RF for Technicians

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10 years ago

Introduction to Radio Frequency (RF) Communications
- Definition of RF
- Concepts, terms, and acronyms of RF propagation
- Electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields
- (E) and (H) field antenna polarization
- Operating frequency or wavelength prefixes
- Channel center frequency and channel bandwidth
- Electromagnetic spectrum
- Spectrum groups
  - The ITU bands
  - The IEEE band definitions
Radio Frequency (RF) Transmission, Reception, and Propagation
- Sky wave vs. ground wave propagation
- Line-of-Sight (LOS) and non-Line-of-Sight (non-LOS) propagation
- Free space path loss models
- The inverse power loss model
- Factors affecting the behavior of radio waves
  - Reflection
  - Refraction
  - Scattering
  - Diffraction
  - Fading
  - Ducting
  - Electromagnetic interference
  - Earth curvature
  - Fresnel Zones
- Wireless transmission systems operational modes
  - Simplex
  - Half duplex
  - Full duplex
- Basic modulation theory
  - Types of modulation
  - Amplitude modulation
  - Frequency modulation
  - Introduction to digital modulation techniques
  - On-off keying
  - Coherent phase shift
  - FSK
  - PSK
  - BPSK and QPSK
  - QAM
  - Spread spectrum modulation
  - Frequency hopping spread spectrum
  - Direct sequence spread spectrum
- Bits per second per hertz efficiency
- Bit rate vs. symbol rate
- Digital and analog modulation techniques: Advantages and disadvantages
Lab 1: Mastering the RF Mathematics
- Using the decibel
- Frequency and wavelength relationship
- Calculating frequency and wavelength values
- Using the powers of 10
- Frequency and wavelength prefixes
- Impedance measurement
- Forward and reflected power
- Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR)
Lab 2
- Computing the dimensions of a Fresnel zone
- Using the decibel
Lab 3
- Planning a microwave site installation
- Using the link budget worksheet
Radio Transmitter and Receiver Components
- Transmitter chain components
- Receiver chain components
- Frequency conversion units
- Up and down block converters
- RF amplifiers
- Synthesizers
- Source coding and error correction techniques
- Voice compression schemes
- Tradeoff between greater compression and voice quality
- Multiplexers
- Analog to digital converters
- Coding and encryption
- Antenna designs and configurations: HF, VHF, UHF and SHF
  - Antenna polar radiation pattern plots
  - The isotropic antenna standard
  - Dipole
  - Vertical
  - Yagi
  - Parabolic reflectors
  - Horns
  - Antenna feeds and impedance matching
    - Hard-line
    - Waveguide
  - Antenna gain and EIRP
  - Antenna tower grounding requirements
Lab 4
- Calculate the gain and EIRP of an antenna
- Calculate the dimensions for a half-wave dipole antenna
- Calculate the loss in an antenna transmission feed line
- Determine the VSWR using a specified transmission line
Introduction to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
- Data acquisition
- Networked data communication
- Data presentation
- Control
- Sensors and RTUs
- Master units
- Data backhaul
- Telemetry groups
RF Testing, Troubleshooting and System Measurement Techniques
- Measuring link performance
- Carrier to interference and signal to interference ratio
- Bit error rate (BER)
- Burst errors
- Dropouts due to rain
- Minimum discernable signal
- Intermodulation distortion
- 3rd order intermodulation definition
- Measuring Intersymbol interference
- Parasitic oscillations and spurs
- Rain attenuation and link margins
Lab 5: Calculate the Rain Margin Required for a Microwave Link at a Specific Carrier Frequency
Testing, Diagnostic, and Trouble-shooting Equipment
- Oscilloscopes
- Microwave network analyzers
- Spectrum analyzers
- Signal generator
- Noise figure meter
- Power meters
- SWR meters
- Volt meters
- BER testers
Lab 6: Select the Proper Test Equipment for a Given Troubleshooting Problem
Wrap-up: Course Recap, Questions/Answers, Evaluation