understand the natural laws that control
the movement of satellites.
• Th
The ese are bba
ased on Kepler’s Laws a an
nd ssttate th
tha
at:
1. The orb
orbital
ital pla
plane
ne of a
any
ny Earth
Earth sa
sate
telli
llite
te mu
must
st bi
bisec
sectt th
the
e
Earth centrally.
2. The Earth must be at the center of any orbit.
• Th
Ther
ereea
are
re basi
basicacalllly
y tthr
hree
ee o orb
rbit
its
s: po
pola
lar,
r, equa
equattor
oria
ial,
l, a and
nd
inclined.
• The sha
hape
pe of tthe
he orbi
orbitt iis
s llim
imit
ited
ed to cir
irc
cul
ular
ar and
and eellllip
ipti
tica
cal.
l.


Types of Satellite Orbits


Low Earth orbit (LEO)

• Whe
When a sa
sate
telllliite ci
circ
rclles cl
clo
ose to
Earth we say it's in Low Earth
Orbit (LEO). Satellites in LEO are
just 200 -500 miles (320 -800
-800
kilometers) high. Because they
orbit so close to Earth, they must
travel very fast so gravity won't
pull them back into the
atmosphere. Satellites in LEO
speed along at 17,000 miles per
hour (27,359 kilometers per hour)!
They can circle Earth in about 90
minutes.


Polar Orbit
• A Polar orbit is a
particular type of Low
Earth Orbit. The only
difference is that a
satellite in polar orbit
travels a north-south
direction, rather than

the more common
east-west direction.


Why use a Polar Orbit

• Pola
Polarr or
orbi
bits
ts ar
are
euusef
seful
ul for view
viewing
ing th
the
e pla
plane
net's
t's
surface. As a satellite orbits in a north-south
direction, Earth spins beneath it in an east-west
direction. As a result, a satellite
satellite in polar orbit can
eventually scan the entire surface. For this
reason, satellites that monitor the global
environment, like remote sensing satellites and
certain weather satellites, are almost always in
polar orbit. No other orbit gives such thorough
coverage of Earth.

Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit

• A sat
satelli
ellite
te in geo
geosyn
synchr
chronou
onous
seequa
quatori
torial
al orbi
orbitt (GE
(GEO)
O) is locat
located
ed
directly above the equator, exactly 22,300 milesm iles out in space. At that
distance, it takes the satellite a full
f ull 24 hours to circle the planet.
Since it takes Earth 24 hours
ho urs to spin on in its axis, the satellite and
Earth move together. So, a satellite in GEO always stays directly
over the same spot on Earth. (A geosynchronous orbit can also be
called a GeoSTATIONARYOrbit.)


The Orbit of a Geosynchronous

Satellite


GEO Footprints
• Because tth
hey
ey'r
're
esso
o ffa
ar a
aw
way
ay,,
GEO
broadsatellites have a
view of Earth. very
For
instance, the footprint of one
satellite covers almost all of
North America.
• And, ssiince tthe

hey
y st
stay
ay ov
ove
er tthe
he
same spot on Earth, we always
alwa ys
know where GEO satellites
are. If our antenna points in the
right direction, we'll always
have direct contact with the
satellite.


Satellite Anatomy
• A sate
satellllit
ite
e is
is a co
comp
mple
lex
x mac
machi
hine
ne.. All
All
satellites are made up of several
subsystems that work together as one
large systemThis
its mission. to help the satellite
simplified achieve
illustration
shows the key parts of a remote-sensing
satellite. The main subsystems are
grouped by color.


Satellite Anatomy


Satellite Anatomy


Satellite Stabilization
• St
Stab
abililiz
izat
atio
ion
n of th
the
e sa
sate
tellllite
ite iis
s nec
neces
essa
sary
ry b
bec
ecau
ause
se tthe
he
Earth is not truly spherical. The Earth’s tidal motion, the
Moon and the Sun have gravitational effects on the
satellite, which tends to make it drift from its correct
position.
• An o
orb
rbit
it ttha
hatt is iinc
ncliline
ned
d to
towa
ward
rds
s th
the
eeequ
quat
ator
oria
iall pl
plan
ane
e
produces a sinusoidal variation in longitude, seen from
Earth as motion around an ellipse once every 24 hours.
• Inc
Incorr
orrect
ect ve
veloc
locity
ity res
result
ults
s in incorr
incorrect
ect altitud
altitude
e and
and a dri
drift
ft to
the east or to the west.


Satellite Position
• The sat
satel
ellit
lite
e mu
must
st b
be
e main
maintai
tained
ned in position
position for its req
requi
uired
red lifeti
lifetime
me
(typically 10 to 15 years). This positioning is regularly corrected to
within ±0.10°.
• To exte
extend
nd the life
life o
off th
the
essate
atelli
llites
tes,, less
less freq
frequen
uentt co
correc
rrecti
tions
ons may be
made. For example, keeping the satellite in its current North-South
position is particularly demanding on satellite
satell ite fuel reserves.
• If the
the N
Nort
orth-S
h-Sou
outh
th p
posi
osition
tioning
ing is lleft
eft unc
unchec
hecked,
ked, the sat
satell
ellite
ite wil
willl te
tend
nd
to move to a natural position (Inclination) of 15°away from the
geostationary orbit.
• IN
INTEL
TELSA
SATT al
allo
low
ws so
some
me o off its
its sa
sate
telli
llite
tes
s tto
o iinc
ncre
reas
ase
e iinc
nclilina
natio
tion
nuup
p to
about ± 3 degrees, w
which
hich extends th the e operational life
life up to 3 years
or more. These satellites are said to be in "inclined orbit".


