Procedure

LinkStar Hub System Alignment for GCU Input Levels

I.

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of this procedure is to set uniform power levels into the GCUs of the LinkStar hub
station. This procedure is especially important when using the following LinkStar features:
1.

Slotted Aloha: Unlike more robust CIR and BOD bursts, slotted aloha bursts do not have the
capability for automatic GCU input attenuator tracking. For slotted aloha bursts, the GCU uses its
internal fixed attenuator setting and requires that slotted aloha bursts be within +/- 6 dB of the
nominal power required by this fixed attenuator.

2.

Returnlink Frequency Hopping: Returnlink frequency hopping allows RCSTs to move from one
GCU to another in accordance with changing traffic conditions. For this to happen, it is essential to
have uniform levels into each GCU.

II.

PREREQUISITES:

1.

Satellite link transmission plan completed and operational Eb/No identified for returnlink carriers

2.

Hub RF earth station commissioned and operational

3.

LinkStar hub commissioned and operational

III. OUTLINE OF PROCEDURE:

1.

Establish one golden reference VSAT at hub station

2.

Verify RF input levels to GCU to be in mid-range for GCU

3.

Align the received Eb/No from the golden reference VSAT using CW carrier and spectrum
analyzer

4.

Set GCU attenuation for the 1st GCU

5.

Set identical attenuation for every other GCU

6.

Verify error rate performance from golden reference VSAT

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IV. DETAILED PROCEDURE:

Important Note: This portion of the procedure must be performed under conditions of no rain at the hub
and RCST under alignment.
1.
1.

VERIFY GCU INPUT LEVELS

Receive System Block Diagram: Verify that the input to all GCUs have similar receive chain gains
and losses. Typically, this means that the power divider scheme is the same for all GCUs. (refer to the
diagrams which follow).
GCU

GCU

GCU

GCU

GCU

GCU

GCU

YES

NO

2.

Alignment Frequencies: Identify a CW test frequency which is near to the frequencies of the
operational returnlink carriers.

3.

Golden Reference RCST:

stations.

4.

Observe the downlink spectrum at the hub station using a spectrum analyzer set with a resolution
bandwidth of 30 KHz. The spectrum analyzer shall be connected to the cable which feeds one of
the GCUs.

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Commission a golden reference RCST collocated with the hub

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5.

Radiate a CW (i.e. not modulated) carrier from the golden reference RCST at the hub earth station by
Telneting into the RCST and issuing the following command
cacsetcw freq <freq value> -t 120 p -<power value>
where:
<freq value> = L band Tx frequency corresponding to one of the CW test frequencies.
Example of syntax is -freq 1150 for operation at 1150 MHz
120 = duration in seconds that this CW carrier will remain enabled
<power level>

= modulator power value (where a suggested initial value would be 40)

Note: In case it is desired to terminate the CW carrier before the timer expires, issuing an hw command
into the Telnet session to the RCST will reboot the RCST and disable the CW carrier.
6.

Iterate this command while observing the results on the spectrum analyzer until the RCSTs transmit
level is approximately 3 dB below the maximum achievable (i.e. saturated BUC) value.
Note: This step is not intended to be a precise definition of P1dB which will be defined later so do not be too
concerned with precision. Rather it is a quick way to get an approximation (+/- 2 dB) of the receive level from
the RCST.

7.

Verify that the received carrier power from the RCST into the GCU is within the range of -45 to -55
dBm. (This is mid -range of the GCUs acceptable input levels of -35 to -65 dBm). If necessary make
adjustments to downconverters, amplifiers, and attenuators which precede the GCU until the CW
carrier is within this range.
Record the input level to the GCU:

8.

___________________ dBm

Repeat this measurement at the input to all GCUs. If any GCUs have a different input gain/loss
scheme than the 1 st returnlink, make adjustments to the input gain/loss scheme so that each GCU
receives the same input level.

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2.

