Procedure

Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar

RCSTs in an Operational Network
Introduction
The purpose of this procedure is to balance carriers in an operational LinkStar network
and to set the power level received by a GCU from an RCST under test to be similar to
other RCSTs on the same returnlink.
Balancing the carrier power is important to minimize the effects of spectral regrowth
from adjacent carrier and to facilitate frequency hopping across carriers. Adjustment of
RCST carrier levels on a given returnlink is necessary to accommodate slotted alohatype bursts which do not have the capability for automatic attenuator adjustment used by
BOD/CIR type bursts by the GCU. For slotted aloha-type bursts, the GCU uses its
internal fixed attenuator setting and requires that aloha bursts be within +/- 6 dB of the
nominal power required by this fixed attenuator.
This procedure is applicable only to RCSTs being commissioned into a currently
operating network and is only to be performed after the prerequisites listed below have
been completed.

Prerequisites
This procedure must not be performed until completion of the following prerequisite
activities (procedures for these two steps are not included in this document).
1. Precise pointing of the antenna position (azimuth, elevation, polarization)
2. Cross polarization isolation measurement (if required by the satellite operator)

Outline
This procedure is based on the following major steps:
1. Verification of input level range to GCUs
2. Alignment for similar Eb/Nos between carriers
3. Alignment for similar received power for RCSTs on the same carrier and verification
of linear BUC operation for RCSTs whose level has been adjusted.

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Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

Procedure
1.0 GCU INPUT LEVEL

The allowable input level to the GCU is between -35 to -65 dBm. Good engineering
practice would suggest having levels in the middle of this range, such as -45 to -55
dBm.
1. Observe the downlink spectrum at the Hub station using a spectrum analyzer. Set the
resolution bandwidth to be 30 KHz and the amplitude per division to be 2 dB per
division. Set the video bandwidth to a convenient value to average the signal. Set
the display for max hold.
2. Read the displayed peak power density of the displayed modulated LinkStar
returnlink carriers.
3. Calculate the approximate(*) power level as:
POWER LEVEL = (DISPLAYED POWER DENSITY) + 10*LOG [(SYMBOL RATE)/(RES. BW)]

Where:
POWER LEVEL = Rx power level of the returnlink carrier
DISPLAYED POWER DENSITY = Power level displayed on spectrum analyzer of
the modulated signal
SYMBOL RATE = Symbol rate of the LinkStar QPSK carrier
RES. BW = Resolution bandwidth setting of the spectrum analyzer
4. Verify that the received carrier power of each returnlink into the GCU is within the
range of -45 to -55 dBm. If necessary, make adjustments to downconverters,
amplifiers, and attenuators which precede the GCU until the CW carrier is within
this range.
2.0 SIMILAR Eb/No BETWEEN CARRIERS

Spectral regrowth results when a QPSK carrier operates in non-linear regions of

amplifiers (e.g., RCST Tx BUC). This spectral regrowth appears as sidebands around
the carrier which will cause destructive interference to adjacent carriers. The impact of
this interference gets worse when the interfering carrier is at a much higher level than
the adjacent carriers. This procedure step will be to align all of the carriers to have a
similar Eb/No (and hence power density) on the satellite.
The LinkStar returnlinks use a TDMA access scheme in which multiple VSATs share a
common carrier frequency. As such, it is not simply possible to view a spectrum
analyzer and adjust carriers accordingly. Rather, this procedure will be based upon
reading the BER measured in the tfpr command, calculating the corresponding Eb/No,
and adjusting down RCSTs which exhibit an Eb/No higher than a prescribed value.
Some points are important to understand while doing this procedure:

1027383_001 (July 23, 2004)

It should not be raining at the Hub station when the tfpr command is performed.
ViaSat Proprietary

Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

This procedure will only involve reducing high power RCSTs to balance satellite
carrier levels. It does not involve increasing low power RCSTs at this time.

