A

spacecraft placed in
orbit around the earth
which carries on board
microwave receiving
and transmitting
equipment; repeater,
capable of relaying
signals from one point
on earth to other points.

1940s 1950s
- moon was the first
passive satellite used
1945
- Arthur C. Clarke
proposed message
transmissions via
satellite

1954
- the U.S. Navy
conducted the Earth
Moon Earth
experiment
1957
- Russia launched the
SPUTNIK 1 the first
active satellite

1958
- the U.S. launched
the SCOREwhich
rebroadcasted Pres.
Eisenhowers
Christmas message.

1960
NASA, Bell Labs and
Jet Propulsion Lab
launched the Echo;
accomplished the first
transatlantic
transmission

1962
- AT & T launched the
TELSTAR 1 the first
duplex satellite
transmission
1963
- AT & T launched
TELSTAR 2 for telephone,
TV, fax and data
transmission

1965
- COMSAT launched
the EARLY BIRD
which transmitted
messages to five
earth stations with 66
telephone circuits
using FDM techniques

1966
- The National
Development
Company and POTC
established the
DOMSAT ushering
satellite technology
to the Philippines

1967
- PHILCOMSAT;
Philippines, installed
the first earth station
at the foot of Sierra
Madre Mountains,
Mount Pinugay, Baras,
Rizal

1970
- China launched its
first satellite
1972
- USA launched
LANDSAT 1 for
remote sensing
missions

1974
- Western Union
launched the WESTAR
for TV and data
transmission
- Russia launched
RESURS-0 for remote
sensing mission

1976
- Indonesia launched
its first satellite;
PALAPA A-1
1986
- France launched the
SPOT-1 for remote
sensing service

1988
- India launched its first
satellite; INSAT-C
- Russia launched the
OKEAN for remote
sensing

1993
- Thailand launched its
first satellite;
THAICOM 1.
- They also launched
the Microsatellite
Program through
United NASA and GE

1997
- Mabuhay Philippines
Satellite Corporation
launched AGUILA II;
the first Philippine
Satellite

Syncom I
- was the first attempt
to place
geosynchronous
satellite into orbit but
was lost during orbit
injection
Syncom III
- used to broadcast the
1964 Olympic Games
from Tokyo

radio repeater in
the sky consisting of:
- a transponder
- a ground based
station to control its
operations
- a user network of
earth stations that
provide the facilities
for transmission and
reception of
communication traffic
through the satellite
systems.

communications path formed between

two or more ground stations transmitting
and receiving radio communications traffic
via satellite

a. Uplink
- that portion of the satellite
communications
link
involving
the
transmission of traffic from the ground
station up to the satellite
b. Downlink
- that portion of a satellite
communications
link
involving
the
transmission of traffic from the satellite to
earth terminal

a. Remote sensing

b. Weather Forecasting / Hazard Detection

c. Agricultural Production Forecasting

d. Intelligence / Surveillance Operations

e. Navigation

f. Search and Rescue

g. Telecommunications / Telebroadcasting

h. Interactive Education

i. Space Research / Scientific Explorations

1. Wideband Capability
2. Wide Area of Coverage
3. Superior Reliability
4. Direct Services to Subscribers Premises
5. Point to Point and Point to Multipoint

6. Readily compatible with new technology

7. Uniform access possibilities for all users
8. Allows flexibility / mobility of earth
stations within the footprint
9. Reduced need for ground facilities (R/W,
cable installation etc.

1.

High Initial Investment

2.

Short Life Span; 7 10 years

3.

Expensive Maintenance

4.

Very Dependent on Reliability of Launch Vehicle

5.

Require High Investments on Earth Stations

6.

Subject to Interception and Jamming by Enemy

Forces

7.

Signal Propagation Delay / Delayed Response Time

8.

Risky Launching / Failures in Attaining Proper Orbit

1.
2.

Payload actual user information

conveyed through the system
Bus Transmission includes control
mechanisms that support the payload
operation

According to Function
1.Passive

Satellite a communications
satellite not equipped with electronic
devices to retransmit communications.
Such satellite acts only as a reflector of
radio waves.

2.Active

Satellite a satellite equipped with

electronic devices to receive, amplify,
convert, and retransmit signals

Satellite Orbital Pattern

Orientation of Satellite Orbit with respect
to the earth.

Angle of Inclination
angle formed by the Equatorial and
orbital planes.

1. Equatorial Orbit rotation about the

earths equator, usually for geosynchronous
communications satellites. i = 0;
Coverage area: 42.5% (surface area)

2. Polar Orbit rotation over the North and

South Poles, used for non-communications
mission such as weather and surveillance
observation. i = 90;
Coverage area: 100% (surface area)

3. Inclined Orbit rotation creating as angle

between the equatorial polar plane. They
are easily launched and have higher
payload capacity but are difficult to track.
0<i<90; Coverage area: >42.5%
(surface area)

Based on Orbit
1.Non-Synchronous

or Orbital rotate
around the earth in low altitude elliptical
or circular pattern. (s e)

a.