ALIGN C/No OF GOLDEN REFERENCE RCST

This portion of the procedure aligns the RF carrier level from the RCST
1.

Operational Eb/No:
Determine the following operational parameters from the satellite link
calculations (if available) for the returnlink carriers

Symbol rate = ___________ ksps (see note below)

FEC = _____________________

Operational Eb/No for clear sky conditions for the returnlink carrier from the satellite link
calculations. If this is unknown, a typical value is 9.0 dB for Ku band networks and 7.0 dB
for C band networks.
Clear Sky Eb/No = ________________ dB

Note: If the network has multiple symbol rates, select a symbol rate in the mid-range of the other
symbol rates. In the case of an even quantity of symbol rates (e.g. 2 or 4), select the value right
above the mid range of the symbol rates.

2.

Convert Eb/No to C/No: Convert the aforementioned value of Eb/No to C/No (carrier to noise
density) according to:
C/No = Eb/No +10*Log[(Symbol Rate) * (2 * FEC)]
For example, suppose the returnlink carrier symbol rate is 312.5 ksps, the FEC is 2/3, and the Eb/No
is 9.0 dB, then
C/No = 9.0 + 10*Log[(312,500) * ( 2 * 2/3) = 65.2 dB-Hz
Operational C/No =

3.

_____________ dB-Hz

Convert C/No to Spectrum Analyzer Displayed C/N: Convert the aforementioned C/No to the
C/N value to be displayed on a spectrum analyzer in a 10 KHz resolution bandwidth setting as
(C/N displayed on Spec An) = C/No + 2.5 dB - 10Log (11.3/10) - 10Log(10000/1)
(C/N displayed on Spec An) = C/No - 38.1 dB-Hz
Where 2.5 is the logarithmic correction factor for spectrum analyzers and 11.3 is the typical noise
bandwidth which results from a 10 KHz resolution BW for Agilent spectrum analysers
Continuing the example from the preceding step, the C/N displayed on a spectrum analyzer which
corresponds to a C/No of 65.2 dB-Hz would be
C/N displayed on Spec An = 65.2 38.1 =

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27.1 dB

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Spectrum Analyser Display for C/No Measurment

5

Carrier to Noise Density

Res BW = 10 KHz

-5

-5
-10
-15

C/No = Spec An. C/N Display plus 38.1

-20
-25

Noise Level

-30

4.

Spectrum Analyzer Observation: Set the spectrum analyzer resolution bandwidth to 10 kHz and
observe the received carrier power on a spectrum analyzer at the input to the GCU. It is critical that
the resolution bandwidth be set to this value!

5.

Spectrum Analyzer Noise Floor: Observe the level of the thermal noise floor on the spectrum
analyzer. Disconnect the input to the spectrum analyzer and verify that the level of the noise floor
drops at least 20 dB such that the inherent noise of the spectrum analyzer does not contribute to the
ensuing carrier to noise readings. If necessary, make adjustments to the losses/gains into the
spectrum analyzer until this 20 dB difference in noise levels can be achieved but DO NOT CHANGE
any losses/gains into the GCUs for which critical level alignments have already been performed.
Reconnect the input to the spectrum analyzer.

6.

CW & Test Frequency: Telnet into the RCST under test and activate a CW (not modulated) carrier
at the assigned CW test frequency using the following command:
cacsetcw freq <freq value> -t < time in seconds> p -<power value>
where:
<freq value> = L band frequency in MHz for the test carrier (syntax example = 1150)
<time in seconds> = duration of the CW carrier in seconds. A suggested initial value for this
step is 60
<power value> = modulator output level in dB values from the preceding table.
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7.

Measure C/No: Measure the difference in amplitude between the peak carrier power and the noise
level displayed on the spectrum analyzer. Repeat the cacsetcw command if the CW carrier has
timed out.

8.

