Notes on SCPC-FM System Design and Performance

In many domestic satellite communication systems single-channel per-carrier FM (SCPC-FM) has become the accepted transmission method for thin route communication. The SCPC-FM modem operates over a wide range of carrier frequencies and is designed to use satellite power and bandwidth efficiently. It incorporates elements which make the signal transfer complex, so the system behavior is not immediately obvious. This article investigates the signal processes and analyzes the performance of a companded and preemphasized SCPC-FM system and it furnishes insight into the choice of crucial system parameters.     

The Moon as Source for G/T Measurements

For large-aperture antennas, it is customary to utilize radio stars in order to determine the receiving gain to temperature ratio. In the case of small-aperture antennas, which not only have reduced gain but usually higher system noise temperature as well, the y factors obtained from the radio star measurements are so small that the measurement error is intolerable. The moon, on the other hand, provides a power flux density higher by at least one order of magnitude compared to the strongest radio star, and the resulting y factors are usable. G/T ratios determined from moon measurements agree well with expected values.     

Satellite mobile communication and radio positioning systemplanning aspects

System aspects of mobile communication and position determination by satellite are described. Topics of discussion are the choice of frequency, type of modulation/multiple access and system design, and considering the effects of active and passive intermodulation and multipath interference. Communication performance and position determination analyses are conducted with respect to small-scale domestic mobile communication systems, where the satellite mobile transponder constitutes only a fraction of the otherwise fixed services C-band or Ku-band payload, and where the orbit position of the spare satellite(s) is dictated by considerations other than purely radio positioning. The system tradeoffs and arguments presented lead to a particular modulation/multiple access system, which provides high channel capacity, good ranging accuracy, and high resistance to multipath fading     

Testing the no-hair theorem with observations of black holes in the electromagnetic spectrum

According to the no-hair theorem, astrophysical black holes are uniquely described by their mass and spin. In this paper, we review a new framework for testing the no-hair hypothesis with observations in the electromagnetic spectrum. The approach is formulated in terms of a Kerr-like spacetime containing a quadrupole moment that is independent of both mass and spin. If the no-hair theorem is correct, then any deviation from the Kerr metric quadrupole has to be zero. We show how upcoming VLBI imaging observations of Sgr A∗ as well as spectroscopic observations of iron lines from accreting black holes with IXO may lead to the first astrophysical test of the no-hair theorem.     

Limiter Intermodulation Improvement Due to Selective Carrier Spacing

In many space communications applications, the intermodulation between carriers, due to limiting in a common amplifier, reduces the overall signal-to-noise ratio of the signal received at the ground station. By selectively spacing the carriers, one is often able to avoid the strong or low-order intermodulation. The question arises how much improvement is gained in carrier-to-interference ratio and signal-to-interference ratio by selectively spacing carriers such that low-order cross products are avoided or their impact is effectively reduced. The following analysis investigates interference improvement due to selective carrier spacing for several spacing sequences relative to equal carrier spacing. It is shown that the intermodulation noise reduction depends on the carrier packing density of the selected spacing sequence. The carrier-to-intermodulation noise ratio increases with the number of participating carriers, while the bandwidth efficiency decreases. The signal-to-intermodulation noise ratio improves not only because of the improved carrier-to-intermodulation noise ratio, but also because the remaining interference components have spectra with larger frequency spreading.     

Scan Beam Antenna Intermodulation Improvement Due to Spatial Dispersion

In the recent development of scan beams for application tomobile satellite or thin route communication systems, theintermodulation (IM) generated by the element amplifiers isspatially dispersed, such that some of the IM radiated energy failsoutside the intended beam area. In addition, some of the IM fallinginside the beam area have frequencies different from the carriersintended for that area.It is shown that for systems with frequency reuse, an average IM noise reduction of several dB can he realized. The improvementin carrier-to-IM noise ratio can be used to increase system capacity,or for given capacity it can be used to reduce RF power amplifierbackoff, which can be translated into a reduction of spacecraftprime power requirement.