Prograde Orbit when a satellite orbits

in the same direction as that of earths
rotation (counterclockwise; s > e)

b.

Retrograde Orbit when a satellite orbits

in
the opposite as the earths rotation
but as
an angular velocity less than
of the earth. (s < e; clockwise)

2. Geostationary or Geosynchronous orbit

in a circular pattern with an
angular
velocity equivalent to that of
earth
with an orbital time of about 24 hours.
(23 hours, 56 mins, 4.091 sec)

2. Geostationary or Geosynchronous
s = e; orbits eastward, ccw;
orbital pattern: equatorial, i= 0;
coverage area: 42.5% earth surface

According to Elevation:
a. Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
h: 700 1100 km
f: 1 2.5 GHz
Delay: 10 msec
b. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
h: 10,000 12,000 km
f: 1.2 1.66 GHz
Delay: 60 msec

According to Elevation:
c. Geostationary (GEO)
h: 36,000 km (35,786 km
or 22,236 mi.)
f: 2 - 18 GHz
Delay: 250 msec

A satellite remains in orbit because of a

balance between two factors:
a. the satellites velocity; speed at which it
would travel in a straight line
b. the gravitational force between the
satellite and the earth
Satellite Attitude refers to the satellite
orientation with respect to earth.

Orbit the path of a celestial body or satellite

in unpowered flight.
Ascending Node point
where the orbit crosses
the equatorial plane going
from South to North
Descending Node point
where the orbit crosses
the equatorial plane going
from North to South

Apogee the highest point of the orbit or it

is the point in an earth satellite orbit,
which is the farthest away from the earth;
lowest velocity
Perigee the point in an earth satellite
orbit, which is the closest in the earth;
fastest velocity

Eccentricity a number between zero and

one which describe the shape of an ellipse.
A circle has an eccentricity of zero.
e=
where: e = eccentricity
b = half of major axis
a = half of minor axis

Elliptical Orbits
Major Axis the longer axis of the ellipse,
the line adjoining the perigee and apogee
thru the center of the earth, called the line
of apsides
Minor Axis the shorter axis of the ellipse,
the line perpendicular to the major axis and
halfway between the perigee and apogee

Mean Distance the average distance from

the center of the earth

1. The first passive satellite

a. Telstar
b. Early Bird
c. Sputnik I
d. Moon

2. The first active satellite

a. Sputnik I
b. Telstar
c. INTELSAT I
d. Explorer I

3.The first geostationary satellite

launched in 1965 is
a. Syncom I
b. Sputnik I
c. Explorer I
d. Early Bird

4. The average lifetime of

geosynchronous satellites is
about __________ years.
a. 5
b. 10
c. 15
d. 20

5. A communication satellite is a repeater

between
a. A transmitting station and receiving
station
b. Many transmitting stations and many
receiving stations
c. A transmitting station and many
receiving stations
d. Many transmitting stations and a
receiving station

6. One of the main applications of

satellite
communications
is
monitoring the ecological situation of
the earth. This is known as
a. Navigation
b. Surveillance
c. Remote control
d. Remote sensing

7. Orbital disturbances of a
geosynchronous satellite are
caused by
a. Moon
b. Sun
c. Earth
d. All of the above

8. Geosynchronous satellites
a. Has the same period as
that of the earth
b. Has a circular obit
c. Rotates in the equatorial
plane
d. All of the above

9. To cover all inhabited regions of the

earth,
the
number
of
geosynchronous satellites required is
a. 5
b. 10
c. 2
d. 3

10. A geostationary satellite is one

which
a. Hangs motionless in space about
36,000 km above the earth
b. Travels around the earth about 24
hrs.
c. Remains stationary above the earth
d. Appears stationary above the earth

11. Geosynchronous Communication

satellites travel around the earth in
circular orbits with forward speed of
about __________km/hr.
a. 100,000
b. 36,000
c. 11,200
d. 22,800

12. The period of the satellite is

a. The amount of time it takes for a
satellite to complete one orbit
b. The point on an orbit where satellite to
complete one orbit
c. The time it takes the satellite to travel
from perigee to apogee
d. An orbital arc that extends from 60
degrees west longitude to 145 degrees
west longitude

13. A satellite, orbiting in a

circular orbit,
a. Has constant velocity
b. Has varying velocity
c. Is not moving at all
d. Both a and b

14. What is a descending pass

for a satellite?
a. A pass from west to east
b. A pass from east to west
c. A pass from south to north
d. A pass from north to south

15. Satellite rotating in an orbit

takes it over the north and
south poles is in
a. Inclined orbit
b. Polar orbit
c. Equatorial orbit
d. Declined orbit

16. The farthest point a

satellite can reach is
a. Apogee
b. Perigee
c. Altitude
d. Attitude

17. Include all earth stations

within line-of-sight path of a
satellite
a. Satellite shadow
b. Earth shadow
c. Zonal
d. Global

