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RFCLB


       RFCLB


                                                      ... RADIO FREQUENCY
COMMUNICATIONS LINK BUDGET ...






SIDEBAR



LINKS

   
   
 * Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems
 * International Telecommunication Union
 * Space Frequency Coordination Group (SFCG)
 * DEEP SPACE NETWORK Now
   
   

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 * DSN & Voyager 2, Part 1,
   Part 2, Part 3
 * NASA's Deep Space Network Turns 60: What's Next?
   
 * Apollo in Realtime
   
   

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   
   
 * „Totalreflexion“
    (in German)



HUYGENS PROBE RECOVERY




 * 'Huygens' at AES Conf.
 * Rescuing the Huygens Mission from Fiasco
 * 'Huygens' at MathWorks



DISCLAIMER

This website may contain links to external websites that are not provided or
maintained by, or in any way affiliated with, the author of this website.




AUTHOR'S MILESTONE BADGE




(Senior Member IEEE)




VISITOR STATISTICS





Downloading the RFCLB Workbook





♦   About Link Budgets   ♦

> Of the many analyses that support a developing communication system, the link
> budget stands out in its ability to provide overall system insight. By
> examining the link budget, one can learn many things about the overall system
> design and performance. For example, from the link margin, one learns whether
> the system will meet the requirements comfortably, marginally, or not at all.
> It will be evident, if there are many hardware constraints, and whether such
> constraints can be compensated for in other parts of the link. The link budget
> is often used for considering system tradeoffs and configuration changes, and
> in understanding subsystem nuances and interdependencies. Together with other
> modelling techniques, the link budget can help predict weight, size, and cost.
> [..] The link budget is one of the system manager's most useful documents; it
> represents a "bottom-line" tally in the search for optimum error performance
> of the system.“ [3]
> 
> Bernhard Sklar, 'Digital Communications, Fundamentals and Applications,' 2nd
> Edition, Prentice Hall, PTR, page 297.




Voyager 2 Spacecraft
(launched on August 20, 1977; Mission Status, NASA/JPL;   Yoyager 2 at LinkedIn)





RFCLB – What is it ?

RFCLB (Radio Frequency Communications Link Budget) is a Spreadsheet Workbook
(shareware) for the computation of Spacecraft RF-Link Design Control Tables. It
is tailored to space system applications and covers the functions of

 * Telemetry, Tracking, and Commanding (TT&C)
 * Payload Data Transmission (PDT)
 * Δ-DOR Navigation.

The development of RFCLB started in 2014, supplementing a series of university
courses in spacecraft engineering. Since then, the tool has continuously evolved
as a Students Project (mentored by a lecturer and former senior staff member of
the European Space Agency). Making RFCLB here available for download follows the
spirit of free and open exchange of scholarly and academic work for science and
technology.

RFCLB enables detailed insight into methods and core-budget calculations. This
is a distinct advantage over other tools that might feature an appealing
Graphical User Interface but are lacking transparency for users interested in
applied equations and underlying principles.

RFCLB also includes user conveniences such as the automated import and export of
design data from/to Interface Control Tables in MS-Word files [1,2]. This
capability can massively reduce in projects the repetitive typing effort of
manual data-transfer into/from TT&C link budget spreadsheet tables.

RFCLB can help students and practising engineers to apply, or to enhance, their
skills in spacecraft TT&C link design, analyses and the relevant system
trade-offs. The development of the tool follows recommendations of the
Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS); this makes RFCLB suitable
for professional spacecraft TT&C engineering.




RFCLB-UserForm  'MARGINS (dB) and TT&C-/PDT-OVERVIEW'. (Click image to enlarge.)



CubeSats and AMSAT Applications

RFCLB is primarily designed to support spacecraft TT&C system design.
In RFCLB, the basic link modelling principles and equations are equally relevant
to other applications, such as (bent-piping) CubeSats and AMSAT Amateur
Satellite systems.
In TT&C applications, the groundstation transmit- and receive-functions are
commonly co-located at the same site and use the same antenna.
In AMSAT communications, the link via a satellite is established between two
stations, where different electrical and propagation conditions may apply.





Before downloading the RFCLB Workbook ...

      Please, consider the following:
RFCLB requires Microsoft Excel® 2016, or higher, or Microsoft 365 on PC-Windows.
RFCLB is incompatible with Excel on Macintosh Systems. RFCLB uses Visual Basic
for Applications (VBA), the programming language built into Excel; VBA-Macros
must be allowed to run. With disabled macros, RFCLB would not work. RFCLB has
been verified to be virus-free. If preferred for added confidence, the user can
subject the RFCLB Excel file to local anti-virus software before loading into
Excel. (In Microsoft Office, macros from the Internet will be blocked by
default. For steps to take to allow VBA macros, please consult the Microsoft
article, 28/02/2023. An easy approach to unblock a downloaded file, is described
here: Unblock.) The downloaded RFCLB Workbook can be re-started up to 200 times
and will expire on December 31, 2024.