Power alignment should start at one end of the satellite frequency spectrum (e.g. the
lowest frequency carrier) and move sequentially to the other end of the satellite
frequency spectrum (e.g. the highest frequency carrier). Do not perform the
procedure based on GCU number since the first GCU may be somewhere in the
middle of the satellite frequency spectrum.

1. tfpr: Perform a tfpr command for all GCUs to collect BER data.
2. Convert BER to Eb/No: Convert the uncorrected BER values to Eb/No margin
according to the following charts:

Returnlink Eb/No Margin vs. BER

Margin (dB) over 10-8

0
0.0000

0.0025

0.0050

0.0075

0.0100

0.0125

0.0150

0.0175

0.0200

Uncorrected BER

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Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

Uncorrected
BER

Eb/No Margin
above 10-8
BER (dB)

0.00002
0.00005
0.00008
0.00020
0.0003
0.0007
0.001
0.003
0.004
0.007
0.009
0.015
0.02

6.0
5.5
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0

3. Convert Eb/No Margin to Eb/No: Convert the values for Eb/No margin above BER =
10-8 into Eb/No by adding the Eb/No Margin value to the Eb/No values in the
following table:
Returnlink Symbol
Rate (kSps)

Eb/No for BER = 10-8

156

6.4

312.5

5.8

625

5.5

1250

5.2

4. Identify Eb/No Maximum: Identify a maximum Eb/No threshold for which any sites
operating at an Eb/No above this value will be reduced. The value of this Eb/No
threshold will vary with the specific satellite link conditions of each network such
as how much Eb/No margin results from the combination of satellite performance,
returnlink carrier rate, VSAT antenna size, and VSAT SSPA size. Typical values
for target Eb/No threshold objectives in typical VSAT networks would be in the
range of 8.5 to 11 dB. For convenience, the following table presents the
uncorrected BER values (from the tfpr command) and spectrum analyzer
displayed (C+N)/N values which correspond to these Eb/No values.

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Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

Returnlink
Speed (kSps)

Uncorrected
BER

Eb/No Margin
above BER =
10-8 (dB)

Eb/No (dB)

156
156
156
156
156
156

0.00020
0.00030
0.00067
0.00100
0.0026
0.0040

4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0

10.9
10.4
9.9
9.4
8.9
8.4

(C+N)/N
Displayed on
Spectrum
Analyzer (dB)
12.4
11.9
11.5
11.0
10.5
10.1

312
312
312
312
312
312

0.00008
0.00020
0.00030
0.00067
0.00100
0.0026

5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5

10.8
10.3
9.8
9.3
8.8
8.3

12.3
11.8
11.4
10.9
10.5
10.0

625
625
625
625
625
625

0.00005
0.00008
0.00020
0.00030
0.00067
0.00100

5.5
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0

11.0
10.5
10.0
9.5
9.0
8.5

12.5
12.0
11.6
11.1
10.6
10.2

5. Spectrum Analyzer Max Hold: Set the spectrum analyzer for max hold and
observe the displayed spectrum of the returnlink carriers to get a sense for the
carrier imbalances due to high level RCSTs on each carrier.
6. Lowest Frequency GCU: Look at the tfpr command for the GCU which
corresponds to the lowest frequency carrier. Identify which sites have BER values
corresponding to Eb/No values higher than the maximum value identified.
7. Reduce Carrier Power: Reduce the Tx power for each site having high Eb/No
values until the BER approximates that of the value corresponding to the maximum
Eb/No value.
8. Repeat: Identify the GCU which corresponds to the next higher frequency and
repeat steps 6 and 7 for each GCU.
9. Spectrum Analyzer Max Hold: Set the spectrum analyzer for max hold and
observe the displayed spectrum of the returnlink carriers. Verify that the displayed
C+N/N does not exceed the maximum value and that all of the carrier power
densities are approximately the same (within +/- 1 dB). Repeat this procedure until
this condition is reached.
3.0 INDIVIDUAL RCST ALIGNMENT