18. In selecting a satellite

system, the first determining
factor is
a. Coverage area
b. EIRP
c. Antenna size
d. Antenna gain

19. Satellite radiation pattern

that covers 1/3 of the earth's
surface
a. Earth
b. Zonal
c. Spot
d. Global

20. A satellite equipped with

electronic devices to receive,
amplify, convert, and retransmit
signals.
a. Passive
b. Active
c. Uplink
d. Downlink

21. When a satellite orbits in the

opposite direction as the earth's
rotation with an angular velocity
less than that of the earth
a. Orbital
b. Prograde
c. Retrograde
d. Geostationary

22. The actual user information

conveyed through the satellite
system
a. Bus transmission
b. Payload
c. Prograde
d. Retrograde

23. The first satellite launched for a

geosynchronous
orbit
but
unfortunately lost during orbit
injection.
a. Syncom I
b. Telstar I
c. Sputnik I
d. Early Bird

24. Geostationary satellites are

located _______ with respect
to the equator.
a. 0 deg latitude
b. 0 deg longitude
c. 90 deg latitude
d. 45 deg latitude

25. Incidentally proposed the

geostationary scheme or orbit
of satellites in 1940's.
a. Clarke
b. Gauss
c. Morse
d. Gray

26. A satellite which simply

reflects the signal without
further amplification.
a. Passive
b. Active
c. Geostationary
d. Posigrade

27. What is the basic function of a

communications satellite?
a. To act as a receiving antenna for
broadcast FM
b. To compensate for the antenna
limitations
c. To eliminate aerodynamic drag
d. To act as a receiving antenna for
broadcast AM

body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in

motion tends to stay in motion in the same
direction and at the same speed unless acted
upon by an outside force.

The

change in the momentum of a body is

proportional to the force acting on the body and
is in the direction of the applied force.

For

every action, there is always an equal and

opposite reaction.

Keplers First Law the orbit of any planet

is an ellipse with the sun at one focus

Keplers Second Law; Law of Areas every

planet moves so that its radius sector
sweeps over equal areas in equal intervals
of time.

Keplers Third Law; Law of Periods the

square of the periods of revolution of any
two planets is to each other as the cubes
of their respective mean distances from
the sun.
(t/to)2 = (a/ao)3

 Space

shuttles carry some

satellites into space

Many

satellites
require
minor adjustments of their
orbit before they begin to
perform
their
function.
Built-in
rockets
called
thrusters, some as small
as a propelling pencil,
make these adjustments.

Once

a satellite is placed
into a stable orbit, it can
remain there for a long
time
without
further
adjustment.

Rocket Motors
- Communications satellites are lifted into
orbit by space vehicles, which are
launched vertically for structural and
aerodynamic reasons. Rocket motors
provide the power for these vehicles.
Rocket motors do not depend on the
atmosphere for oxidizing or burning fuel.
They may classify as solid or liquid
propellant motors

Solid Propellant Rockets

- Works on the principle similar
to small gunpowder rockets
used for fireworks displays. It
contains
grain
fuel,
a
combination of combustible
material and oxidizer. Fuel is
burned
in
a
restricted
combustion space with nozzles
to direct and accelerate the
outgoing gas flow. Directional
control is achieved by placing
restructures or deflectors to
change the direction of thrust.

They are usually used for

upper stages of multiple
stage vehicles such as
the Polaris.

Liquid Propellant Rockets

- Carries two tanks
outside the combustion
chamber, one for fuel
and the other for the
oxidizer.

1.

Earth Station and

Uplink Components
- Earth Station is
that portion of
satellite link which
receives, processes
and transmits
communications
between the earth
and a satellite

Up
Converter

IF
Modulator

BPF

Mixer

Base Band in FDM or

PCM/TDM
Microwave
Generator

RF

BPF

HPA

Components of Earth Station

a. IF

Modulator converts input baseband signal to

FM, QAM IF

b. IF-RF

Microwave Up Converter converts IF to

RF carrier frequencies

c. High

Power Amplifier (HPA) provides adequate

input sensitivity and output power to propagate
signal transponder using a Klystron.

d. Output

Band Pass Filter limits bandwidth

2.

Transponder Components
- microwave repeaters
carried by communication
satellites. Transponders
have the following function:
receiving, amplification,
frequency conversion and
retransmission.

Frequency
Translator

BPF

LNA

Mixer

Microwave
Shift Oscillator
2 GHz

BPF

LNA

Components of a Transponder
a. Input

Band Limiting Device limits total noise applied

to LNA input.

b. Input

Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) amplifies signals,

usually a tunnel diode

c.

Frequency Translator shift oscillator, which converts

highband uplink frequency to lowband downlink
frequency

d. Low-Level

Power Amplifier amplifies (TWT) RF signal

for transmission through the downlink to station
receiver.

e. Output

Bandpass Filter limits output bandwidth

Down
Converter

BPF

LNA

Mixer

Microwave
Generator

BPF

Demodulator

3.

Downlink Components

a.

