Attachment Condition 5948

This document pretains to SES-MOD-20030512-00639 for Modification on a Satellite Earth Station filing.

IBFS_SESMOD2003051200639_359724

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Philip L. Malet
202.429.6239
pmale@steptoe.com




February 12,2004                                    ’   -
                                              ,; L C , kdi.
                                              f -
                                                              I \
                                                                        RECEIVED
                                                                          FEB 1 2’2004
                                                  FEB 1 7 2004
Ms. Marlene H. Dortch                                               FEQERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMlSSlOM
Secretary                                         [-,y!#‘ ,if[ -          O f f ICE OF THE SECRETARY

Federal Communications Commission
445 12fhStreet, SW - Room TW-A325
Washington, D.C. 20554

Re:     Call Sign E000723, File No. SES-MOD-20030512-00639

Dear Ms. Dortch:

        In accordance with Special Condition 5948 of the above-referenced earth station license,        ’
The Boeing Company (“Boeing”) hereby submits the attached Boeing AMSS System License
Compliance Report - Reflector Antenna TJpdate. This updated report verifies that operation of
Boeing’s reflector antenna AES complies with all conditions and specific design guidelines set
forth in paragraph 19(h)(l)-(5) of the associated AMSS licensing order.2




        1
         See Radio Station Authorization, File No. SES-MOD-200305 12-00639, Call Sign
E000723 at 5. This condition requires Boeing to submit a report verifying its ability to comply
with the conditions set forth in 719(h) of its AMSS licensing order no later than 30 days prior to
commencing commercial operations with reflector antenna AESs. See The Boeing Company,
Order and Authorization, 16 FCC Rcd 22645 (Int’l Bur./OET 2001) (“Order”).

            See Order at 719(h)(1)-(5).




WASHINGTON               PHOENIX           LOS ANGELES                LONDON                    BRUSSELS


Marlene H. Dortch
February 12,2004
Page 2


        If you have any questions concerning this submission, please contact the undersigned.

                                            Respectfully submitted,




                                             Philip L. Malet
                                             Carlos Nalda
                                             Steptoe & Johnson LLP
                                             1330 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
                                             Washington, D.C. 20036
                                             (202) 429-3000

                                             Counselfor The Boeing Company

Attachment

cc (w/ att.):   Tom Tycz
                Howard Griboff
                Karl Kensinger
                Arthur Lechtman


                 Boeing AMSS System License Compliance Report --
                          Reflector Antenna AES Update
        This Update to Boeing’s prior License Compliance Report’ is submitted pursuant
to Special Condition 5948 of earth station authorization Call Sign E000723, and verifies
that operation of Boeing’s reflector antenna aircraft earth station (AES) with its licensed
Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite Service (AMSS) system complies with the conditions of
Boeing’s AMSS licensing order and the specific design guidelines set forth in ordering
clause 719(h)(1)-(5).2 These design guidelines derive from work conducted in ITU-R
working party 4A that was later incorporated into ITU-R Recommendation M. 1643, and
are designed to protect Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) operations from harmful interference
from AES transmissions in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band.

        Section 1 of this Update covers control and monitoring functions (719(h)(3)-(4)).
Section 2 covers the control of aggregate off-axis EIRP (719(h)(l)). Section 3 covers
factors that affect off-axis EIRP (719(h)(5.1)-(5.3)) including mis-pointing of AES
antennas in Section 3.1, variations in AES antenna pattern in Section 3.2, and variations in
AES transmit EIRP in Section 3.3. Resistance to being “pulled off’ to adjacent satellites
(719(h)(2)) is also covered in Section 3.1. The data presented in this Update shows that
operation of Boeing’s reflector antenna AES complies with significant margin to all
conditions of the licensing order.