This part of the procedure is to adjust power levels of RCSTs on the same carrier to have
approximately the same power level as indicated by the power column of the tfpr
command. This portion is performed after the returnlink carrier power densities have
been aligned similarly (e.g., the preceding section of this procedure).
1. Verify RCST is on: After the RCST has acquired into the network, confirm that the
GCU and RCST is on by entering the showr command on the RNCC (showr
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Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

<termid>). The results of this will display carrier number, GCU ID, and GCU IP
address.
2. Attenuation setting: Telnet into the GCU of interest to confirm the GCU attenuation
setting and the average of tfpr match. Issue a pconf at the GCU and check to see if
the default attenuation has been re-set into fixed mode by reading the RxAttn
field. If this RxAttn field says any non-zero value, then the attenuator has been
set to this value. Conversely, a reading of 0 means that the attenuator is using a
default value of 16. If the attenuator is set to the default value, then issue an rb l
command at the GCU and view the average attenuation in the right most column
(Attn). Then set the attenuation temporarily by using the cacsetatt <value from
rb l> at the GCU. Then store it in memory by using save r <value from rb
l> at the GCU. An ideal value for this attenuation parameter is 16. Values in the
range of 24 to 10 are also acceptable as long as all RCSTs on the GCU have values
in the power column which are well within the allowable +/-6 dB range around
the nominal value of 0. Here we emphasize that +/-6 dB is the allowable system
design limit and that good practice would encourage values to be much lower (such
as +/- 1.5 dB). The following result of a tfpr command shows a typical good and
bad RCST.
Rcstid

ber

power

freq

activ(s)

timing

attreq

fixatt

freqreq

TxP(dBm)

7c43

0.00000

6.52

77

48

23

-1

1042

-9.9 BAD

7753

0.00004

0.96

56

52

17

-1

831

-13.5

7b99

0.00000

-0.66

127

53

17

-1

770

-15.0

769f

0.00166

-0.79

67

47

13

-1

1006

-13.0

7ba3

0.00009

0.12

73

48

17

-1

953

-10.0 GOOD

98a8

0.00372

0.03

192

49

12

-1

729

-11.0

7bac

0.00000

0.80

170

48

17

-1

1062

-17.0

3. Establish CIR: Once the attenuation value for the GCU has been set, assign the
terminal being commissioned one channel of CIR (i.e. 8.6 kbps) via the LinkStar
NMS.
4. Freeze attenuation: Freeze the attenuation of the GCU for the RCST under test to
be the average attenuation for that GCU by using the tfpsettatt <termid>
<number from step 2> command in the GCU telnet session. The tfpr example
below shows the result after this command has been issued in the GCU for terminal
7c43.
Rcstid

ber

7c43

freq

activ(s) timing attreq

fixatt

freqreq TxP(dBm)

0.00000 6.52

77

48

15

1042

-9.9

7753

0.00004 0.96

56

52

17

-1

831

-13.5

7b99

0.00000 -0.66

127

53

17

-1

770

-15.0

769f

0.00166 -0.79

67

47

13

-1

1006

-13.0

7ba3

0.00009 0.12

73

48

17

-1

953

-10.0

98a8

0.00372 0.03

192

49

12

-1

729

-11.0

7bac

0.00000 0.80

170

48

17

-1

1062

-17.0

1027383_001 (July 23, 2004)

power

ViaSat Proprietary

Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

5. Check Rx power: Using the tfpr command in the GCU telnet session and the power
value displayed in the 3rd column (labeled power) in the tfpr command, check
the RCSTs power relative to the average value calculated for that GCU. Ideally,
all terminals on one GCU should be within approximately +/- 1 dB of each other
as an alignment goal. (Note: The maximum operational limit is +/- 6 dB.)
Rcstid

ber

7c43

power

freq

activ(s) timing attreq

fixatt

freqreq TxP(dBm)

0.00000 6.52

77

48

15

1042

-9.9 BAD

7753

0.00004 0.96

56

52

17

-1

831

-13.5

7b99

0.00000 -0.66

127

53

17

-1

770

-15.0

769f

0.00166 -0.79

67

47

13

-1

1006

-13.0

7ba3

0.00009 0.12

73

48

17

-1

953

-10.0 GOOD

98a8

0.00372 0.03

192

49

12

-1

729

-11.0

7bac

0.00000 0.80

170

48

17

-1

1062

-17.0

The value highlighted in RED is too high and should be changed with the
cacadjustxpower command in the RCST.