Bandpass Filter (BPF) limits input noise

power to LNA

b.

Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) highly sensitive,

low noise device usually a tunnel diode or
parametric amplifier

c.

RF-to-IF Down Converter mixer / bandpass

filter combination which converts the
received RF signal to an IF frequency

- C band is the most commonly used band.

- Ku band is immune to terrestrial jamming but sensitive to
atmospheric conditions such as transient noise
- The Ka-band has the strongest signal and higher data rate
capability. It is highly directional and has a spot coverage
- X band military
- L band
Spatial Separation
- Geosynchronous satellites share a limited space and
frequency spectrum within a given area of geostationary
orbit. Each is assigned a longitude spaced between 3 to 6
degrees in the arc approximately 22,300 miles above the
equator

Uplink and downlink frequency bands

- The uplink frequency is always higher than
the downlink by 2225 MHz because higher
frequency offers greater spreading or Free
Space Loss than lower frequencies.
Frequency Reuse Methods
- Frequency reuse is a technique employed in
order to conserve electromagnetic frequencies
resources, they can be implemented by the
following methods:

Multiple Coverage Areas

- the use of the same
frequency beamed towards
different geographic areas
on earth multiple spot
beam antennas.
Dual polarization sending
different information signals
using vertical or horizontal
electromagnetic
polarization. This is similar
to Polarization Diversity in
order to improve system
stability

- a geographic representation
of a satellites radiation
pattern, with contour lines
representing limits of equal
receive power density.
1.

Spot Coverage beams concentrate the radiated power

in a very small geographic area

2.

Zonal Coverage covers less than one-third of earths

surface

3.

Earth Coverage covers approximately one-third of

earth's surface (42.5 %) using a 17-degree beamwidth

1.

Global covers the whole world

2.

Regional covers selected regions such

as Pacific, Atlantic, etc.

3.

National / Domestic covers domestic or

national territory

Look Angle the angle

measured from the horizontal
to the point on the center of
the main beam of the
antenna when the antenna is
pointed directly at the
satellite

Angle of Elevation angle

formed between the plane of
a wave from an earth station
antenna and the horizon, or
the angle subtended at the
earth station antenna
between the satellite and the
earths horizon

Azimuth the horizontal

pointing angle of an antenna
measured in degrees in a
clockwise direction from true
North

28. What vacuum tube used to

amplify RF signal for transmission
through the downlink to station
receiver?
a. Magnetron
b. Klystron
c. Twystron
d. TWT

29. A high power tube used in

transmission of RF signal uplink
a. Magnetron
b. Klystron
c. BWO
d. TWT

30. A stage in transponder and

downlink system which amplifies
the signal and ensuring that noise
is suppressed as possible
a. Mixer
b. Demodulator
c. LNA
d. IF amplifier

31. A transponder is a satellite

equipment which
a. Receives a signal from earth
station and amplifies it
b. Changes the frequency of the
received signal
c. Retransmit the received signal
d. All of the above

32.
Multiple
repeaters
in
communications satellites are
known as
a. Transponders
b. Detectors
c. Modulators
d. Transceivers

33. Satellite-to-satellite link

is also called
a. Uplink
b. Downlink
c. Crosslink
d. Weakest link

34.
The
expression
for
satellite
link
frequencies such as 14/12 GHz denotes that
a. 12 GHz is the uplink frequency and 14 GHz
is the downlink frequency
b. the system is operating at a mean
frequency of 13 GHz
c. 14 GHz is the uplink frequency and 12 GHz
is the downlink frequency
d. the 14 GHz frequency is backup for 12 GHz
frequency or vice versa

35. The most widely used

microwave
bands
for
commercial applications are
a. C band and X band
b. X band and S band
c. C band and Ku band
d. S band and Ku band

36. At present, the RF band

mainly used by most satellites
is
a. EHF
b. UHF
c. SHF
d. VHF

37.
The
required
antenna
size
__________
as
the
operating
frequency of a system increases,
assuming that antenna gain remains
unchanged.
a. Remains the same
b. Increases
c. Decreases
d. All of the above

38. A 20-m antenna gives a certain uplink gain at frequencies of 4/6 GHz.
For getting the same gain in 20/30
GHz band, antenna size requires
__________ meters.
a. 100
b. 4
c. 1
d. 10

39. The use of the

frequency
on
the
geographical area
a. Frequency reuse
b. Roaming
c. Homing
d. Cellular

same
same

40. The earth's area or region

that the satellite can receive
from or transmit to
a. Footprint
b. Skip zone
c. Primary area
d. Finger print

41. A satellite communication link between

Pinugay Earth Station, Philippines and Mt.
Fucino Earth Station, Italy is to be
established. If the assigned uplink frequency
at Pinugay Earth Station is 6175 MHz, what is
the downlink frequency at Mt. Fucino Earth
Station, in MHz?
a. 4545
b. 3950
c. 3789
d. 4200

42. "The orbit of any planet is an

ellipse with the sun at one
focus". This is
a. Kepler's First Law
b. Kepler's Second Law
c. Kepler's Third Law
d. Law of universal Gravitation