1      Control and Monitoring Functions

        The addition of the reflector antenna to Boeing’s A M S S system does not affect the
control and monitoring functions that are included in the Boeing system to ensure that
AES transmissions always remain under positive control, and to identify and shut down
any malfunctioning AES, as described in Boeing’s AMSS license application3and License
Compliance Rep01-t.~The Boeing system will continue to be controlled by a network
control and monitoring facility (NCMC) (f[l9(h)(3)), which is referred to in this Update as
the network operations center (NOC). The reflector antenna AESs will also continue to be


 See Boeing AMSS System License Compliance Report, File No. SES-LIC-20001204-02300, Call Sign
E000723 (filed Aug. 14,2002) (“Compliance Report”).
2
  See Radio Station Authorization, File No. SES-MOD-20030512-00639, Call Sign E000723 at 5. This
condition requires Boeing to submit a report verifying its ability to comply with the conditions set forth in
jil9(h) of its AMSS licensing order no later than 30 days prior to commencing commercial operations with
its reflector antenna AESs. See The Boeing Company, Order and Authorization, 16 FCC Rcd 22645, File
No. SES-LIC-20001204-02300, Call Sign E000723, DA 01-3008 (Int’l Bur./OET 2001) (“Order”).
3
 See Application of The Boeing Companyfor Blanket Authority to Operate up to Eight Hundred
Technically-IdenticalTransmit and Receive Mobile Earth Stations Aboard Aircraj?in the 11.7-12.2 and
14.0-14.5 GHz Frequency Bands, File No. SES-LIC-20001204-02300 (December 4,2000, supplemented
January 10,2001) (“Two-way Application”), Technical Supplement at 5 , 8-13, and 34-40.

    See Compliance Report at 1-3.


                                                      1


able to receive “enable transmit” and “disable transmit” commands (719(h)(4. l)), cease
transmissions after receiving any “parameter change” command, which may cause
harmful interference to other satellite systems during the change (719(h)(4.2)), continue to
be monitored by the NOC to determine if its operation is malhctioning (719(h)(4.3)),
and will self-monitor and automatically cease transmissions in the event of an operation
fault which can cause harmful interference to an adjacent FSS satellite (719(h)(4.4)).


2      Control of Off-Axis EIRP

        The addition of the reflector antenna to the Boeing system does not fundamentally
affect the algorithm employed by the NOC to control the aggregate off-axis EIRP of the
system to less than or equal to that of a routinely processed very small aperture terminals
(VSAT) terminal,’ which is described in Boeing’s license application6and License
Compliance Report.’

        The AES control algorithms used at the NOC accounts for variations in aggregate
off-axis EIRP caused by, for example, mis-pointing of AES antennas, variations in AES
antenna pattern from uncompensated radome effects, and variations in AES transmit EIRP
(see Section 3). As described below, each element of the control algorithm is designed
conservatively to compensate for each type of variation and ensure that the off-axis EIRP
of Boeing’s A E S s remain within the levels prescribed for routinely processed VSAT
terminals even in anticipated worst-case conditions.

         The Boeing AMSS system control algorithm uses the reported state of all the
A E S s operating in the network and the known variations (tolerances and uncertainties) in
the system to calculate the aggregate off-axis EIRP and control the individual AES
transmissions, as described in Boeing’s license application’ and shown in Figure 1. All
AES operating in the network report their position (latitude, longitude), attitude (heading,
pitch, roll), and transmit EIRP9to the NOC. The NOC then uses the reported data, the
known tolerances in AES pointing, antenna pattern, and transmit EIRP to compute an
aggregate off-axis EIRP envelope for the AES operating in the network. This envelope is

 Loral Skynet, the operator of Telstar 6, has indicated to Boeing that it has coordinated Telstar 6 with the
satellites adjacent to 93” W.L. for off-axis EIRP levels that are less than or equal to that of a routinely
processed VSAT terminal. SES Americom, the operator of AMC-4, has also confirmed that it has
coordinated AMC-4 with the satellites adjacent to 101”W.L. for similar off-axis EIRP levels.

    See Two-way Application, Technical Supplement at 34-38.

    See Compliance Report at 3-5.

’See Two-way Application, Technical Supplement at 34-38.
9
  See Boeing Two-way AMSS Application, Technical Supplement at 37-38. The initial application
indicated that the NOC would back-calculate the transmit EIRP of the AES based on the received power at
the ground. Subsequent analysis has determined that it is more accurate for the AES to determine and report
its EIRP to the NOC directly.


                                                      2


then compared to the off-axis EIRP limits for routinely processed VSAT terminals. Based
on how closely the envelope approaches the limits, the NOC issues commands to allow
additional AES into the network, change AES data ratedpower levels, or remove AESs
from the network.