Satellite Payloads
• The
The pa
pay ylo
load
adss on co
comm
mmununiica
cattion
ons
s
satellites are effectively just
repeaters.
• They
They rece
receiv
ive
e tthe
he si
sign
gnal
als
s ttha
hatt a
are
re
transmitted to them and then
retransmit them at a different
frequency back to earth.
• They
They rece
receiv
ive
e tthe
he si
sign
gnal
als
saand
nd th
then
en
sometimes demodulate them to
access the data, the data can
then be processed before being
modulated and retransmitted. The
data can be stored for later
retransmission or modulated
using a different method, even at
a different data rate.


Satellite Transponders
• The
The b
basi
asic
c bui
buildi
lding
ng block
block of an
any
y satell
satellite
ite
communications
transponder. Thispackage is the the
device receives
uplink carriers, amplifies them, converts
them
band,to thethen
and correct downlink
transmits frequency
them, via a high-
powered amplifier, back to Earth.
• Toda
Todayy sate
satellllit
ite
e can
can carr
carry
y up to 30
transponders.

VSAT Architecture


VSAT Architecture
• Very
Very Small
Small Apert
Apertur
ure
e Ter
Termi
mina
nall (VSA
(VSAT)
T) is a
satellite-based telecommunications
technology.
• Ther
Thereeaare
re thre
three
e comp
compon
onenents
ts in a VSAT
VSAT
network: The master earth station
station
(Teleport or Hub), The remote earth
station and The satellite


VSAT Network Architecture


The Master Earth Station (Teleport)

• The fir
first
st is call
called
ed the Tel
Telepo
eportrt.. Th
They
ey are
are th
the
e ‘‘in
inte
termo
rmoda
dall h
hubs
ubs’’ of tthe
he
broadband and broadcast world. It is a gateway that connect
satellite circuits with terrestial fiber optics
• The Tel
Telepepor
orts
ts a
are
re ffac
acililiti
ities
es lloc
ocat
ated
ed th
throu
rougho
ghout
ut tthe
he w
wor
orld
ld,, b
bui
uilt
lt fo
forr th
the
e
purpose of maintaining high quality communications
comm unications with orbiting
satellites.
• Co
Confi
nfigu
gura
ratio
tion,
n, mon
monititor
orin
ing,
g, an
and
d manag
manageme
ementnt of th
the
e VS
VSAT
AT ne
netw
twor
ork
k
are done at this location. The master earth station has a large dish
(6 m or bigger), fully redundant electronics, a self-contained backup
power system, and a regulated air conditioning system.
s ystem.
• In ad
additi
dition
on,, tthe
he ma
maste
sterr e
eart
arth
hsstat
tation
ion is mann
manned
ed 24x7 thro
throug
ughou
houtt tthe
he
year.


The Remote Earth Station

• The Se
Seco
cond
nd iis
s ca
calllled
ed tthe
he R Remo
emote
te E
Ear
arth
th St
Stati
ation
on.. Th
The
e re
remot
mote
e ((VSA
VSAT
T
Terminal) is comprised of the hardware installed at the customer’s
premises, including the outdoor unit (ODU), the indoor unit (IDU),
and the inter-facility link (IFL).
( IFL).
• The siz
size
e de
depen
pends
ds oon
n th
the
e da
data
ta to be tran
transmit
smitted
ted and its loc
locati
ation.
on. It
can handle data, voice and video signals.
• The OD
ODU U co
cons
nsis
ists
ts o
off a st
stan
anda
dard
rd V
VSA
SAT
T di
dish
sh a
ant
nten
enna,
na, a so
solilid
d st
stat
ate
e
power amplifier (SSPA) or Block Up Converter (BUC), a low noise
amplifier (LNA) or Low Noise Block Converter (LNB), and a
Feedhorn.
• The IDU pro

provid
vides
es tthis
his int
interfa
erface
ce in the for
form
m of a mo
mode
dem
m and
and a rroute
outer;
r;
which houses the communications electronics, including interface
interf ace
with the customer’s equipment such as computers
com puters
• The IF
IFL
L co
cons
nsis
ists
ts o
off co
coax
axia
ial
l ca
cabl
bles
es tthat
hat co
conn
VSAT Installation and
nnec
ectt th
the
e OD
ODU
U to tthe
he IIDU
DU.27
.

The Satellite
• The
The tthir
hird
dccom
ompo
pone
nent
nt of a V
VSA
SAT
Tnnet
etwo
work
rk is
the satellite itself. All signals
signals sent between
the VSAT earth stations are beamed
through the satellite.
• The
The VS
VSAT AT uses
uses a geos
geostatati
tion
onar
ary
y (G
(GEO
EO))
satellite which is orbiting at 36,000 km
above the ground.