43. The spatial separation

between
geosynchronous
satellites
a. 1-3 degrees
b. 3-6 degrees
c. 6-8 degrees
d. 8-10 degrees

44. The footprint which covers

a very small geographical
area.
a. Spot coverage
b. Zonal coverage
c. Earth coverage
d. Regional coverage

45. The satellite frequency reuse method

which sends different information
signals using vertical or horizontal
electromagnetic polarization
a. Multiple coverage areas
b. Dual polarization
c. Spatial separation
d. Spread spectrum

46. __________ detects the satellite

signal relayed from the feed and
converts it to an electric current,
amplifies and lower its frequency.
a. Feedhorn
b. Satellite dish
c. Satellite receiver
d. LNA

47. The most common device

used as an LNA is
a. Zener diode
b. Tunnel diode
c. IMPATT diode
d. Shockley diode

48. What do you call of a satellite

used to provide satellite services
within a single country?
a. Orbital satellite
b. Geostationary satellite
c. Non-synchronous satellite
d. Domestic satellite

The

rate of change of radial speed of a

satellite with respect to its parent is
proportional to the difference between the
gravitational force and the centripetal
force.

F = mv2/r

F = mv2/r
F = Gm1m2/r2
where v transverse velocity
G Universal gravitation constant
(6.67 x 10-11 N-m2/kg2)
m1 mass of earth
(5.98 x 1024 kg)
m2 mass of the satellite

Vs =

4 x 1011
; m/s
6400 + hkm

Siderial Period
T = 2 (6400 + hkm)/Vs

Ex. Determine the satellites velocity and

sidereal period for an elevation equal to 1000
km.

d (r h) (r cos ) r sin
2

d = distance to the satellite in km

r = radius of the earth in km (6400 km)
h = height of satellite above equator ( 36 x 10 3 km)
= angle of elevation to satellite at antenna site

Ex.

Calculate the length of the path to a

geostationary satellite from an earth station
where the angle of elevation is 30.

Satellite Control
involves actions necessary to position,
track, monitor, and command the satellite
during the course of its operational life.
It involves supervising and monitoring the
establishment, configuration and control of
each required of link through satellite
transponder in accordance with desired
parameters. The two main aspects of satellite
control are orientation and position control.

Orientation is required in a communications

satellite for initial orientation and for all subsequent
adjustment so the antenna will constantly view the
earth and the solar cells will view the sun

Position Control is required for initial satellite

emplacement and to compensate for forces which
tends to divert the satellite from its orbit. Such
forces include lunar and solar gravitational action.

Orientation Control - attitude control of a vehicle

about any or all of its axes (roll, pitch and yaw)
projects for axial, radial axis and corrections.

Access Techniques
- refers to the way a communications system uses a
satellite transponder.
Multiple Access
- in communications satellites, those satellites so
equipped that they may function as a portion of a
communications link between more than one pair of
ground stations simultaneously.
Multiple Access Back-Off refers to the satellite output
power that is lost due to the necessity for backing off
on earth station radiated power to avoid generating
excessively high intermodulation products in the
satellite. It ranges from 1 to 2 dB

1.

Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)

a satellite transponder is divided into smaller
frequencies hand segments where each
segment is assigned to use for his uplink or
downlink frequency.

a.

Pre-assigned a given number of

available voice hand channels from each
earth station are assigned dedicated
destinations. This method is only
economically feasible in situations where
sources / destination locations have very
low traffic density during the busy hour.

b.

Demand Assigned (DAMA) voice band

channels are assigned on as-needed
basis. It provides more versatility and
more efficient use of the frequency
spectrum.

Three Methods of Controlling DAMA Systems

a.Polling

a master station polls other

stations sequentially. When a positive reply
is received, a channel is assigned
accordingly. As
the
polling
interval
becomes longer and the system tends to
become unwieldy because of excessive
post dial delay as a call attempt waits for
the pulling interval to run its course

b.

Random Access Central Control a

central computer located at the master
station coordinates the status of the
channels. Call requests are passed to the
central computer and a channel is
assigned if available. Once the call is
completed and the subscriber goes on
the hook, the speech path is taken down
and the channel used is returned to the
demand access pull of ideal channels.

c.

Random Access Distributed Control

uses a processor controller at each earth
station accessing the system. All earth
stations in the network monitor the
status information by means of the
digital order wire circuit. When an idle
channel is seized, all users are informed
to the fact and the circuit is removed
from the poll

2.

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

- works in the time domain and is applicable
to digital systems because information
storage is required. In this method, stations
are restricted to precise time slot. It has no
restrictions on frequency or bandwidth.
Presently, it is the most dominant method
used of providing the most efficient method
of transmitting digitally modulated carries
(PSK).

- in TDMA, only one user appears on the

transponder at any given time. Each user
is assigned a time slot to the satellite;
transponder power and bandwidth are
shared by several earth stations.