Adjust Tx Level: Change the RCST modulator power in dB steps using the changing the number
after the -p in steps of 1 while watching the received level on the spectrum analyzer.
Example: To increase the power by dB over a previous value of -30
Cacsetcw freq <freq value> -t 10 p -29
Continue adjusting until the difference in amplitude between the carrier power and the noise power
equals the value calculated in step #3. This sets the returnlink carrier from that RCST to the proper
C/No.

9.

Store into NVRAM: Store this power value into NVRAM of the RCST using the save t -<value>
command. Issue an hw command to reset the RCST. After reset of the RCST, Telnet back into the
RCST and verify that the correct power value was stored into NVRAM by issuing a pconf
command.

10.

Verify GCU Input Level: Radiate a CW carrier from the golden reference RCST and measure the
input level to one of the GCUs. Re-verify that it is in the within range of -45 dBm to 55 dBm. If not,
adjust the RF earth station receive levels until it is within this range and repeat the preceding C/No
alignment.

3.

GCU ATTENUATOR ALIGNMENT

This portion of the procedure sets the automatic attenuators within each GCU.
1.

Enable RCST: Enable the Golden Reference RCST on the returnlink carrier corresponding to the
first GCU to be evaluated and at the same symbol rate determined in the preceding section.

2.

Establish CIR:
LinkStar NMS.

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Assign one channel of CIR (i.e. 8.6 kbps) to the Golden Reference RCST via the

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3.

Identify Requested GCU Attenuator Setting: Identify which GCU corresponds to the Golden
Reference RCST. Telnet into this GCU and issue an rb l command to the GCU and view the
average GCU attenuation requested for this RCST in the right most column (Attn). The following is
an example of typical results from an rb l command.
Typical rb l results
CACRx Low Level Burst Statistics
----- UWOffset --------- ---- FreqError --------Id Detects Min Max Avg Norm Avg Min Max Offset
1025
21 48 50
48 50
50 0
85 1184

4.

Attn
15

Set Fixed GCU Attenuator to be Same as Requested Attenuator Setting: Set the GCU fixed
attenuator value temporarily to be the same as the average attenuation requested from the rb l
command by using the cacsetatt <value from rb l> command to the GCU. Then store it in
memory by using save r <value from rb l> command to the GCU.
Note: Ideal values for this attenuation parameter would be in the range of 12 to 20 dB as this corresponds to
mid range (0 30 dB) of the GCU input attenuator. However, these are only reference guidelines and not a
mandatory requirement. If the GCU requests another value outside of this range (i.e. 24) then go ahead and use
this other value.

5.

Verify GCU Fixed Attenuator Value: Issue a pconf command to the GCU and read the RxAttn
field to verify that the aforementioned attenuation value from the Rb-l comman has been set for
this GCU.
Typical pconf command results
KSET BootConf
Item 1. Addr f3668, Key 0 0x0 ItemMark 1 ArrayPos 0
termid
0x40060de
popid
0x11e0000
RxAttn
15 LNBPower
ON
LNBReference
OFF
isEncryptionEnabled
0

6.

Record GCU attenuator setting here:

GCU

Attenuator Setting

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GCU

Attenuator Setting

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GCU

Attenuator Setting

GCU

Attenuator Setting

7.

Move RCST to Another GCU: Disable the RCST and reassign it to the returnlink carrier for the
next GCU to be evaluated. Reenable the RCST on this new returnlink carrier and repeat steps 2
through 6 for each GCU.

8.

Identify Average Attenuator Value for All GCUs: Identify the average value of attenuator settings
for all of the GCUs.

9.

Set Fixed Attenuator Value to be Same for All GCUs: Set the GCU fixed attenuator value
temporarily to be the same as the average attenuation value for all GCUs identified in preceding step
8 by using the cacsetatt <value from rb l> command to the GCU. Then store it in memory by
using save r <value from rb l> command to the GCU.

10.

