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Satellite Functions

ICS Telecom is a software program for simulating and planning satellite and earth station networks. It contains tools for [1] managing satellite and earth station databases, [2] performing coverage and signal calculations between satellites and earth stations, and [3] assessing interference between satellite and terrestrial networks. The program allows users to model multiple satellites and earth stations for coordination and compatibility analysis.

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mavv5455
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69 views

Satellite Functions

ICS Telecom is a software program for simulating and planning satellite and earth station networks. It contains tools for [1] managing satellite and earth station databases, [2] performing coverage and signal calculations between satellites and earth stations, and [3] assessing interference between satellite and terrestrial networks. The program allows users to model multiple satellites and earth stations for coordination and compatibility analysis.

Uploaded by

mavv5455
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ATDI Southern Europe

c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8


28010 Madrid – España
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383
NIF: N0013090-F

SATELLITES AND EARTH STATIONS


SIMULATION AND PLANNING
WITH ICS TELECOM

1 – BACKGROUND

ICS Telecom is a program dedicated to addressing complex RF network issues such as:

- Coverage analysis
- Interference assessment
- frequency coordination

Throughout the years, high-level functions were implemented to deal with ground-based
systems such as broadcast stations, point-to-point microwave links and more recently
point-to-multipoint systems (LMDS, WLL…).

The growing number of applications that share (or intend to share…) a portion of the RF
spectrum has lead to investigating the compatibility between services, both ground and
satellite-based.

Functions have been implemented to address issues such as:


- Satellite database management
- Satellite calculations (coverage, best server display…)
- Inter-service calculations (interference from earth-stations to terrestrial applications
etc…)

These functions where developed and applied for the need of different significant real-case
studies: Recent commercial projects that we have completed include
- Analysis of the compatibility between Microsoft’s Teledesic and Skybridge satellite
network with European WLL systems in the 28GHz band
- The planning of a S-DSB (Satellite-Digital Sound Broadcasting) terrestrial repeaters
network for Alcatel Space and WorldSpace

The following paragraphs give an overview of what’s available today in the program.

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2 – TODAY’S PICTURE: EXISTING SATELLITE FUNCTIONS IN ICS TELECOM

2.1 – Satellite database management

ICS Telecom is able to handle several satellites simultaneously thanks to a dedicated


database structure. A specific window allows the user to add and delete records, to
browse through the database, check a satellites position on a world map, run
simulations etc… (See figure 1 below).

Figure 1 – The satellite database window

The example above shows a satellite located above South America and pointing at
the Boston area.

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2.2 – Specifying a satellite

A new satellite may be added to the list and the user may specify the following
parameters:

- Satellite’s position (latitude, longitude, distance to earth in the case of an


NGSO);
- Boresight coordinates (in lat/long or in Euler angles);
- TX/RX parameters (power, gains, losses, frequencies, bandwidths, G/T
figure);
- Antenna pattern and polarization (possibility to use circular or elliptical patterns
according to rec. ITU-R S.672-4)

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2.3 – Basic calculations

A satellite’s coverage may be calculated using a selected propagation model (ITU-R


P.618 or user defined) and for a specified receiver threshold. A preview function
allows the user to check the result on the world map (see figure 2 below). It is then
possible to view the result on the map of a specific area, for greater details.

Figure 2 – Satellites coverage preview in the database window

As soon as several satellites are in the database, one may perform the following
area-wide analyses and plot them on a map:

- Best Server display (shows which satellite provides the maximum field
strength at each point of the terrain, each satellite being identified by a color of
its own);
- Composite coverage (shows the value of the field strength at every point of the
terrain, using a color scale that can be customized);
- Simultaneous coverage (shows the overlapping areas).

2.4 – Interaction with Earth-based equipment

2.4.1 – Earth stations

Just as for satellites, the program can handle Earth station databases. Each
database may contain up to 32,000 stations. A station is characterized by its
technical parameters (power, gains, losses, frequency, bandwidths, antenna patterns
and orientation, noise figure, receive threshold…) as well as by the name of the
satellite it’s pointing at.

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2.4.2 – Received signal calculation

Based upon those inputs and on the selected propagation model, the program
calculates the signal received at the station and creates a report similar to the one
shown on figure 3 below, which can be saved as an Excel sheet :

Figure 3 – A typical report showing the signal strength received


at each station from each satellite

It is also possible to analyse the impact of terrestrial stations on a GSO satellite, by


comparison of the stations bandwidth in the satellite band. The calculated parameters
are the number of connected stations, the occupied bandwidth and the loss value,
which corresponds to the power loss of the satellites with no power compensation
(the power is dispatched in the band according to the band occupancy).
This functionality relies on ITU-R F1249 and ITU-R F1333

2.4.3 – Line-of-sight analysis

Given a geographic area of interest, it is possible to check whether a satellite is or


isn’t in line of sight with each point of the terrain. The result is a binary-type display
(seen/not seen).

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2.4.4 – Interference from satellites to earth stations

The program can analyse the interference caused by a satellite on earth stations, for
the following types of situations:

- Co-channel
- Adjacent channel
- N+2, N+3 … up to N+15 channels

The result is a report similar to the one shown on figure 4, which summarizes the
threshold’s impairment caused by the interfering signal(s). It can be saved as an
Excel sheet.

Figure 4 – Calculation of the interference


caused by a satellite on 3 earth stations

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2.4.5 – Interference from earth stations to a satellite

Similarly, one may calculate the interference cause by a set of earth stations on a
satellite, which yields a report similar to the one on figure 5 below :

Figure 5 – Interference from earth stations to a satellite

2.4.6 – Interaction with other ground-based services

Earth stations are just one particular type of ground-based transceivers. Therefore,
all of the previously mentioned calculations can be performed with other types of
equipment (such as point-to-multipoint base stations for example), allowing for inter-
service compatibility assessment.

An interesting case is when a large number of terminals belonging to a PMP system


can interfere with a satellite: the analysis is made possible via a specific function
(subscribers to GSO).

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C
2.4.7 Earth Station frequency automatic assignment

ICS Telecom can automatically assign frequencies to a Earth Station or to a group of


Earth Station, by taking into account the interferences caused on a Earth Station by
any other ground-based stations (e.g. another Earth Station, a Microwave link
working in the same band, …) It relies on a process that tries to minimise point-to-
point interferences. Frequencies are picked either from a frequency plan, a list or by
the description of a band.

Figure 6 – The configuration box before running a frequency allocation

ATDI Southern Europe ATDI France


c/ Manuel González Longoria, 8 - 28010 Madrid – España 8, rue de l’Arcade - 75008 Paris, France
Telf: +34 91 44 67 254 / Fax: +34 91 44 50 383 Tel: +33 (0)1 53 30 89 40 - Fax : +33 (0)1 53 30 89 49
NIF: N0013090-F S.A. au capital de 500 000 € – R.C.S. Paris B 381 829 969 – A.P.E. 742C

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