Store and Forward a technique in which a

message received from earth termed is
held in storage until the satellite is in view
of a second earth terminal, at which time
the message is transmitted.

3.

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or

Spread Spectrum Multiple Access (SSMA)
- each station may transmit whenever it
wishes and can use any or all of the
bandwidth allocated. Transmissions are
separated through envelope, encryption,
and decryption techniques. It uses
unique binary words called CHIP CODES
to receive a particular earth stations
transmission.

- a correlator checks or compares orthogonal codes

with original chip codes to allow access to users
- the transmitted signal is spread over part or all of the
available transponder hand width in a time-frequency
relationship by a code transformation. Typically, the
modulated carrier is ten to hundreds of times greater
than the information bandwidth.

Frequency Hopping is a form of CDMA

where a digital code is used to continually
change the frequency of the carrier. The
total available bandwidth is partitioned to
smaller frequency bands and total
transmission time is subdivided into
smaller time slots. Each station uses the
entire RF spectrum but never occupies
more than a small portion of that
spectrum at any one time.

INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite

Organization)
- recommended by the panel of experts
commissioned by the Intergovernmental
Maritime
Consultative
Organization
(IMCO). They consider the introduction of
satellite communications to the maritime
sphere with the aim of improving
communications with ships, particularly for
safety and distress purposes.

International Mobile Satellite

Organization (IMSO) (NEW)
- is the intergovernmental organization
that oversees certain public satellite safety
and security communication services
provided via the Inmarsat satellites.

Some of these services concern:

Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS)
established by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO)
Search and rescue co-ordinating communications
Maritime safety information (MSI) broadcasts
Aeronautical mobile satellite (route) service, or
AMS(R)S, through compliance with the Standards
and Recommended Practices (SARPs) established
by the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO)
General communications

- born in July 1979, very much along the

INTELSAT lines, with COMSAT as the
largest shareholder.

INTELSAT
(International Telecommunications Satellite
Consortium)
- Founded in 1964 at Washington D.C. by
COMSAT (Communication Satellite
Corporation) of the United States,
Overseas Telecommunications
Commission of the Australia and nine
other world communications agencies

ITSO

(International
Telecommunications Satellite
Organization) (NEW)

- is an intergovernmental organization with

the mission to ensure that Intelsat, Ltd.
provides
public
telecommunications
services, including voice, data and video,
on a global and non-discriminatory basis.
Headquartered in Washington D.C., ITSO
currently has 149 member countries.

MARISAT
- a ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship
communications
via
a
dedicated
geostationary satellite system, providing
high-quality
telephony,
data
and
telex/telegraphy circuits

The

Iridium satellite constellation is a

large group of satellites providing voice
and data coverage to satellite phones,
pagers and integrated transceivers over
Earth's entire surface.

It

was originally conceived by Bary

Bertiger, Dr. Ray Leopold and Ken
Peterson in late 1987

developed

by Motorola on a fixed-price
contract from July 29, 1993 to November
1, 1998 when the system became
operational and commercially available.

consists

of 66 active satellites in orbit,

and additional spare satellites to serve in
case of failure.
Satellites are in Low Earth Orbit
at a height of approximately 485 mi
(781 km)
and inclination of 86.4.

Orbital

velocity of the satellites is

approximately 17,000 mi/hr
(27,000 km/h).

Satellites

communicate with neighboring

satellites via Ka band inter-satellite
links.

Original

concept - 77 satellites

Iridium
atomic
the

number 77

atomic number 66 is dysprosium

Teledesic

was a
company founded in the
1990s to build a
commercial broadband
satellite constellation for
Internet services.

Using

low-earth orbiting satellites

small antennas could be used to
provide uplinks of as much as 100
Mbit/second and downlinks of up
to 720 Mbit/second.

The

original 1995 proposal - 840 active

satellites with in-orbit spares at an
altitude of 700 km.

In

1997, the scheme was scaled back to

288 active satellites at 1400 km.

is

a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite

constellation for satellite phone and lowspeed data communications.

was

launched in 1991 as a joint venture of

Loral Corporation and Qualcomm.

The

first satellites were launched in

February 1998, but system deployment
was delayed due to a launch failure in
September 1998.
In February 2000, it launched the last of
52 satellites 48 satellites and four inorbit spares.
Another eight unlaunched satellites
were maintained as ground spares.

ORBCOMM

is a company that offers M2M

global asset monitoring and messaging
services from its constellation of 29 LEO
communications satellites orbiting at
775 km.

Machine

to machine (M2M) refers to

technologies that allow both wireless and
wired systems to communicate with other
devices of the same type.

total of 35 satellites were launched by

ORBCOMM Global in the mid to late 1990s.

Of

the original 35, a total of 29 remain

operational today.

very small aperture terminal

(VSAT), is a two-way satellite ground
station or a stabilized maritime Vsat
antenna with a dish antenna that is
smaller than 3 meters.

The

majority of VSAT antennas range from

75 cm to 1.2 m.