VSAT ODU
• Th
The
e out
outdo
door
or un
unit
it (O
(ODU
DU)) is
is mo
moun
unte
ted
doon
n tthe
he fe
feed
ed ar
arm
m iin
n ffro
ront
nt of th
the
e
antenna
to and
transmit houses
(TX) rthe Radio
and receive
eceive Frefrom
Frequency
(RX) quency (RF) equipment required
the antenna.
• Th
The
e ou
outd
tdoo
oorr u
uni
nitt (O
(ODU
DU)) m
ma
ain
inly
ly co
cons
nsis
ists
ts of th
thes
ese
e de
dev
vices
ices::
1. Low Noi
Noise
se B
Blo
lock
ck (L
(LNB
NB)) wh
which
ich is a d dow
ownn co
conv
nver
erte
terr an
andd rec
recei
eive
verr
2. Blo
Block
ck U
Up
pCConv
onvert
erter
er (BU
(BUC)C) thi
this
s iis
s the
the u
up
pcconve
onverte
rterr a
and
nd tran
transmi
smitte
tterr
3. Ort
Ortho
ho-M
-Mod
ode
e Tra
Trans
nsdu
duce
cerr (OM
(OMT)T) tthe
he Tx an
and
d Rx wa
waveveguguid
idee jo
join
int.
t.
4. Mi
Micro
crowa
wave
ve filte
filters
rs w
whi
hich
ch pr
prote
otect
ct th
the
eLLNB
NB fro
from
m th
the
e Tx sign
signal
als.
s.


VSAT IDU
• The
The in
indo
door
or u
uni
nitt (ID
(IDU)
U) u
usua
sualllly
y co
consi
nsist
sts
s of
of a sin
singl
gle
e
box (normally referred to as a Modem) which
should be located in a dry, cool and clean place.
place.
An office environment is ideal.
• The
The IIDU
DU re
requ
quir
ires
es a sta
stabl
ble
e main
mains
s sup
suppl
ply
y and
and
connection to the end user equipment. This
could be further units for telephone exchanges
or networks for internet or intranet connections.


A Typical VSAT Terminal
Block Diagram of a Ty
T ypical VSAT Terminal


Basic Satellite Antenna Theory

• A standa
dard
rd satel
elli
litte dish
antenna workssignals,
concentrating by that are
picked up along its axis, to a
single point.
• Thi
This p
pooint iis
scca
alled
led tth
he ffo
ocal
point. The receiving amplifier is
usually placed near the focal
point and the concentrated
co ncentrated
signals are collected into the
• rec
receive
verr u
us
sing a s sma
malll hornrn..
This serves to further
concentrate the signals to get
the maximum possible signal
level at the amplifier input.


Basic Satellite Antenna Theory

• The
The ffo
ocal point c
can
an be o
offfs
fse
et
from the main
receiving axis sodoes
equipment that not
the
obstruct the beam in any way.
• Thi
This oofffse
fset h
ha
as tth
he e
efffe
fec
ct o
off
raising the beam of the
antenna. The exact amount
that the beam is raised is equal
e qual
to the amount of offset.
• Thu
Thus, if tth
he offset is 20
degrees then the beam is
raised by 20 degrees.


Types of Satellite Antenna


Basic RF Theory and
Operating Frequency Range

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Th
The
e en
enti
tire
re e
ele
lect
ctro
roma
mag
gne
neti
tic
c spec
spectr
trum
um is
is co
comp
mpos
osed
ed o
off
electromagnetic radiation with a wide range of energies
and wavelengths: radio waves, microwaves, infrared
light, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, and gamma
rays.
• Ra
Radi
dio
o fr
freq
eque
uenc
ncyy ((RF
RF)) is a tter
erm
m gi
give
ven
n to the
the p
por
orti
tion
on o
off the
the
electromagnetic spectrum with long wavelengths and low
frequencies. This includes radio waves and microwaves
ranging from a few hertz (Hz)—a measurement of
frequency in cycles per second—to about 300 billion
hertz (or 300 gigahertz [GHz]).




Electromagnetic Fields and Waves

• El
Elec
ectr
trom
omag
agneneti
tic
c ra
radi
diat
atio
ion,
n, al
also
so kn
know
own
n as
Electromagnetic wave,
wave, is a propagating wave in space
with electrical and
a nd magnetic components. The electrical
and the magnetic components oscillate perpendicular
to each other and to the direction of the propagation.


Characteristics of Electromagnetic
Waves
• Some of tth
he c
ch
haracteristics of
of e
ellectro
ctroma
mag
gnetic w
wa
aves a
are
re
described below:
1. E and H Fields: Electromagnetic forces act between electric

charges and electric currents. For every point in space, an
electromagnetic field (the force felt by a charge or current at that
very point) can be defined and measured.
The electric field E describes the force between charges.

The magnetic field H describes the forces between currents.


Waves
2. Carrier Medium: One very important quality of electromagnetic
waves is that they do not need any carrier medium. There is no air
or ether needed to propagate them electromagneti
electromagneticc waves, unlike
sound, air pressure waves that propagates, that needs a carrier.
Examples of electromagnetic waves are light, Xrays,
Xra ys, microwaves
and other radio waves.


Waves
3. Wavelength and Frequency: An electromagnetic wave, like any
wave, has byisits
wavelength
wavel ength thebasic
di shape
distanc
stance of a sinus,
e between two troughs
two and
crests (or crests.
2 troughs)The
troughs) and is
measured in meter. The wavelength is represented
r epresented by the Greek
letter l(lambda).
• The fre
freque
quency
ncy of a wav
wave
e is its rat
rate
eooff os
oscil
cillat
latio
ion
n an
and
d iis
s measur
measured
ed in
hertz (Hz). The SU unit of frequency is the 1 oscillation per second
(1/s)


Waves
Characteristics
Characteristics of an Electromagnetic Wave


Waves
• The
The ffre
requ
quen
ency
cy an
and
d tthe
he wavel
avelen
engt
gth
h of
of a wave
wave
has the following relation:
c=l*f
whereas:
c = the speed of light [m/s
[m/s]] (3x
(3x108
108 m/
m/s
s=
300,000 km/s)
l = wavelength [m]
f = frequency* [1/s]
(*) the frequency is also called n (Nu)

Signal Polarization
• Pol
olar
ariz
iza
ati
tio
on is dete
term
rmiine
ned
d by
the
andorientation of theradiating
magnetic fields electric
from the transmitting antenna.
• In sa
sate
telllliite co
comm
mmun
uniica
cati
tio
ons
ns,,
the term property
physical Polarity refers
of the to a
transmission of the satellite
to/from earth. Since it costs a
lot of money to send a satellite
satel lite
up to space, and since the
satellite has a limited lifespan,
the satellite company wishes
to use as much of the
frequency band as possible.