                                                                     AES
                                                          - A
                                                          '   I




                                                                  NOC
                   Known Variations        Reports                Commands
                   -   Antenna Pointing
                       Antenna Pattern
                       Transmit ElRP
                                           * Position
                                           8   Attitude
                                                                   Network Entry
                                                                   Data Rate Change
                   Antenna Model               ElRP                Network Exit




                              Compute 99.99%                             Compare to
                           Aggregate Off-Axis ElRP                      Off-Ax is Limits


                                  Figure 1. Control of Off-axis EIRP

        An individual AES reports when its transmit EIRP, position or attitude (heading,
pitch, roll) has changed sufficiently to cause its off-axis EIRP to change by more than 0.2
dB. The AES determines its position and attitude using information from the aircraft
navigation data bus and concurrently calculates its EIRP based on the measured input
power into the antenna and the measured antenna patterns.

        Using the reported EIRP, the power spectral density (PSD) manager software at
the NOC then calculates the antenna pattern gain envelope for each AES as projected
along the GSO arc. The antenna model includes the antenna-pointing angles computed
from the reported aircraft position and attitude. In comparison to the number of
calculations needed to continuously calculate the phased array antenna pattern, generating
an estimated gain pattern of the reflector antenna is greatly simplified. The phased array
antenna pattern is a function of azimuth and elevation scan angles, polarization,
frequency, and the temperature of each transmit module. Of these factors, the reflector
antenna gain envelope is only a function of polarization and frequency due to the small
affects of the radome as discussed in Section 3.2. Using the computed antenna gain
envelope, the NOC then calculates the off-axis EIRP envelope for each AES by scaling
the computed antenna pattern gain envelopes by the reported transmit EIRP.


        A Monte Carlo method is used to combine the individual off-axis EIRP envelopes
and the known factors affecting off-axis EIRP to calculate the aggregate off-axis EIRP
envelope for the network. The Monte Carlo method allows combination of dissimiIar
factors that affect off-axis EIRP such as pointing tolerances (given in degrees) and power
control tolerances (given in dB). The resulting envelope accounts for the 99.99%
probability (or 3.7-sigma) combination of all of the tolerances and uncertainties in the
system. This is equivalent to accounting for 3.7 times the root sum squared (RSS) of the
1-sigma affect on off-axis EIRP of each tolerance and uncertainty. Each of these factors
are characterized in Section 3 (antenna mis-pointing, see Section 3.1, antenna pattern
variation, see Section 3.2, and EIRP variation, see Section 3.3).

        The calculated aggregate off-axis EIRP envelope is then compared to the limits for
routinely processed VSAT systems. Boeing's AMSS system will not exceed the
maximum co-polarized component along the GSO arc, which are as follows:

              Angle off-axis           Maximum EIRP in any 4 kHz band
              i . o o < e s 7.00             15 - 25 log 8 dBW
              7.00 < e s 9.20                -6 dBW
              9.20 < e I480                  18 - 25 log 8 dBW
                       e > 480              -24 dBW

        The NOC recalculates the aggregate EIRP envelope whenever an AES makes a
report and prior to admitting any AES to the network or permitting an AES to increase its
data rate. The NOC controls AES data rate and entry into the system so that the aggregate
off-axis EIRP limits are never exceeded.

3       Factors Affecting Off-Axis EIRP

        Several factors may cause unintended variations in off-axis EIRP. These factors
can be grouped into three categories: AES antenna mis-pointing, AES antenna pattern
variation, and AES transmit EIRP variation. This section describes the testing that has
been conducted which demonstrates that the Boeing system can and will adequately
control these variations. The Boeing AMSS system has been designed to minimize each
of these variations as well as to account for the effect of the variations in the control of the
aggregate off-axis EIRP, as described in Section 2." The major factor potentially
affecting the reflector antenna off-axis EIRP is antenna mis-pointing. Antenna pattern
variation and EIRP estimation are greatly simplified for the reflector antenna. As a result,
control of the reflector antenna off-axis EIRP is less complex than for the phased array.

3.1       AES Antenna Mis-pointing

       Several factors make the reflector antenna easier to point than the phased array
antenna. For example, the use of one aperture for both transmit and receive eliminates the
need to align two apertures. Also, the projected area of the reflector antenna does not vary

10
     See Order at 719(h)(5.1)-(5.3).

                                               4


with pointing angle because the angular dimensions of the main beam does not vary with
scan angle. These factors, as well as the demonstrated high performance of the antenna
system rate gyros, improve pointing accuracy and reduce dependence on the reflector
antenna sequential lobing function.