Data

rates: 4 kbit/s up to 4 Mbit/s

(to a max downlink of up to 16 Mbit/s with
some upgraded modules and
enhancements)

Applications:
to transmit narrowband data
(point of sale transactions such as credit card, polling
or RFID data; or SCADA),
To transmit broadband data
for the provision of satellite Internet access to remote
locations, VoIP or video).
VSATs are also used for transportable, on-the-move
(utilizing phased array antennas) or mobile maritime
communications.

SCADA

(supervisory control and data

acquisition) is a system operating with
coded signals over communication
channels so as to provide control of
remote equipment (using typically one
communication channel per remote
station).

star topology, using a central uplink

site, such as a network operations center
(NOC), to transport data back and forth to
each VSAT terminal via satellite,
A mesh topology, where each VSAT
terminal relays data via satellite to another
terminal by acting as a hub, minimizing the
need for a centralized uplink site,
A combination of both star and mesh
topologies.

Antenna
Block

upconverter (BUC)
Low-noise block downconverter (LNB)
Orthomode transducer (OMT)
Interfacility link cable (IFL)
Indoor unit (IDU)

block upconverter (BUC) is used in

the transmission (uplink) of satellite
signals.

It

converts a band of frequencies from a

lower frequency to a higher frequency.

low-noise block downconverter (or LNB)

is the receiving device mounted on satellite
dishes used for satellite TV reception, which
collects the radio waves from the dish.

Also

called a low-noise block, LNC (for lownoise converter), or even LND (for lownoise downconverter), the device is
sometimes wrongly called an LNA (low-noise
amplifier).

The

LNB is a combination of low-noise

amplifier, frequency mixer, local oscillator
and IF amplifier.

It

receives the microwave signal from the

satellite collected by the dish, amplifies it,
and downconverts the block of frequencies
to a lower block of intermediate
frequencies (IF).

An

orthomode transducer (OMT) is a

waveguide component.

It

is commonly referred to as a
polarisation duplexer.

Orthomode

transducers serve either to

combine or to separate two orthogonally
polarized microwave signal paths.

All

the outdoor parts on the dish are

collectively called the ODU (Outdoor
Unit), i.e. OMT to split signal between
BUC and LNB.

The

IDU is effectively a Modem, usually

with ethernet port and 2 x F-connectors
for the coax to BUC (Transmit) and from
LNB (Receive).

> Global Positioning System

> a space-based
satellite navigation system
that provides location and
time information in all
weather conditions,
anywhere on or near the
Earth where there is an
unobstructed line of sight to
four or more GPS satellites

> NAVSTAR GPS

> the Navigation Satellite

Timing and Ranging Global
Positioning System
(NAVSTAR GPS) is a
worldwide navigation radio
aid which uses satellite
signals to provide accurate
navigation information

> GLONASS GPS

> Globalnaya
navigatsionnaya
sputnikovaya sistema or
Global Navigation Satellite
System, is a space-based
satellite navigation system
operated by the Russian
Aerospace Defence Forces.

> provides specially coded satellite signals that can be

processed in a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to
compute position, velocity and time
> four GPS satellite signals are used to compute positions
in three dimensions and the time offset in the receiver
clock
> navigation in three dimensions is the primary function of
GPS

1. Space segment
> composed of a
constellation of 24 satellites
arranged in six separate
orbital planes of four
satellites each on a circular
orbit and have the following
characteristics:

Satellites give:
a.satellite position
b.constellation data
c.atmospheric corrections

2. Control segment
The control segment is
composed of:
a master control station
(MCS),
an alternate master
control station,
four dedicated ground
antennas, and
six dedicated monitor
stations.

3. User segment
Main advantages
-anytime, anywhere, and in any
weather
-highly accurate measurements
-GPS has almost endless
applications

As

of 2013, there are 1,071 operational

satellites in orbit around the Earth.
2,600 satellites are no longer working
50 percent (536) were launched by US
Half of that 1071 (536) are in Low-Earth
Orbit
About a twentieth (54) are in MediumEarth Orbit, for GPS
The rest (431) are in geostationary orbit.

Agila-1

or Mabuhay was launched in

March 20, 1987 under the name Palapa
B2-P in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

It

was originally under Indonesian

company, PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara
until it was acquired by Philippine
company, Mabuhay Satellite
Corporation which is under PLDT in 1996.

Agila-1

or Mabuhay

Upon

its acquisition by Mabuhay, it

became the first Philippine satellite
through acquisition while in orbit.

The

satellite's operation ended in January

1998 and was deorbited.

 ABS-3,

formerly ABS5, which was

named Mabuhay
1 or Agila 2 after the
Philippine eagle, before
being acquired by Asia
Broadcast Satellite is
a communications
satellite launched in
1997.

 ABS

Satellite drifted Agila 2 (ABS-5) to the 3W

orbital slot and renamed it ABS-3.

It

entered service in December 2011 initially as

ABS-5.

As

of June 2014, it remained in service.

