Get Started with Satellite Link Budget Analyzer App

The Satellite Link Budget Analyzer app is an interactive tool for creating, configuring, analyzing, and visualizing both static and time-varying link budgets for satellite communications. This section describes prominent app features. For more information and examples that demonstrate use of the app, see the Satellite Link Budget Analyzer documentation page.

Open Satellite Link Budget Analyzer App

On the Apps tab in the MATLAB^® Toolstrip, under Signal Processing and Communications, click the app icon . Alternatively, you can open the app by entering satelliteLinkBudgetAnalyzer at the MATLAB command prompt.

Static Link Budget Analyzer

This section is applicable when you choose the static link budget analyzer option when launching the app.

Budget Analyzer Toolstrip

The app opens to show the BUDGET ANALYZER toolstrip and docked tabs. The BUDGET ANALYZER toolstrip contains FILE, CUSTOMIZE, ANALYZE, PLOTS, LAYOUT, and EXPORT ribbons. The default main work area tabs are arranged to show the link canvas, entity (ground station, link, and satellite) properties, results, and plots. You can move the tabbed panes by dragging to rearrange as desired.

• Link Canvas

  In the Link Canvas pane, you can select an individual ground station, link, or satellite entity to bring it into focus in the associated property pane. The default canvas defines these three satellite communication links.

  • Link L1 is an uplink between ground station G1 and satellite S1

  • Link L3 is an crosslink between satellite S3 and satellite S4

  • Link L2 is a downlink between satellite S2 and ground station G2

• Properties

  Select the Ground Station, Link, or Satellite tab to view the pane and adjust settings of the input properties for each type of entity. Select the entity of interest in the Link Canvas tab to bring focus on that entity in the associated property tab. You can adjust the property settings for the entity in focus only.

• Link Budget

  To compute the link budget results and display them in the Link Budget pane, click Analyze. The factory default results compute distance, elevation, transmit effective radiated power (EIRP), polarization loss, free-space pathloss (FSPL), received isotropic power, carrier-to-receiver-noise-density ratio (C/N₀), received energy per bit to noise power spectral density ratio (E_b/N₀), and overall link margin.

  To open the view or customize the configured input properties and output computations, click the Customize Input/Output button.

• Visualization Options

  View free-space pathloss in 2-D line plots and link margins in 2-D contour plots that characterize the links. You can also create customized 2-D line and 2-D contour plots. A toolbar in each plot provides control options, such as data tip, zoom, export options, and a brush tool.

  When opened, the app shows the default scenario, including link budget results and these plots:

  • Free-space pathloss in a 2-D line plot labeled FSPL (if created, custom 2-D line plots appear next to the FSPL plot)

  • Link margin for links L1, L2, and L3 in individual 2-D contour plots labeled Margin - L1, Margin - L2, and Margin - L3, respectively

Customize Input/Output Toolstrip

On the BUDGET ANALYZER toolstrip, click the Customize Input/Output button to open the CUSTOMIZE INPUT/OUTPUT toolstrip. The CUSTOMIZE INPUT/OUTPUT toolstrip enables you to review, add, delete, and customize the properties for entity and the formulas for the computation of results.

In the ADD NEW PROPERTY ribbon, you can customize the app by defining and adding new properties.

In the ADD NEW RESULT ribbon, you can customize the app by defining new formulas and adding them as new results.

In the Properties pane, you can adjust or delete properties.

In the Results pane, you can adjust or delete results.

Time-Varying Link Budget Analyzer

This section is applicable when you choose the time-varying link budget analyzer option when launching the app.

Scenario Browser

In the Scenario Browser pane, you can select an individual ground station, link, or satellite entity to bring it into focus in the associated property pane. The default canvas defines these three entities.

• Ground Station 1, which has a transmitter: Transmitter 1

• Satellite 1, which has a receiver: Receiver 1

• Link L1, from source as Transmitter 1 to target as Receiver 1

Properties

Select the Ground Station, Link, or Satellite tab to view the corresponding properties in the pane. You can use the Ground Station and Satellite tabs to adjust the settings of input properties for the respective entity. Select the entity of interest in the Scenario Browser tab to bring focus on that entity in the associated property tab. You can adjust the property settings for the entity in focus only.

You can use the Add/Remove Link button on the toolstrip to add or remove links in an imported scenario.

Link Budget

To compute the link budget results and display them in the Link Budget pane, click Analyze. The factory default results compute distance, elevation, transmit EIRP, FSPL, received isotropic power, C/N₀, E_b/N₀, and overall link margin.

Visualization Options

When opened, the app shows the default scenario, including link budget results and these plots.

• Satellite Scenario Viewer tab — Visualizes a 3-D scenario showcasing the orbiting satellites, ground stations, and links.

• Margin tab — Displays a 2-D link margin plot.

The app supports importing a custom scenario. For an example of how to model and import a custom satellite scenario, see Import Custom Scenario into Time-Varying Satellite Link Budget Analyzer.