Experiment 8

American International University-Bangladesh

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
EEE 4209: Telecommunication Engineering Laboratory

Title: Long Distance Microwave Link Design.

Introduction:

Microwaves are electromagnetic radiations in the frequency range 1 GHz to 30 GHz. Small
capacity systems generally employ the frequencies less than 3 GHz while medium and large
capacity systems utilize frequencies ranging from 3 GHz to 15 GHz.

Theory:
In wireless long-distance network, transmission of information is made over air by
transmission links through a number of switching nodes interconnected to one another.
Unlike wire transmission medium such as cable, optical, etc., wireless medium is much liable to
disturbance showing far from optimum performance. When planning a long road trip to a
remote destination, one of the first considerations is the fuel requirement. One considers the
storage capacity and rate of consumption to calculate the fuel required to not only reach the
destination, but to also arrive with some level of reserve or margin of safety; accounting for
the unforeseeable. A very similar process is involved in planning an RF (radio frequency)
telemetry link.

One begins with the output power capacity of the transmitter and sums the system gains and
losses to determine the level of power actually delivered to the receiver. To ensure a reliable
link, the level of power available to the receiver should be in excess of that required for a
minimum level of performance. An account of all the various gains and losses between the
transmitter and the receiver is referred to as the link budget. A typical single hop microwave
communications link with gain and loss in different parts is illustrated in Figure 6.1, and the
system factors involved in the link budget accounting necessary for the link design is
explained in the following section.

Figure 6.1: A single hop microwave communications link with gain and loss in different parts

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)
 Experiment 6
In the radio system visualized in Figure 6.1 that the microwave signal is sent with some
transmit power (PT) from the transmitter. The information is transmitted through an antenna
which converts the RF signal into an electromagnetic wave. Antennas are connected to the
transmitting device via a some cable, and on the way to the antenna the signal experiences
some degree of cable loss (LCT) which is determined by the type of cable and the length.
Additionally, the signal also experiences some gain (G T) transmitter antenna radiates the EM
wave by focusing on the desired direction.

Attenuation of the electromagnetic wave while propagating through air depends on a lot of
factors, but only frequency and distance are considered to calculate path loss (L F) in the free
space model. Finally, the electromagnetic wave is intercepted by the receiving antenna
which converts it back to an RF signal while subjecting it to some receiver gain (G R) and
receiver cable loss (LCR). The original information is then demodulated back to its original
form.

A typical gain loss distribution in different parts of a single hop microwave link is shown in
figure 6.2.

Figure 6.2: A typical gain loss distribution in different parts of a single hop microwave link

Important terms for link budget design of microwave link:

Antenna gain:
Antenna gain is the ability of the antenna to radiate more or less in any direction compared
to a theoretical antenna. If an antenna could be made as a perfect sphere, it would radiate
equally in all directions. Such an antenna is theoretically called an isotropic antenna and
does not in fact exist. However, its mathematical model is used as a standard of comparison
for the gain of a real antenna. In a transmitting antenna, the gain describes how well the
antenna converts input power into radio waves headed in a specified direction. In a receiving
antenna, the gain describes how well the antenna converts radio waves arriving from a
specified direction into electrical power. When no direction is specified, gain is understood
to refer to the peak value of the gain. By convention, antenna gain figures used in a link
budget are expressed in units of dBi; gain relative to a theoretical isotopic radiator expressed
in decibels.
© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh
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 Experiment 8

EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power):

EIRP is a measure of the antenna transmitted power in the direction of maximum signal
strength, and is equal to the transmitted output power minus cable loss plus the transmitting
antenna gain.

Fade Margin:
The level of received power in excess of that required for a specified minimum level of
system performance is referred to as the fade margin. So called, because it provides a
margin of safety in the event of a temporary attenuation or fading of the received signal
power. The minimum required received power level used for the link budget can be totally
arbitrary—owing to the designer’s knowledge and experience—but is most often tied to the
receiver’s sensitivity.
Fade Margin (dB) = Received Signal level (dBm) – Receiver Sensitivity(dBm)

Receiver Sensitivity:
The receiver’s sensitivity specifies the minimum RF signal power level required at the
input of a receiver to produce a useable output signal. Typical values for receiver
sensitivity fall within the range of –90 to –120 dBm.

Noise figure:
The level of receiver sensitivity depends on the noise profile at the receiver, since the
received signal needs to be large enough to not be confused with noise. Noise figure is an
indication of the excess noise (beyond the system thermal noise) contributed by a functional
block in a system (in this case, the receiver).
The noise factor F of a system is defined as the signal-to-noise ratio at the input divided by
the signal-to-noise ratio at the output. The noise figure NF is defined as the noise factor
expressed in decibels.

Noise threshold/noise floor:

The noise floor can be defined as the measure of the signal created from the sum of all the
noise sources and unwanted signals within a system. It expresses the level of the minimum
signal that can be safely received. This is the power level of a signal below which noise is
likely to obscure the signal, and above which the signal is discernible.
While noise can emanate from many sources, most of the noise (but not all) in radio receiver
circuits is thermal noise. The output of the noisy receiver will be determined by the thermal
noise and noise generated by circuits within the receiver (indicated by noise figure). So we
can write,
Noise Floor at the output end of the receiver (dBm) = Thermal Noise floor (dBm) +
Noise figure (dB)

Thermal noise is dependent on temperature and noise bandwidth.

