Link Budget Workflow

This tutorial builds a basic RF link analysis.

Objective

Compute access windows between two assets and evaluate RF link budget metrics over those windows.

Procedure

1. Create a primary asset, typically a spacecraft.
2. Create a secondary asset, typically a facility or another spacecraft.
3. Add antennas to the relevant parent assets.
4. Configure antenna radiation patterns and pointing.
5. Create transmitter and receiver assets.
6. Link each transmitter/receiver to its antenna.
7. Create a Link Analysis asset.
8. Enable link budget.
9. Select direction, required Eb/N0, and loss options.
10. Run the analysis and inspect margin plots.

RF Chain Checklist

Item	Why it matters
TX antenna linked	Required for directional EIRP.
RX antenna linked	Required for receiver gain and G/T.
Frequency compatible	Avoids unrealistic mismatch between antenna and RF source.
Polarization selected	Enables polarization loss modelling.
Bandwidth defined	Required for noise and C/N0 interpretation.
Data rate defined	Required for Eb/N0 interpretation.

Interpretation

Access intervals show when a link is geometrically possible. Link budget intervals show whether the RF chain has enough performance during those intervals.