An Introduction to Satellite Communications

Part 1 The development of satellite communications: the first satellites; experimental active communication satellites; early progress in the USSR and the MOLNIYA orbit; international satellite communications; domestic and regional satellite systems; small earth-station antennas and specialised services; mobile systems; direct broadcasting; methods of modulation and multiple access; trends in satellite communications. Part 2 Satellites and launchers: the geostationary orbit; visibility of satellites from the earth; putting a satellite into orbit; communication satellites; reliability. Part 3 The RF transmission path: the link equations; earth terminal characteristics; satellite characterics; intermodulation resulting from non-linearity of power transfer characteristics; propagation; interference. Part 4 Frequency modulation: basic characteristics of FM; distortion of FM transmissions; energy dispersal; companding; SCPV-FM; TV-FM. Part 5 Digital satellite communications: pulse code modulation; low-rate encoding (LRE); time division multiplexing (TDM); digital speech interpolation (DSI); modulation; error detection and correction; multiple access; interfaces with terrestrial networks; error performance objectives. Part 6 Maritime and other mobile systems: growth of maritime radio communications; first steps towards an international maritime satellite service; MARISAT, the first maritime satellite-communications system; INMARSAT standard-A system; INMARSAT second-generation and third generation satellites; the INMARSAT standard-C system; satellite communications and safety of life at sea; aeronautical satellite communications; land-mobile systems; navigation and position-fixing systems. Part 7 Earth stations: siting an earth station; antennas; electrical equipment.