6. Adjust Tx power: Telnet to the RCST and use the cacadjusttxpower <carrierld>
<1/2 dB step value up or down> command to quickly adjust the power output of
the RCST.
example: cacadjusttxpower 5 10
The setting of this power value is volatile (i.e., it does not get stored into nonvolatile memory and it will get lost if the RCST is reset).

7. Check Rx power: Telnet back to the GCU after the power change, then check the
power value for the RCST under alignment by using the tfpr command. The goal is
to get the value +/- 1 dB. Repeat step 6 as necessary until this goal is achieved.
Rcstid

ber

7c43

power

freq

activ(s) timing attreq

fixatt

freqreq TxP(dBm)

0.00000 1.74

77

48

15

1042

-14.9 BAD *

7753

0.00004 0.96

56

52

17

-1

831

-13.5

7b99

0.00000 -0.66

127

53

17

-1

770

-15.0

769f

0.00166 -0.79

67

47

13

-1

1006

-13.0

7ba3

0.00009 0.12

73

48

17

-1

953

-10.0 GOOD

98a8

0.00372 0.03

192

49

12

-1

729

-11.0

7bac

0.00000 0.80

170

48

17

-1

1062

-17.0

* This interim value is actually quite acceptable from an operational perspective (within
+/- 6 dB) but for precision alignment purposes, an additional adjustment might be
desirable.
ViaSat Proprietary

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Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

example: cacadjusttxpower 5 4
Rcstid

ber

7c43

power

freq

activ(s) timing attreq

fixatt

freqreq TxP(dBm)

0.00000 -0.37

77

48

15

1042

-16.9 GOOD

7753

0.00004 0.96

56

52

17

-1

831

-13.5

7b99

0.00000 -0.66

127

53

17

-1

770

-15.0

769f

0.00166 -0.79

67

47

13

-1

1006

-13.0

7ba3

0.00009 0.12

73

48

17

-1

953

-10.0 GOOD

98a8

0.00372 0.03

192

49

12

-1

729

-11.0

7bac

0.00000 0.80

170

48

17

-1

1062

-17.0

8. Check SSPA linearity: Once the power value has been set within this +/- 1 dB
window, use the cacadjusttxpower <carrierld> <4> command to turn the power
up 2 dB to confirm the SSPA of the RCST is still operating in the linear range (i.e.,
not near or above its P1dB point). In the above example, the power was reduced and
the resulting changes behaved linearly, signifying that the BUC is operating in the
linear range. If a cacadjusttxpower command is used to raise the power and the
resulting change is not shown to be linear in the tfpr command to the GCU, the
RCSTs SSPA is into saturation and should be moved to a lower speed return link.
For example, if a tfpr report shows that the received power value for an RCST is
2.0 dB, and one issues a cacadjusttxpower 5 -4 command, we would expect that
the power would drop by 2 dB (4 divided by 2) to a value of 0.0 dB. If it were to
only drop by a lesser valuesuch as to a power level of 1.0 dBthen it is likely
that the SSPA of the RCST is not in the linear region.
9. Check Tx Power: Check the operating power at RCST with TB command
example: tb (where this value is true dBm)

10. Store into NVRAM: Store this value into NVRAM of the RCST by using save t
<2 times value in step 9> in the RCST telnet session. Here, the numerical value
entered is twice that of the value measured in step 9 because the output power of
the RCST modulator is stored in half dB steps.
example : save t 34

11. Check for UW misses and CRC errors: Go to the GCU telnet session 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. 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

