RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training
PART 1 – Microwave Link Budget Analysis and Estimation
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Radio Frequency (RF) Transmission, Reception, and Propagation
- Glossary of common radio propagation terms and acronyms
- Why do we need to study propagation?
- Relationship of propagation phenomena to wireless network modeling and design
- Theory of Radio Frequency (RF) propagation
- Basic radio wave components: (E) and (H) fields
- Sky wave, ground wave and sea level propagation
- Line-of-Sight (LOS) and non-Line-of-Sight (non-LOS) propagation
- Free space path loss models
- Frequency and wavelength calculations
- Basic modulation theory
- Channel efficiency: Bits per second per hertz
- Bit rate vs. symbol rate
- Digital and analog modulation: Advantages and disadvantages
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Wireless Multiple Access Methods, Applications, and Comparison
- FDMA
- TDMA
- CDMA
- OFDMA
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Wave Propagation Factors Affecting Radio Waves – Loss Attenuation & Estimation
- Reflection
- Refraction
- Scattering
- Diffraction
- Earth’s curvature
- Fresnel zones
- Absorption in terrestrial and sea environments
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Antenna Configurations and Performance in the Context of RF Propagation Issues
- Basic antennas: Isotropic and dipole radiators
- Concept of antenna gain and gain references
- Calculating and measuring antenna gain
- Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
- Antenna patterns
- How antennas achieve gain
- Reflector techniques, array techniques
- Families of antennas used in wireless: Architecture and characteristics
- Horizontal arrays: Yagis, log-periodics, etc.
- Implications of propagation driving antenna selection
- Multipath scattering in fixed and mobile clutter environment
- Beamwidths and tilt considerations for MW antennas
- Radiation patterns
- Antenna gains, patterns, and selection principles
- Practical Excel calculators for antenna Gain estimation
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: ITU-R Propagation Models and Prediction Methods
- Propagation over smooth earth
- Propagation over irregular terrain
- Propagation over rough and smooth sea level
- Diffraction over irregular terrain
- Reflection over smooth terrain and building walls
- Reflection over smooth sea surface
- Scattering over rough sea level
- Diffraction in microwave interference (site shielding)
- Practical exercises including:
- MW short- and long-range outdoor land-to-land propagation characteristics
- MW short- and long-range land-to-sea propagation characteristics
- RF and MW under-sea (sub-marine) propagation characteristics
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Effects of Climate
- Refraction and variations in radio refractivity (N factor)
- Snell’s law and the effective earth radius (K factor)
- Rain attenuation; specific rain rate and effective path length; ITU rain attenuation model
- Cloud and fog attenuation
- Other atmospheric attenuation
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Link Budget Estimation
- Understanding the link budget equation
- Line-of-sight (LOS) path loss models
- Fresnel zone
- Path loss and free space path loss
- Antenna gain
- Frequency considerations
- Atmospheric, weather, and rain attenuation
- Terrain factors
- Multipath loss
- Rician and Raleigh fading considerations
- Cochannel interference
- Transmission line loss
- Exercise: Typical link budget calculation for a terrestrial MW link
- Exercise: Typical link budget calculation for a sea communications MW link environment
PART 2 – Microwave Link Performance
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Radio Performance: Propagation in a Variable Environment
- Multipath fading
- Rician, Raleigh and Nakagami fading
- Threshold crossing rate and average fade duration
- Delay spread
- Scatter function, WSSUS model and SCRM model
- Doppler shift effects
- Channel coherence time and coherence bandwidth
- Multipath fading margin
- Dealing with channel impairments
- Forward Error Correction (FEC)
- Definition of coding types and coding gain
- Types of block codes with examples: CRC and Hamming codes
- Space-time and space-frequency block coding
- Convolutional coding and Viterbi decoding, with example
- Interleaving and turbo codes
- FEC coding gains and margins
- Interleaving gain margin
- Channel estimation and equalization
- Linear versus non-linear equalization
- Transversal filter
- Zero-forcing equalization versus minimum mean-square error
- Decision feedback equalization and training equalizer
- Equalization gain margin
- Antennas Diversity
- Diversity types: Space, frequency, angle, polarization, hybrid
- Diversity combining and improvements over non-diversity systems
- Power Control
- Forward Error Correction (FEC)
- Multipath fading
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) Coordination
- Interference analysis for co-channel and adjacent-channel
- Carrier-to-Interference (C/I) ratio
- Threshold-to-interference (T/I) ratio
- Manual and computer-aided design for intra- and inter-system interference
- Frequency planning
- Detailed analysis of a terrestrial RFI case
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Throughput Estimation
- Channel Capacity
- IP transmission
- Throughput estimation
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Performance Objectives
- ITU standards and recommendations
- Real MW equipment parameters and characteristics
- Availability and error rate objectives
- Measurements of bit error rate, eye patterns, and jitter
- Practical exercise using Excel
- RF and Microwave (Maritime) Training: Course Recap and Q/A
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