        The reflector antenna system is designed to achieve a pointing accuracy of 0.25" 1-
sigma in the azimuth plane (roughly along the GSO from mid-latitudes) and 0.6" 1-sigma
in the elevation plane (roughly perpendicular to the GSO from mid-latitudes). These
accuracies reflect RMS values over a time window of 100 sec in the presence of aircraft
dynamics. The reflector antenna system will maintain this pointing accuracy in the
maximum dynamic environment of a commercial aircraft. This is approximately 6"/sec in
roll and 2"/sec in pitch and yawheading while airborne, and lO"/sec in heading on the
ground. Transient errors due to very rapid transient dynamics may exceed the values
above for short periods of time (e.g., 0.5 sec). If the reflector does exceed the budgeted
control error, it automatically inhibits transmission."

          AES reflector antenna pointing is accomplished through a combination of high rate
dynamic control to sense and compensate for airplane maneuvers, and periodic sequential
lobing to refine estimates of static and slowly changing pointing bias parameters.
Dynamic control uses data from the airplane navigation system and rate gyros mounted
near the antenna to determine the motion of the antenna platform. The dynamic control
h c t i o n then commands the actuators to position the reflector to compensate for the
platform motion (servo control), and hence keep the reflector boresight pointed to the
satellite. The use of airplane navigation and rate gyro data and high rate control loop
commands to the antenna (500 times per second) negate the need for the rapid sequential
lobing used on the phased array. This high rate control provides the reflector antenna with
an even greater ability to compensate for rapid AES motion than the phased array antenna.

        The sequential lobing function measures and compensates for the net effect of a
variety of possible pointing biases. This function is similar to the sequential lobing
process used on the phased array antenna and uses the same received signal strength
indicator (RSSI) measurement of forward link signal amplitude for estimating the true
pointing direction to the satellite. Sources of pointing bias include changes of the
alignment of the airplane navigation system to the antenna due to changing aircraft
pressurization, fuel load, and flight state change; airplane navigation system attitude bias;
RF squint compensation errors; and antenna azimuth and elevation axis bias errors. These
pointing biases change gradually with time and antenna position. This gradual rate of
change, along with the dynamic control function described above, allow for far less
frequent sequential lobing cycles for the reflector antenna than for the phased array
antenna. For the reflector AES, the sequential lobing frequency will be on the order of
once every several minutes. Dynamic conditions such as changes in altitude, or antenna
azimuth and elevation angles will cause more frequent sequential lobing to adjust for
expected changes in pointing biases.

  As described in Boeing license application, the AES will still automatically inhibit when it loses the
forward link. See Two-way Application at 9.

                                                      5


        Performance testing for dynamic control was conducted on both an antenna range
3-axis positioner and in-flight onboard a Boeing 737-400 test airplane. After initial
integration and checkout on the 3-axis positioner, the 737-400 test bed was used to
provide the most realistic environment for dynamic control performance testing. This test
bed was equipped with a full suite of reflector AES equipment and control software. For
these tests, antenna control was accomplished with operational control software, though
special test software was used to provide very high rate data recording (500 samples /
sec). Test flight conditions included level flight, high rate side to side rolls, and 90 deg
heading changes.

         Data from the high dynamics side to side roll (level to + 30" roll; to -20" roll, back
to level) at roll rates of 6"/sec are shown in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows the dynamics
of the roll maneuver, and Figure 3 shows the antenna server control error and the resulting
total elevation and azimuth dynamic control error during the maneuver. Servo control
performance, which measures the ability of the antenna control system to compensate for
the measured motions of the airplane, was very good for this high rate maneuver. In
addition to servo control performance, dynamic control performance includes the ability
of the AES to determine the attitude of the antenna base in the presence of latencies in the
airplane navigation data. To aid in latency compensation, the AES employs rate gyros
mounted near the antenna. For dynamic performance evaluation, a 20 msec latency error
in the navigation data was inserted into the post-processing. This latency represents one
full data frame of the airplane navigation system roll and pitch data.