Verify GCU Fixed Attenuator Value: Issue a pconf command to the GCU and read the RxAttn
field to verify that the aforementioned attenuation value from the Rb-l command has been set for
this GCU.

11.

Repeat for All GCUs:

12.

CIR: Enable the Golden Reference RCST on a returnlink carrier and assign one channel of CIR
(i.e. 8.6 kbps) to the Golden Reference RCST via the LinkStar NMS. Be sure to operate at the same
symbol rate defined in section 2.0 part 1.

13.

Verify BER: Telnet into the GCU which corresponds to this returnlink and issue a tfpr command
to check the uncorrected BER received by the GCU. Acceptable values will depend upon the amount

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Repeat steps 9 and 10 for all GCUs.

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LinkStar Hub System Alignment for GCU Input Levels

of link margin built into the satellite link. In absence of knowing these values, typical values for
acceptable BER value would be 0.005 ( 5e-03) to 0.0001 ( 1e-04) or lower.
Typical tfpr report

tfpr
PowerTrack TRUE FreqTrack TRUE EstimatesInSbsOnly FALSE
rcstid
ber
power freq
activ(s) timing attreq
fixatt freqreq TxP(dBm)
928f
1.60e-04 -0.10 -16
0
48 15
-1
391 -13.0
14.

Adjust Tx Power: If the BER in the preceding step is acceptable, then skip this step and do not
adjust the Tx power. Only if necessary, Telnet into the RCST and increase the RCST modulator
power slightly (by dB) to achieve the required BER objective using the cacadjusttxpower <carrier
ID> <1/2 dB step value up> command. Only if necessary, repeat one more time (up to 1 dB above
prior value) until the BER objective is achieved. Do not increase TX power within 1 dB of the value
for P1dB point of the SSPA.

15.

Save Tx Power: Only if the power was changed in the prior step, Telnet into the RCST and save this
power level using the save t -<value> command. Issue a hw command to the RCST and verify
this value was stored into memory.

16.

Verify UW misses & CRC errors: Telnet into the GCU and use the CB command to clear burst
statistics. Wait 20 seconds and then issue the RBTP and RB commands to confirm that the CIR burst
has zero UW misses and zero CRC errors. (Note: It is customary to see CRC errors on Aloha and Sync
Bursts.)

rbtp
Rx Burst Time Plan
Id Type TxTerm RxTerm Carr FEC Mod Offset
1015 CIR

Aper Chan Octets RSChk

7b99 4006089 7 2/3 QPSK 159370 NORMAL 2 114

rb
CACRx High Level Burst Statistics
Id

Detects Misses FrEr

1015 34

-53

Power Ch

RxSegs TurbErrors

CRCError

BER

0.25

0.0014

46

In this example, the rbtp report shows that RCST number 7b99 has a burstid value of 1015. The
ensuing rb report shows that this burst had 34 detects of zero misses and zero CRC errors. This is
indicative of proper operation.
17.

RCST Uplink Level is Okay: Once all of the preceding steps yield positive results, the uplink
carrier level of the golden reference RCST is properly aligned.
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18.

End of Procedure: This procedure is now complete with the GCU input levels and the GCU
attenuators aligned properly. The system is now prepared for alignment of the individual RCSTs
either by spectrum analyzer based CW carrier method or ALTA (Automatic Transmit Level
Adjust)
========= END OF PROCEDURE==

Publication Information

ViaSat, Inc.
22300 Comsat Drive

Revision Number

Date Released

Comments

Clarksburg, MD 20871
(301) 428-4500

001

TBD

Initial REQ

2003 ViaSat, Inc. All rights reserved.

LinkStar is a trademark of ViaSat, Inc.
ViaSat ProprietaryInformation in this document is subject to change without notice. This
document is proprietary to ViaSat, Inc., and shall be protected by a receiving party in accordance
with the terms of its contracts and agreements with ViaSat, Inc., covering LinkStar products.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of ViaSat, Inc.

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