Aper

Chan

Octets RSChk

105

SB

11e0001

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

1674

NORMAL

57

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

35626

NORMAL

57

101a ALOH ffffff

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Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

1017 CIR

7c43

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

69578

NORMAL

57

1016 CIR

7753

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

103530

NORMAL

114

1015 CIR

7b99

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

159370

NORMAL

114

1014 CIR

75ca

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

215210

NORMAL

171

1013 CIR

7ba3

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

292938

NORMAL

114

1012 BoD

98a8

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

422630

NORMAL

171

1011 BoD

7bac

4006089

7 2/3 QPSK

500358

NORMAL

57

rb
CACRx High Level Burst Statistics
Id

Detects Misses

FrEr Power

Ch

RxSegs

TurbErrors CRCError

BER

105 126885 1825983 4

1.25

126852

54476

33

0.0009

101a 0

33

1.75

0.0000

1017 34

116

-0.50

16

20

0.0006

1016 34

65

-1.50

30

0.0006

1015 34

-53

0.25

46

0.0014

1014 4

39

0.25

0.0016

1013 4

-260 0.00

0.0000

1012 4

39

0.25

0.0016

1011 4
0.0000

-260 0.00

In this example, the rbtp report shows that RCST number 7c43 has a burstid value of
1017. The ensuing rb report shows that this burst had 34 detects of zero misses and zero
CRC errors. This is indicative of proper operation.
CIR bursts typically show a high number of detects in the rbtp report. Conversely,
slotted aloha bursts will have a low number of detects, coupled with a high number of
misses. The command should be repeated a few times for confirmation.

12. Restore automatic power tracking: At the GCU telenet session, restore automatic
power tracking for the RCST under test by using the command : tfpsettatt
<termid> -1.
The example below shows automatic power tracking is restored for terminal 7c43.
Rcstid

ber

7c43

power

freq

activ(s) timing attreq

fixatt

freqreq TxP(dBm)

0.00000 -0.37

77

48

15

-1

1042

-16.9

7753

0.00004 0.96

56

52

17

-1

831

-13.5

7b99

0.00000 -0.66

127

53

17

-1

770

-15.0

769f

0.00166 -0.79

67

47

13

-1

1006

-13.0

7ba3

0.00009 0.12

73

48

17

-1

953

-10.0

ViaSat Proprietary

1027383_001 (July 23, 2004)

Transmit Power Re-alignment of LinkStar RCSTs in an Operational Network

98a8

0.00372 0.03

192

49

12

-1

729

-11.0

7bac

0.00000 0.80

170

48

17

-1

1062

-17.0

13. Verify stored power: Telnet to the RCST. Reboot the RCST by issuing the hw
command and confirm storage of power setting and proper operation.
14. Verify Rx power: Once the RCST has acquired after the reboot, the tfpr command
in a telnet session to the GCU should display a received power value +/- 1 for that
RCST and a rb and rbtp command in the same telnet session should show zero
UW misses and zero CRC errors.
15. CIR: If applicable, remove the CIR established in step 3 via the LinkStar NMS.

Publication Information

ViaSat, Inc.
Corporate Headquarters
6155 El Camino Real
Carlsbad, CA 92009-1699
Phone: (760) 476-2200
Fax:

Revision Number

001

Date Released

July 23, 2004

Comments

REQ-008432

(760) 929-3941

Clarksburg, MD
22300 Comsat Drive
Clarksburg, MD 20871
Phone: (301) 428-4500
Fax:
(301) 428-4700
Norcross, GA
4356 Communications Drive
Norcross, GA 30093-2999
Phone: (678) 924-2400
Fax:

(678) 924-2480

1027383_001 (July 23, 2004)

10

2004 ViaSat, Inc. All rights reserved.

LinkStar is a trademark of ViaSat, Inc.
ViaSat ProprietaryInformation in this document is subject to change without notice. This
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with the terms of its contracts and agreements with ViaSat, Inc., covering LinkStar products.
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