Signal Polarization
• One
One of the wa
ways
ys to do iitt iis
s to
to use
use the freq
freque
uency
ncy
range twice, with the transmissions separated by
90 degrees from each other, so that they do not
cause interference to one another.
• This
This iis
sccal
alle
led
d a Lin
Linea
earr p
pol
olar
ariz
izat
atio
ion.
n.
• Circu
Circula
larr pola
polari
rizat
zatio
ion
n us
uses
es the
the dire
direct
ctio
ion
n of a heli
helix
x
around the direction of the electric field vector.


Signal Polarization
• Digi
Digital
tal sig
signa
nals
ls a
are
re ttra
ransm
nsmitt
itted
ed from
from the
the sat
satel
ellilite
tes
s
on either Vertical (V) or Horizontal
Horizont al (H) polarity
for linear feeds, or on Right (R) and Left (L)
polarity for circular feeds.
• Stan
Standa
dard
rd b
big
ig di
dishe
shes
s are
are m
mos
ostt lilikel
kely
y tto
o hav
have
e fe
feed
ed
horn that can receive linear (H/V) polarity.


Linear Polarization
• Linear Polarization
allows the to use the
frequency range twice,
with the transmissio
transmissions
ns
separated by 90
degrees from each
other, so that they do
not cause interference
to one another.
• This can be either

Cros
Cross-
s-Po
Poll or C
Co-
o-Po
Poll


Cross-Polarization (X-Pol)
• The term
term Cro
Cross-Po
ss-Poll refers to a llinea
inearr
polarization or feed, in which the
receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx)
polarizations are in 90 degrees to
each other, forming the shape of a
cross, or X (this is also called X-Pol).
• This happens when the customer is

working on a transponder (or a
combination of transponders), that
results in this setting. In order to
both receive and transmit, the
customer will have to have a Cross-
Pol fee
feed
d (see aante
ntenna
nna pa
parts)
rts)..


Co-Polarization (Co-Pol)
• The term
term Cr
Cross
oss-Po
-Poll refe
refers
rs to
a linear polarization or feed,
in which the receive (Rx) and
transmit (Tx) polarizations
are parallel to each other.
• In order to both receive and

transmit, the customer will
have to ha
have
ve a C
Co-P
o-Pol
ol feed


Circular Polarization
• A circular polarization comes
in two flavors: LHCP (Left Hand
Circular polarization) and
RHCP (Right Hand Circular
Polarization).
• It is different from linear

polarizations, and in order to
work, requires a circular feed.
The feed can be converted
from LHCP to RHCP and vice-
versa


Satellite Operating
Ranges Frequency
• Ther
Th
useere
ea
in are
re 4 fre
frequ
satellite quen
ency
cy rang
ranges
es whic
which
communications: h we
we
C-Band,
Ku-Band, L-Band, and IF.
• Some
Some a are
re use
used
d to comm
commununic
icat
ate
e from
from the
the
ground to the satellite, and some are used
inside the teleport equipment


C-Band Frequency
• C-Ba
C-Bandnd is
is u
used
sed in co
comm
mmun
unica
icati
tion
on ffro
rom
m tthe
he ea
eart
rth
h
station to the satellite and was the
t he first frequency
band allocated for commercial ground-to-
satellite communications.
• A typ
typica
icall C ban
band
d sa
satel
tellilite
te use
uses
s 3.
3.7–
7–4.
4.2
2 GHz
GHz for
for
downlink
variationsand
of C5.925–6.425 GHz for
band frequencies areuplink. Slight
approved
for use in various parts of the world:


C-Band Frequency


Ku-Band Frequency
• Ku-B
Ku-Ban
andd iis
suused
sed in com
commu
muninicat
catio
ion
n from
from the
the
earth station to the satellite. The range of
frequencies is between 11 and 14 gigahertz,
used increasingly by communication satellites.
• Requ
Requirires
es sm
smal
alle
lerr gro
roun
und
d ante
antenn
nnas
as,, but
but is more
more
susceptible to rain fade (when raining, receive
quality drops dramatically).


C-Band Versus Ku-Band


L-Band Frequency
• 9
L-Ba
L-5Band
0 -nd
21iis
s0the
5 thM
eHfreq
MHfrz.
eque
uenc
ncy
ybban
and
d betw
betwee
een
n
• It is
is us
used fo
for co
communica
ication
ion be
between
earth station components (modems,
receivers, up and down converters).


Intermediate Frequency (IF)
• IF is the
the frequ
frequen
ency
cy band
band betwe
between
en 50 - 180
MHz. It is used for communication
between earth station components
(modems and transceivers).