By adding the SNR (often expressed as Carrier-to-Noise Ratio or C/N in microwave design)
in dB with the noise floor that expresses the minimum noise present, we can calculate
receiver sensitivity.

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)
 Experiment 6

The power flux density at distance d from the transmitter with antenna gain GT is given by,
2 PT G T
W ( watt /m )= 2 (1)
4πd

where PT GT is termed as effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP). Often the cable loss is
also considered in the term.

The received power,

PT G T
P R= 2
AR (2)
4πd
where AR is the effective aperture of the receiving antenna.
Note that,
2
λ GR
A R=
4π
Also, antenna gain,
power flux density ∈the direction of maximum radiation W
G= =
power flux density of isotropic antenna WI
where power flux density of isotropic antenna,
2 PT
W I (watt /m )= 2
4πd
Now, according to the explanation for the radio system in Figure 6.1, received power
2
λ
P R=PT GT G R [ ] (3)
4 πd
Or,
PT G T G R
P R= (4)
LF
where the free space path loss,
2
λ
LF =[ ] (5)
4 πd
Expressing (5) in decibels and using the commonly used practical units,

(6)

Expressing (3) in decibels, we can get the equation,

P R ( dB )=PT ( dB ) +GT ( dBi ) +GR ( dBi )−L F (dB) (7)
If cable loss is also considered,
P R ( dB )=PT ( dB ) +GT ( dBi )−LCT ( dB )−L F ( dB ) +G R ( dBi )−LCR (dB) (8)

The receiver thermal noise level can be calculated as follows.

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)
 Experiment 8
(9)
T
where B is the receiver noise bandwidth in hertz, T is the receiver temperature in Kelvin, and k
is the Boltzman’s constant (1.38 X 10-23 J/K). Converting Boltzman’s constant into dBW, we have,

T
If T is considered room temperature, i.e. 290 K, the noise threshold can be expressed as,

(10)
where NF(dB) is the receiver noise figure in dB.

All these different levels can be drawn in a single diagram (all powers expressed in dB):

Transmit power PT
Cable loss LCT PT - LCT

Transmitter antenna gain GT

EIRP = PT – LCT + GT

Free space loss LF

PT – LCT + GT -LF

Receiver antenna gain GR

PT – LCT + GT - LF + GR
Cable loss LCR
Received power PR = PT – LCT + GT - LF
+ GR - LCR
Fade margin FM
Receiver sensitivity = PR - FM

Carrier to Noise Ratio C/N (or SNR)

Noise Threshold at receiver output N
Noise figure NF
Thermal Noise floor NT

Figure 6.3: System Gain-Loss Profile for a Link Budget

Additionally, the antenna gain can be expressed in terms of antenna aperture

diameter as follows.

where c is the velocity of light.

For parabolic antenna, the gain can be expressed as for   55%

Lastly, in designing microwave radio link, the fading effect must consider which can be on
per hop basis or system basis. In the system design, noise level is set not to exceed certain
© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh
(AIUB)
 Experiment 6
percentage of the time such as 1%, 0.1%, etc. or in other way, noise must less that a certain
value for 99%, 99.99%, etc. The system may not meet the required criteria for 8.8 hr a year
if we consider 99.9% path reliability, so we need to be realistic.
One approach to establish a fade margin is to assume that the fading follows a Rayleigh
distribution. Then based on the reliability criterion, a table look up can be used for the
estimating the fade margin as follows.

Table 6.1: Reliability versus fade margin using Rayleigh fading distribution.

Path Reliability (%) Required fade margin

(dB)
90 8
99 18
99.9 28
99.99 38
99.999 48

Apparatus:
A laptop/PC with MATLAB installed.

Procedure:

Given that
Transmit power is 0 dBW
Transmitter and Receiver Antenna Gain 25 dB
Distance between Transmitter and Receiver is 40 km
Total Cable loss is 4 dB
Carrier frequency 6 GHz
Noise figure is 10 dB
Intermediate frequency bandwidth of the receiver is 10 MHz
Consider 17⸰C temperature at the receiver
Consider 99 % radio link reliability
Develop a MATLAB simulator that can output the followings-
 Find EIRP
 Find free-space path loss of the hop
 Find the power flux density at the receiver front end
 Find the receiver noise threshold
 Find the antenna aperture diameter
 Find the received power
 Show gains and losses in different parts of the hop in a graph

Simulation Result:

Figure 6.4 is the simulated result for a single hop microwave link. All gains and losses are shown
along with the signal propagation from transmitter to receiver.

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)
 Experiment 8

Figure 6.4: Typical link budget estimation of a LOS microwave link

Discussion and Conclusion:

Interpret the data/findings and determine the extent to which the experiment was successful in
complying with the goal that was initially set. Discuss any mistake you might have made while
conducting the investigation and describe ways the study could have been improved.