ABS-3A

was launched on 1 March 2015 is set to

replace ABS-3 which has long exceeded it design
life.

Agila
It

contains 30 C-band transponders at

27 watts and 24 Ku-band transponders
at 110 watts, combinable to 12 highpower 220-watt transponders.

Agila

2 was a joint venture of Mabuhay Satellite

Corporation and various companies from

the People's Republic of China, Indonesia and
the Philippines, namely, the Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), High
Rise Realty Development Corporation, Pilipino
Telephone Corp. (Piltel), Beijing High Den
Enterprises Limited, Walden Group of
Companies, GMA Network, Inc., Philippine
Satellite Corporation, Cable Entertainment
Corporation, Siy Yap Group, and Philippine
Communications Satellite Corporation.

 Diwata-1

also known
as PHL-Microsat-1 is a
Philippine microsatellite
to be launched in early
2016.

It

will be the first

Philippine microsatellite
and the first one to be
built and designed by
Filipinos.

Hokkaido

University and Tohoku

University of Japan initiated a project to
send 50 microsatellites into space by 2050
which will be used to photograph
aftermaths of natural disasters
partnering with governments, universities
and other organizations based
in Bangladesh, Indonesia,Malaysia, Myan
mar, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand,
and Vietnam.

 Two

satellites are commissioned for the Philippine

government.

Diwata-1

is the first satellite of the venture and is also

a part of the Department of Science and
Technology's Philippine Scientific Earth
Observation Micro-Satellite (PHL-Microsat)
Program which was initiated in December 2014 by the
government agency.

The satellite is an updated version of the Raijin-2 which

was developed by the two Japanese universities.

49. What is the satellite's period

orbiting in a circular pattern with
elevation of 1000 km?
a. 1 hr 45 mins
b. 2 hrs 45 mins
c. 2 hrs 30 mins
d. 3 hrs

50. The different multiple accesses

which permit many satellite users to
operate in parallel through a single
transponder without interfering with
each other are
a. FDMA
b. TDMA
c. CDMA
d. All of the above

51. A digital technology that uses a low

power signal spread across a wide
bandwidth. With this technology, a phone
call is assigned a code instead of a certain
frequency. Using identifying code and a low
power signal, a large number of channels
can used the entire bandwidth
a. TDMA
b. PCDMA
c. PMA
d. CDMA

52.
A
satellite
position
is
measured by its _________
angle with respect to the horizon.
a. Elevation
b. Depression
c. Azimuth
d. Incidence

53.
The
_________
angle
measures the satellite position
clockwise from the direction of
true North
a. Elevation
b. Depression
c. Azimuth
d. Incidence

54. GPS has a total number

satellites equal to
a. 12
b. 24
c. 36
d. 48

55. How many elliptical orbits

does Navstar GPS have?
a. 5
b. 6
c. 7
d. 8

56. What is the free space

attenuation of a satellite system
operating at 36,000 km above the
earth operating at 5 GHz?
a. 180 dB
b. 190 dB
c. 198 dB
d. 189 dB

57. The FDMA technique wherein

voice
band
channels
are
assigned on as needed" basis.
a. PAMA
b. DAMA
c. SSMA
d. CDMA

58. An earth station transmits signal to a

satellite 38,500 km, directly overhead
it. What is the propagation delay when
the signal is received back at the same
earth station, in milliseconds?
a. 257
b. 200
c. 285
d. 185

59. Satellites used for intercontinental

communications are known as
a. Comsat
b. Domsat
c. Marisat
d. Intelsat

60. A satellite beam that covers

almost 42.5% of the earth's
surface.
a. Zone beam
b. Hemispheric beam
c. Spot beam
d. Global beam

61. The first Philippine satellite

has how many channels?
a. 30
b. 24
c. 48
d. 50

62. Aguila II has how many

transponders?
a. 36
b. 48
c. 24
d. 12

63. How many satellite orbital

slots were requested by the
Philippine Government from ITU?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 8

64. The radiation patterns of

earth coverage antennas have a
beamwidth of approximately
a. 21degrees
b. 5 degrees
c. 17 degrees
d. 35 degrees

65. The main power sources

for satellites are
a. Batteries
b. Solar cells
c. Fuel cells
d. Thermoelectric generators

66. What is the common upconverter and down-converter IF?

a. 36 MHz
b. 40 MHz
c. 70 MHz
d. 500 MHz

67. When the satellites are spaced 4

degrees of the 360 degrees
complete circle, how many parking
spaces or orbit slots are available?
a. 90
b. 85
c. 95
d. 80

68. The control routine necessary to

keep the satellite in position is
referred to as
a. Station keeping
b. Station tracking
c. Station monitoring
d. Station maintenance

69. What is the line joining the

ascending and descending nodes
through the center of the earth?
a. Line of apsides
b. Line of nodes
c. Line of shoot
d. Line of sight

70. The line joining the perigee

and
apogee
through
the
center of the earth.
a. Line of sight
b. Line of nodes
c. Equatorial belt
d. Line of apsides