Uplink and Downlink Frequencies

• In g
gen
ener
eral
al,, th
the
e ter
term
m “U
“Upl
plin
ink”
k” re
refe
fers
rs to th
the
e ttra
ran
nsm
smis
issi
sion
on
from
refersthe
to ground to the satellite.
the transmission from theThesatellite
term “Downlink”
to the
ground.
• ground,
The sa
satell
tellite
asite,
, by as
long des
desig
ign,
then,earth
rec
receiv
eives
es a tr
stationtrans
ansmis
missio
sion
n is
transmitting from
from the
inside
the satellite’s footprint.
• surface,
The sa
satell
tellite
ite bo
where bounc
unces
it is es th
that
at tra
receivedtrans
nsmis
by missio
sion
n back
another back dow
earth downn tto
station,o tthe
he
assuming it also is inside the footprint (note the
transmission is going out to the ENTIRE footprint, not a
specific station).


• Howev
Howeverer,, the sat
satel
ellilite
te can
canno
nott tr
tran
ansm
smit
it tthe
he carr
carrie
ierr
back on the same frequency on which it was
received, or it will cause interference.
• The
The ssate
atellllit
ite
e th
ther
eref
efor
ore
emmust
ust con
conve
vert
rt the
the
frequency on which is received the transmission
(the
whichUPLINK frequency)
to transmit to a new
the downlink frequenc
frequency
signal
signal (the y on
DOWNLINK frequency).


• The
Thec con
uplinkonve
vers
rsion
ion betw
betwee
frequencies is een
n the
the downlin
dow
constant,
constant, sonlink
thatk and
and
each uplink frequency has a
corresponding downlink frequency.
• Thus,
Thus, ea
each
ch freq
freque
uenc
ncy
y rran
ange
ge is div
divide
ided
d int
into
o
an Uplink range and a downlink range that
do not overlap.



• In C-b
C-ban
and,
d, the con
conveversi
rsion
on is
is do
done
ne by su
subt
btra
ract
ctin
ing
g
2225MHz from the uplink frequency so that:
UF – Upl
Uplink
ink fre
freque
quency
ncy (in MHz)
DF – Dow
Downli
nlink
nk frequ
frequency
ency (in M
MHz)
Hz)
UF – 22
2225
25Mh
Mhz z = DF
• way,
In Ku
Ku-b
-ban
and,
but d, th
the the
e con
conve
versi
differencersion
on is done
between done
thein th
the
e same
uplinksame
and
downlink frequencies is 1745MHz:
UF – 17
1745
45Mh
Mhz z = DF

Frequency Conversions
• Ther
Thereeaare
re tw
twoo ffre
requ
quen
ency
cy ba
band
nds
s (C
(C-b
-ban
and
daand
nd Ku
Ku--
band) which are used when communicating with
the satellite from the ground, and there are two
frequency bands (L-band and IF) which are used
on the modems and receivers that we use in the
earth stations.
• The
The c
con
onve
versi
rsion
on be
betw
tween
een th
these
ese two
two fre
frequ
quen
ency
cy
ranges
differentisfor
done byfrequency
each specialized
specialized equipment,
band. In this and is
segment we will cover the various conversions
that may take place

Frequency Conversions
• Local oscillators
The term
term “Local
“Local Oscilla
Oscillator”
tor” (LO) refers
refers to the
amount subtracted or added to a frequency in
order to convert
another. The LOitisfrom one frequency
a property band to
of the equipment
performing the conversion (LNB, BUC,
Transceiver, etc.), and is sometimes
sometimes set by the
equipment type, and sometimes configurable on
the device itself.

Frequency Conversion
• L-band
Conversions to and from L-band (whether
(whether
to C-band or Ku-band), are done through
devices called LNB and BUC. They are
separate devices, and their LO is constant
constant
and not configurable. Modems that work in
the L-band frequency band require them to
work.

• BUC
BUC stands for “Block Up Converter”. It is
a device that converts from L-band to C-
band/Ku-band, and therefore is
responsible for the uplink (Tx) from the
earth station to the satellite.

• BUC
The BUC performs 2 functions:
1. Co
Conv
nver
ersi
sio
on o
off th
the s
sig
ign
nal from
from L
L-b
-ban
and
d
to the appropriate frequency range
2. Amplif
mplific
icat
atio
ion
n of the
the sign
signalal in orde
orderr to
transmit it to the satellite.

• In C-ban
-band
d, tthe
herre a
are
re two
two pos
possi
sibl
ble
e LOs
LOs fo
forr a
BUC – 4900
4900MHz
MHz or 7375M
7375MHz.
Hz. Ea
Each
ch per
performs
forms tthe
he
conversion differently:
• In 4
490
900M
0MHzHz BU
BUCs
Cs,, the in
inco
comin
mingg L-
L-ba
band
nd fre
freq
que
uenc
ncyy fr
from
om
the modem is simply added to the LO, and the result (In
C-band
C-ban d now – uplink s segmen
egment),
t), is ou
outputte
tputtedd to the
the
Antenna.
– L-band frequency from the modem
MF –
MF
(In MHz)
– Uplink freq
UF –
UF frequency
uency (In MHz)
MF + 4900 = UF

• In B
BUC
UCss wit
ith
h a lloc
ocal
al Osc
scililla
lato
torr o
orr 737
7375M
5Mhz
hz,, how
howev
ever
er,, th
the
e
conversion is done by subtracting the incoming L-band
frequency from the LO, and outputting the result:
737
73 75 – MF = UF
• If w
we
ewwan
antt to c
cal
alcu
cula
late
te whic
which
h freq
freque
uenc
ncy
y to
to put
put on the
the
modem given an uplink frequency, you just have to
isolate the MF variable:
MF(4
MF (490
900)
0) = UF – 49
4900
00
MF(7
MF(737
375)
5) = 73
7375
75 – UF
• In K
Ku-
u-ba
band
nd,, co
conv
nver
ersi
sion
on is
is done
done iin
n th
the
essam
ame
e way
way,, but the
the
normal LOs are 1300
13000MHz
0MHz and 13 13050
050 MHz
• Amplification – Apart from conversion, the BUC
also performs amplification of the signal in order
to ensure it is strong enough to be received at
the satellite. The amount of amplification
depends on the BUC output. Models range from
2 watt, through 5 and 10 watt, up to hundreds of
watts. The minimum output needed is
determined by the satellite, frequency range,
size of dish, geographic location, etc.