Download the latest RFCLB version (zip-file, 4.3MB)
here: RFCLB_R5b.zip



 * Latest RFCLB Revision:
    RFCLB Rev. 5beta   June 08, 2023.

 * Feedback Form




REFERENCES

 1. RFCLB demonstration (MP4; 8:22min, no audio).
 2. Interface Control Table (ICT) Templates for the RFCLB Workbook,
    (pdf-version, for information).
 3. Bernhard Sklar, Digital Communications, Fundamentals and Applications, 2nd
    Edition, Prentice Hall PTR; (Chapt. 5: 'Communications Link Analysis').
 4. Sean Victor Hum, 'Link Budgets' (Basic Introduction), Univ. Toronto, Canada.






RF FEED LINE SYSTEM-LOSS CALCULATOR (TRANSDUCER POWER LOSS)


Is your software for RF-System design suitable to analyze this example?



The transmission line with complex characteristic impedance Zo implies a loss
between input power P1 and output power P2. The example (values selected for
simplicity) can identify software design-tool limitations. What would be the
power-loss obtained by your software tool? Is the loss either 1.05dB; or 0.74dB;
or 0.35dB; or a different value?
The actual loss is 0.35dB which is less than the matched line loss of 0.6dB for
the 100 feet long Feed Line. One might wonder if, or why, such result is
correct, or why a software tool might obtain a different (wrong) result. The
following tool can provide insight and is a general end-to-end loss-calculator
for RF Feed Lines.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a supplement to RFCLB, a tool has been developed to support system loss
calculations in RF Feed Line systems. The accurate assessment of end-to-end
losses implied by (long) cable-connections (feed lines) between source and load,
is a very common engineering task. The tool can be useful for students in
microwave engineering, and for RF engineers in general. The calculator is
suitable also at low RF-frequencies, for which the characteristic impedance of
the transmission line must be considered as a complex value. This makes the tool
useful especially also for HAM-Radio applications.


RF Transmission Line System with complex Characteristic Impedance. (Click image
to enlarge.)

The Microsoft Excel® Workbook RF Transmission Line Loss Calculator is available
for download as zip-File (1.7MB) including auxiliary files.
The Workbook requires Excel 2016, or higher, or Microsoft 365 on PC-Windows. It
applies VBA-Macros; therefore, it is incompatible with Macintosh Systems.
The file has been verified to be virus-free. If preferred, the user can subject
the downloaded file to local anti-virus software. (In Microsoft Office, macros
from the Internet will be blocked by default. For steps to take to allow VBA
macros, please consult the Microsoft article, 28/02/2023. An easy approach to
unblock a downloaded file, is described here: Unblock.)

Download:  TLine_Loss_Calc_R161.zip

 * Latest Revision:
    Rev. 1.6.1beta   October 6, 2023

 * Appearance in Forums:
    @LinkedIn, Post #1, Group RF and Microwave Community
    @LinkedIn, Post #2, Group RF and Microwave Community
    @StackExchange
   

 * Feedback Form




RX-SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (CASCADE ANALYSIS)

As a further supplement to RFCLB, a tool has been developed for cascade analyses
in receiver systems. The assessment of end-to-end system noise performance
implied by cascaded active and passive components from antenna to receiver, is a
very common task in RF and microwave engineering. The tool can be useful for
students, engineers and RF practitioners in general. The calculator is
intuitive, and the user is supported by comments inserted in the tool.


Rx-System Performance Assessment (Cascade Analysis). Click image to enlarge.

The Microsoft Excel® Workbook Cascade is available for download (Excel
.xlsm-file, 1.5MB). The Workbook requires Excel 2016, or higher, or Microsoft
365 on PC-Windows. It applies VBA-Macros; therefore, it is incompatible with
Macintosh Systems.
The file has been verified to be virus-free. If preferred, the user can subject
the downloaded Excel file to local anti-virus software before loading into
Excel. (In Microsoft Office, macros from the Internet will be blocked by
default. For steps to take to allow VBA macros, please consult the Microsoft
article, 28/02/2023. An easy approach to unblock a downloaded file, is described
here: Unblock.)

Download:  Cascade_R6_2.xlsm

 * Latest Revision:
    Rev. 6.2beta   December 12, 2023    
   
 * Cascade Analysis Tool allows to assess RF A/D-Converter (MP4, 3:18min)
   
 * Cascade Analysis Tool Introduction Demo (MP4, 4:38min)
   

 * Appearance in Forums:
    @StackExchange, „How much dB gain do you need from an LNA ...?“
    @LinkedIn, Group RF and Microwave Community
   

 * Feedback Form



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