Report:

1. Explain the knowledge you gained about long distance microwave link design and
its significance.
2. Develop a MATLAB simulator that can output the followings-
i. Find EIRP
ii. Find free-space path loss of the hop
iii. Find the power flux density at the receiver front end
iv. Find the receiver noise threshold
v. Find the antenna aperture diameter
vi. Find the received power
vii. Show gains and losses in different parts of the hop in a graph
Where, it is given that,
Transmit power is 0 dBW
Total Cable loss is 2 dB
Transmitter and Receiver Antenna Gain 14 dB
Distance between Transmitter and Receiver is 50 km
Carrier frequency 5 GHz
Noise figure is 15 dB
Intermediate frequency bandwidth of the receiver is 8 MHz
Consider room temperature 27⸰C at the receiver
Consider 90 % radio link reliability
3. Write down what went wrong if you did not get the predicted result during the
experiment.

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)
 Experiment 6
Reference:

[1] K. M. Ahmed “Telecommunications Networks” Lecture notes, August 2008, Asian

Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand

Appendix: Help Document

Following MATLAB Functions would be helpful for this experiment.

 randint (1, x, [p q]): Generate one dimensional matrix of uniformly distributed
random integers between p and q with a maximum of x number.
 for i=1:0.5:10
end
this command continues a loop for a maximum of 10 with an increment of 0.5
starting from 1.
 semilogx(x) is the same as the command plot(x), but a logarithmic (with base 10)
scale is used for the x-axis
 disp(‘x’): display x on the command window.
 Legend(x1, x2, ...): puts a legend on the current plot using the specified strings as
labels (x1, x2). legend works on line graphs, bar graphs, pie graphs, etc.

Things which may seem confusing:

array(x): define any value of a one dimensional matrix array [x] with a variable x defines the position of
the element in the matrix.
array[x]: defines an one dimensional matrix.

Things need to be remembered:

Any line in MATLAB must end with a semicolon (;)
If you do not know any command or the functionality of a command, simply write help
space that command in the command window. Example, help disp

Note that
MATLAB has a number of built-in M-files, which will guide you during your simulation
once called upon them in the command window.

It is a good way to write the program in separate M-file and save that file as .m since writing
directly on the command window may get you lost the written program, if you either forget
to save or clear the command window.

Appendix: M-file for long distance link design

%........................................................................
% CML 07 Long distance microwave link design
%........................................................................
% Variable Definition

Pt=0; % transmit power is 0 dBW

Pt_abs=1; % 1 watt
cable_loss_tx=2; % total cable loss is 4 dB
cable_loss_rx=2;
fc=6; % carrier frequency is 6 GHz

d=40000; % distance between Tx and Rx is 40 km

d_km=40;

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)
 Experiment 8
Gt=25; % transmit antenna gain 25 dB
Gt_abs=10^(Gt/10); % absolute value
Gr=25; % receiver antenna gain 25 dB
Gr_abs=10^(Gr/10); % absolute value

k_bol_cons=1.3803*10^-23; % Boltzman constant J/K

Tempr=290; % receiver temperatur 290 K
rec_BW=10*10^6; % receiver IF BW is 10 MHz
N_fig=10; % noise figure is 10 dB
% receiver thermal noise

% Effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP)

EIRP_dBW=Pt-cable_loss_tx+Gt; % in dBW
EIRP= 10^(EIRP_dBW/10);

% power flux density at the receiver, i.e. at distance d

W= Pt_abs*Gt_abs/(4*pi*d^2); % in watt/m2

% free space path loss

L_dB_km=92.4+20*log10(fc)+20*log10(d_km);

% considring link reliability of 99% the fade margin is 18 dB

fade_mar=18;

% received power sensitivity (at the receiver input)

Pr_sen_dB=EIRP_dBW-(L_dB_km+fade_mar)+Gr-cable_loss_rx;

% noise threshold at the output end of the receiver

N_thres_dBW=10*log10(k_bol_cons*Tempr*rec_BW)+N_fig;

% carrier-to-noise ratio at the receiver front end

C_N_ratio=Pr_sen_dB-N_thres_dBW;

% considering parabolic antenna at both ends, and antenna efficiency=0.55

%Gt=20*log10(ante_dia)+ 20*log10(6)+17.8;

% antenna diameter
ante_dia=10^((Gt-(20*log10(6)+17.8))/20); % in meter

LB1=Pt;
LB2=LB1-cable_loss_tx;
LB3=EIRP_dBW;
LB4=LB3-L_dB_km-fade_mar;
LB5=LB4+Gr;
LB6=LB5-cable_loss_rx;
LB7=C_N_ratio;

link_budg=[LB1 LB2 LB3 LB4 LB5 LB6 LB7];

disp('link budget')
plot(link_budg)

disp('carrier-to-noise ratio at the receiver front end')

disp(C_N_ratio)

disp('antenna diameter')
disp(ante_dia)

© Dept. of EEE & CoE, Faculty of Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh

(AIUB)