• BUCs
BU
theCs us
usua
modemualllly
y rece
eceiv
(shouldive
e th
bethe
eir volt
aboutvo24v),
ltag
age
e but
from
from
there are models with external power
supplies (usually the more robust ones).
• BUCs also require a 10MHz reference

carrier to work, which is supplied
supplied by the
modem (in very rare cases, the reference
is supplied by an external device).
• LNB
LNB stands for “Low Noise Block”. This is the
device that performs the conversion from C-
band/Ku-band to L-band and is therefore
responsible
link. for the downlink (Rx) part of the
• The LNB performs 3 functions:

1. Conv
onver
ersi
sion
on of th
thee sig
signa
nall tto
oLL-b
-ban
and
d
2. Am
Ampl
plif
ific
ica
ation
tion of th
the
e si
sign
gnal
al
3. Clean
leanin
ingg the
the sign
signal
al from
from nois
noisee
• Conversion –
Conversion – All C-band LNBs use the same LO –
515Mhz. All of them also perform the same convers
conversion.
ion.
They subtract the incoming C-band frequency
f requency from
5150, and the result is the L-band frequency
f requency they output
to the modem/receiv
modem/receiver:er:
– Downlink frequency (in MHz)
DF –
DF
MF –
MF – L-band frequency to the modem (in MHzMHz))
5150
51 50 – DF = MF
• In K
Ku-
u-Ba
Band
nd,, th
ther
ere
e ar
are
essev
ever
eral
al ttyp
ypes
es of
of LN
LNBs
Bs.. The
The m
mos
ostt
common
commo n ones have L LOs
Os of 10G
10GHz Hz and 111.3G
1.3Ghz.
hz. Be
sure to verify what LO you are working with!
• Amplification – The signal received from the
satellite is fairly weak. The LNB amplifies the
signal logarithmically, i.e. the stronger a signal
is, the more amplification it receives. This is
done automatically.
• Cleaning – As a byproduct of the amplification

process, the LNB cleans the signal from small
interference and noise, which are usually
smaller than carriers (hence the name “Low
Noise Block”).
• IF
IF is the Intermediate Frequency range (50-180MHz)
(50-180MHz)..
Conversion to and from
f rom IF to C-band/Ku-Band is done by
devices called transceivers.
transceivers.
• Transceivers
The term
term “Trans
“Transceiv
ceiver”
er” is combin
combination
ation of the wo
words
rds
Transmitter and Receiver.
Receiver. As implied by their name,
Transceivers perf
Transceivers perform
orm frequency conversion and
amplification on both the uplink and downlink.

• Transceivers
Transce
Tra nsceiver
ivers
s differ
differ from
from BUCs
BUCs and L LNBs
NBs
in that their LO is not constant,
constant, but
configurable.
Modems working in the IF frequency band

require a transceiver to communicate with
the satellite.
• Transceivers
The configurable LO is needed to solve a
fundamental problem: The IF frequency
band is only 130MHz wide, while both the
C-band and Ku-Band transmit bands are
much wider. The variable LO is needed in
order to ensure that the entire band is
covered. This is how it is done:

• Transceivers
1. Ea
Each
ch IF mode
modem mhhas
as a CCen
ente
terr fre
frequ
quen
ency
cy.. T
Thi
his
s
frequency is part of the modem, and is not
configurable. IF modems come in two flavors –
one with 70Mhz as a center frequency, and a
span of +/-20 MHz around it (meaning it can
work in the range of 50-90MHz), and one with
140Mhz as a center frequency, with a span of
+/-40Mhz, meaning it can work at 100-
180MHz.
• Transceivers
2. On th
the
eTTra
rans
nsce
ceiv
iver
er,, w
we
eccon
onfi
figu
gure
re a c
cen
ente
terr fr
freq
eque
uenc
ncy
yaas
swwel
ell.
l. Th
This
is
center frequency is in C-band/Ku-Band (depending on the
transceiver).
3. Th
The
eddiiffe
ffere
renc
nce
e bet
betwe
ween
en ththe
eccen
ente
terr fr
freq
eque
uenc
ncyy on th
the
e ttra
rans
nsce
ceiv
iver
er
and the center frequency on the modem
m odem is the LO:
CF – Ce
Cente
nterr fr
freq
equen
uency
cy
CF(transce
CF(transceiver)
iver) – CF(mode
CF(modem) m) = LO
• In e
efffe
fect
ct,, tth
his c
ca
auses tth
he ttw
wo c
ce
enter ffrrequencies
ies tto
obbe
eco
come
me
“matche
“mat ched”d” to eaeach
ch oth
other.
er.

