LINK BUDGET

Link budget is all about finding the signal level received from the signal level transmitted. It is also known as all the gains and losses from the transmitter, through the medium to the receiver in a telecommunication system. It is a formal way of calculating received signal to noise ratio. It accounts for the attenuation of the transmitted signal due to propagation, as well as the antenna gains, feedline and miscellaneous losses. Randomly varying channel gains such as fading are taken into account by adding some margin depending on the anticipated severity of its effects. The amount of margin required can be reduced by the use of mitigating techniques such as antenna diversity or frequency hopping. Link budget is which scientists usually want to know so that they can make decisions about the antenna gain and the transmitter power of the received signal. Knowing how to make a link budget is a very important skill for a communication system design engineer. A simple link budget equation looks like this: Received Power (dBm) = Transmitted Power (dBm) + Gains (dB) Losses (dB)

Link budgets usually start with the transmitter power and sum all the gains and losses in the system accounting for the propagation losses to find the received power. Then the noise level at the receiver is estimated so we can take the ratio of the signal power to the noise power and work out the performance of the link. This procedure is shown for the generic system below:

EXAMPLES:
EarthMoonEarth communications Link budgets are important in EarthMoonEarth communications. As the albedo of the Moon is very low (maximally 12% but usually closer to 7%), and the path loss over the 770,000 kilometre return distance is extreme (around 250 to 310 dB depending on VHF-UHF band used, modulation format and Doppler shift effects), high power (more than 100 watts) and high-gain antennas (more than 20 dB) must be used.

In practice, this limits the use of this technique to the spectrum at VHF and above. The Moon must be visible in order for EME communications to be possible.

Voyager Program
The Voyager Program spacecraft have the highest known path loss and lowest link budgets of any telecommunications circuit. Although the Deep Space Network has been able to maintain the necessary technological advances to maintain the link, the received field strength is still many billions of times weaker than a battery powered wristwatch.

Example link budget calculation

Lets estimate the feasibility of a 5 km link, with one access point and one client radio. The access point is connected to an antenna with 10 dBi gain, with a transmitting power of 20 dBm and a receive sensitivity of -89 dBm. The client is connected to an antenna with 14 dBi gain, with a transmitting power of 15 dBm and a receive sensitivity of -82 dBm. The cables in both systems are short, with a loss of 2dB at each side at the 2.4 GHz frequency of operation.

Link budget: AP to Client link

20 dBm (TX Power AP) + 10 dBi (Antenna Gain AP) - 2 dB (Cable Losses AP) + 14 dBi (Antenna Gain Client) - 2 dB (Cable Losses Client) 40 dB Total Gain -114 dB (free space loss @5 km) -73 dBm (expected received signal level) --82 dBm (sensitivity of Client) 8 dB (link margin)

Link budget: Client to AP link

15 dBm (TX Power Client) + 14 dBi (Antenna Gain Client) - 2 dB (Cable Losses Client) + 10 dBi (Antenna Gain AP) - 2 dB (Cable Losses AP) 35 dB Total Gain -114 dB (free space loss @5 km) -78 dBm (expected received signal level) --89 dBm (sensitivity of AP) 10 dB (link margin)

Wireless
Assignment # 02 Made By: Sheharyar Ali Roll # : Fa09-Bel-021