Modulation Scheme and
Techniques

Modulation Techniques
• In tel
teleco
ecommun
mmunica
icatio
tions,
ns, mod
modula
ulatio
tion
n is
is tthe
he pro
proces
cess
sooff v
vary
arying
ing a
periodic waveform, i.e. a tone, in order to use that signal to convey
message. conve y a
• The aim of di
digi
gital
tal modu
modulat
lation
ion is to tra
transfe
nsferr a di
digit
gital
al bit stre
stream
am o
ove
verr
an analog
analog ban
bandpa
dpassss cha
channel
nnel..
• A devi
device
ce ttha
hatt pe
perfo
rform
rms
s mo
modu
dula
latio
tion
n is kn
know
own
n as a mo
modu
dula
lato
torr an
and
da
device that performs the inverse operation of modulation
m odulation is known
as a demodulator (sometimes detector or demod).
• A devi
device
ce th
that
at can do bot
both
h op
oper
erat
atio
ions
ns is a mo
mode
dem
m (s
(sho
hort
rt for
"Modulate-Demodulate"). In short, modulation aims to transfer
information by changing one of the carrier parameters between
several states (in PSK modulation, for example, the phase of the
carrier is changed).

• Modulation Used in Modems

There are the 3 basic types of modulation
used in modems:
1. FSK - Fr
Freq
eque
uency
ncy Shif
Shifte
ted
d Key
Keying
2. QPSK - Quadratu turre Phase Sh
Shif
iftted
Keying
3. QAM - Qua
uadr
drat
atur
ure
e Am
Ampl
plit
itud
ude
e Modu
Modula
lati
tion
on

Modulation Technique
• FSK - Fre
Freququen
ency
cy Sh
Shift
ift Ke
Key ying
Frequency Shift Keying (or FSK) is the
frequency modulation of a carrier that represents
digital intelligence. For Simplex or Half Duplex
operat
ope ration
ion,, a si
singl
ngle
e car
carrie
rierr is used
used -
communication can only be transmitted in one
direction at a time. A Mark or 1 is represented by
Freq A, is
B. FSK and
nota really
Spaceused
or 0 in
is satellite
represented by Freq
communications because of the inefficient use of
bandwidth and frequencies.
• QPSK
QPSK - QuQuad
adra
ratu
ture
re Ph
Phasase
e Sh
Shif
iftt Ke
Key
ying
Quadrature
Quadr ature Phas
Phase e Shift Ke
Keying
ying eemploy
mployss shifting th
the
e
phase of
of the carr
carrier
ier plus an eencodin
ncoding g tech
techniqu
nique.e. QPS
QPSKK
is used in almost all modems. The digital information is
encoded using 4 (Quad) level differential PSK.
• Th
The
eddat
ata
a is
is e
enc
nco
ode
ded
daas
s ffol
ollo
low
ws:
DIGIT PHASE SHIFT
00 +90
01 0
10 180
11 270
• 8PSK
Any number of phases may be used to
construct a PSK constellation but 8-PSK is
usually the highest order PSK
constellation deployed. With more than 8
phases, the error-rate becomes too high.

• QAM - Qu
QAM Quad
adra
ratu
ture
re Amp
mpli litu
tude
de Modu
Modula lati
tion
on
Quadratu
Quad rature
re Ampli
Amplitude
tude Modul
Modulation
ation refers to QPS
QPSK
K with Amplitude
Amplitude
Modulation. Basically, it is a mix
m ix of phase modulation and amplitude
modulation. QAM phase modulates the carrier and also a lso modulates
the amplitude of the carrier.
• Phase Modulated and Amplitude Modulated Carrier:

There are two types, 8-QAM and 16-QAM:
8-QAM encode
encodes s 3 bits of data (2^3=
(2^3=8)
8) and 16-QAM e
encode
ncodes
s 4 bits
of data (2^4=16).
16-QAM has 12 phase angles, 4 of which have 2 am
amplitude
plitude values!
Higher data rates use much
m uch more complex QAM methods
• In su
summ
mmar
aryy de
depe
pend
ndin
ing
g on the
the ty
type
pe of mo
modu
dula
lati
tion
on,, 1 or
more bits can be encoded per symbol.
• The
Thererefore
fore,, tthe
he better
better th
the
emmodu
odulati
lation,
on, the les
lesss ban
bandw
dwidt
idth
h
will be required for a given data-rate. The downside is
that the “highe
“higher” r” the mod
modulation
ulation,, the more ererror
ror prone
prone it
is, and we will need better error correction and receive
level in order to ensure a lossless link.
• Th
Ther
ere
e is a
als
lso
o a dire
direct
ct llin
ink
k be
betw
twee
een
n th
the
emmod
odul
ulat
atio
ion
n an
and
d
the bandwidth of the carrier. The higher the
t he modulation,
the less bandwidth will be required to deliver the same
number of bits.
Forward Error Correction (FEC)

• FEC stands for “Forward
“ Forward Error Correction”, a system of error control
for data transmission
messages, whereby
also known the sender
as an error adds
correction redundant data to its
code.
• This
This all
allow
ows
s the rec
recei
eive
verr to dete
detect
ct a
and
nd co
corre
rrect
ct e
erro
rrors
rs ((wi
withi
thin
n so
some
me
bound) without the need to ask the sender for additional data. The
advantage
required, orofthat
forward error correction
retransmission of dataiscan
thatoften
a back-channel
a voided,isatnot
be avoided, the
cost of higher bandwidth requirements on average.
• FEC is therefo
therefore
re app
applie
lied
d iin
nssit
ituati
uations
ons wh
where
ere ret
retran
ransmis
smissio
sions
ns are
relatively costly
correction or impossible.
algorithm is used in This parameter
the link. indicates
The FEC which
type must be error-
identical on both the transmitting and receiving sides of the carrier is
order to gain a lock.

• Viterbi
Viterbi
Viterbi FEC has been aroun
around
d since 1967
1967.. It is an establi
established
shed FEC
type, supported by almost all modems, and there is inter-
compatibility between modem types that support it.
• Turbo
Turbo is a relatively new (early
( early 1990’s) type of error-correction
algorithm. It allows much better error correction than the Viterbi
V iterbi
algorithm. This means the receive level of carriers can be lower,
which in turn leads to smaller
sm aller transmissions, allowing either less
investment in equipment, or working in poorer conditions
condition s (rain fade,
distance from center of footprint, etc.).

• Code rate
The code rate is the measure of how much data
is added to the carrier in order to provide FEC. It
is measured
measured as a fraction
f raction (1/2, ¾
¾,, 5/6, etc.). The
fraction
the total,denotes
with thehow many bits
remainder go to
going to FEC.
data out of
For example, if we have a FEC code of ¾

active, this means that out of every 4 bits, 3 are
dedicated to data, and 1 goes tot o error
correction. 5/6 means that of every 6 bits, 5 go
to data and 1 to error correction and so on.

• Th
Thee co
code
de rrat
ate
e does
does no
nott co
come
me a
att th
the
e ex
expa
pans
nse
e of
of th
the
e data
data
rate!
• If w
we
ewwis
ish
h to tr
tran
ansm
smit
it 1
128
28Kb
Kbps
ps with a FE
FEC
C rrat
ate
e of
of ¾,
¾,
than the total
128Kbps X 4/3bits t ransmitted on the carrier will be
transmitted
= 170.66Kbps.
• Th
Thee da
datata rrate
ate will b
be
e de
deliv
liver
ered
ed,, bu
butt th
the
e tota
totall nu
numbe
mberr o
off
bits will be increased to accommodate the FE FEC C code.
This of course has an effect on the bandwidth of the
carrier. The higher the FEC, less bits will have to be
added, and the carrier will be narrower.
• In
theSu
Summ
mmary
amountary,of
, the
the FEC
FEcorrection
error C rrat
ate
e also
alsodone
dete
determ
rmine
on ines
thes
carrier. As such, the lower the FEC, the
more error correction will be done, and the
carrier will be less error prone, allowing us
to work at lower Eb/No levels while
maintaining a good BER
Symbol Rate
• In dig
digita
itall commu
communi
nicat
cation
ions,
s, sy
symbol
mbol rate
rate,, a
also
lso know
known
naas
sbbau
aud
d rrate
ate or
modulation
events) maderate;
rate; it istransmission
to the the number of symbolper
medium changes
second(signaling
using a
digitally modulated signal or a line code.
• The Sy
Symbo
mboll ra
rate
te iis
s me
meas
asur
ured
ed iin
n ba
baud
ud ((Bd)
Bd) o
orr sy
symbo
mbols
ls/se
/seco
cond
nd.. In
the case of a line
pulses/second. code,
Each the symbol
symbol rate is the
can represent or pulse
converate
conveyrat e in or several
y one
bit of data. The symbol rate is related to but should not be confused
with gross b bitrat
itrate
e expre
expressed
ssed in b
bit/s
it/s..
• The sy
symbol
mbol rat
rate
e iis
s th
the
e su
sum
m of al
alll the
the c
conf
onfig
igura
uration
tions
s of the
the c
carri
arrier
er
and is not configurable in and of itself .It is a single number.
RF Signal Measurement and

Testing

Vsat Installation and Maintenance Trainingversion1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Vsat Installation and Maintenance Trainingversion1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The goals are to enable the participants achieve a better

VSAT Installation and 2

Who Should Attend

Basic Principles of Satellite

VSAT Installation and 7

VSAT Installation and 8

Types of Satellite Orbits

VSAT Installation and 9

Low Earth orbit (LEO)

VSAT Installation and 10

direction, rather than

VSAT Installation and 11

Why use a Polar Orbit

Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit

VSAT Installation and 13

The Orbit of a Geosynchronous

VSAT Installation and 14

• And, ssiince tthe

VSAT Installation and 15

VSAT Installation and 16

VSAT Installation and 17

VSAT Installation and 18

VSAT Installation and 19

VSAT Installation and 20

VSAT Installation and 21

VSAT Installation and 23

VSAT Installation and 24

VSAT Network Architecture

VSAT Installation and 25

The Master Earth Station (Teleport)

VSAT Installation and 26

The Remote Earth Station

• The IDU pro

VSAT Installation and 28

VSAT Installation and 29

VSAT Installation and 30

A Typical VSAT Terminal

VSAT Installation and 31

Basic Satellite Antenna Theory

VSAT Installation and 32

Basic Satellite Antenna Theory

VSAT Installation and 33

Types of Satellite Antenna

VSAT Installation and 34

Basic RF Theory and

Operating Frequency Range

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

VSAT Installation and 36

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic Fields and Waves

VSAT Installation and 38

1. E and H Fields: Electromagnetic forces act between electric

The electric field E describes the force between charges.

VSAT Installation and 39

VSAT Installation and 40

VSAT Installation and 41

VSAT Installation and 42

VSAT Installation and 44

VSAT Installation and 45

horn that can receive linear (H/V) polarity.

VSAT Installation and 46

• This can be either