                                                                                          -__

              Figure 2: High Rate Side-to Side Roll: Airplane Maneuver



                                              6


        Figure 3: High Rate Side-to Side Roll: Dynamic Control Performance


        As mentioned above, the reflector antenna AES uses an RSSI sequential lobing
process to refine its estimate of pointing bias errors. Previous testing of RSSI sequential
lobing for the phased array antenna has shown this signal indicator to have no measurable
susceptibility to being pulled off by adjacent satellite interference. AES pointing tests of
the sequential lobing performance have been conducted in an indoor anechoic range, an
outdoor range, and a fixed antenna site with a real satellite link, and onboard the Boeing
737-400 test bed aircraft. The indoor anechoic range provided the greatest flexibility for
setting signal levels near lower thresholds, and for determining the reference truth model
for performance assessment. The test setup on the indoor range is shown in Figure 4.

        The truth references for the sequential lobing tests were established by measuring
several hundred RSSI data points across the beam pattern, and then computing a
polynomial curve fit to the collected data set. Sequential lobing was then exercised, and
performance measured against the truth reference. Figures 5 and 6 show sample
performance measurements for sequential lobing in the azimuth and elevation axes,
respectively. The results of many independent tests of the sequential lobing function on
the antenna range are shown in Figure 7.

        Total reflector antenna AES pointing performance includes an allocation for
change in pointing bias parameters between sequential lobing measurements, and
uncertainties in receive beam to transmit beam radome squint (diffraction) compensation.
The total per-axis root-mean-square (RMS) performance of the reflector antenna AES is
computed as the root-sum-square (RSS) of these independent contributors (dynamic
control, sequential lobing, changes between sequential lobing, and receive to transmit
squint compensation uncertainty). These parameters combine to give an RMS pointing
performance estimate of 0.24" in azimuth and 0.34" in elevation. These pointing

                                             7


performance estimates fall below the initial allocations of 0.25" and 0.60" RMS for
azimuth and elevation, respectively. The NOC uses these values when computing the
aggregate off-axis EIRP envelope as described in Section 2.
        ....................................................................................................................................................
                                                                                                                                         Dual-band horn
                                                                                                                                          n RAM panel
                                                                                                                                              \


                                 - Gimbaled antenna on ground plane pallet.
                                 - Ground plane pallet on 2-axis positioner.

                                                                                                                                                         ,   .........
                   ...................................................................................     ......         .............J ......... ............




        ;.................................>
                            Legend:
                                              * .




                                                        -
        i Within Pallet ;. ...................................................................
                                           ;                     Omratina Position

                                                    Data / Command
                                                                                            -
                                                                                               ..
                                                                                                     4
                                                                                                   Receive
                                                                                                                  ii     i &ckNearHorns
                                                                                                                        :...........................*...............~

                                                                                                                             Transmit
                                                                                                                                                                     i



   Figure 4: Test setup block diagram in indoor anechoic range




                                                                              8


     Figure 5: Sample Sequential Lobing Performance Measurement - Azimuth




Figure 6: Sample Sequential Lobing Performance Measurement - Elevation




                           Azimuth Error
 L


                Figure 7: Step Track Performance




                                      9


3.2 Antenna Pattern Variation
        The antenna model used by the NOC will be substantially simplified with respect
to the phased array antenna because the reflector antenna pattern varies little with antenna
pointing angles (elevation and azimuth). In addition, reflector antennas have less unit-to-
unit variation than phased array antennas. These two factors are the primary reason the
reflector antenna patterns are generally easier to predict than the phased array antenna
patterns. The antenna model used by the NOC will be based on the as-built performance
of the reflector antenna, adjusted to account for unit-to-unit variation and radome effects.
        The reflector antenna pattern data used by the NOC to calculate the contribution of
a given airplane to the aggregate off-axis PSD levels along the GSO has been measured in
a precision laboratory environment, with the antenna mounted for a “free-space” pattern
measurement (i. e., without the radome and without a simulated fuselage or any installation
hardware). This approach provides pattern data which is independent of the antenna
pointing direction, simplifying the PSD management software used by the NOC.
       When installed on the airplane, the AES free-space antenna patterns will be
perturbed by two effects: modification of the antenna patterns by the presence of the
radome, and scattering and reflection from the airplane body (principally the region of the
upper fuselage around the antenna) and from the installation hardware (principally the
adaptor plate used to attach the antenna and radome to the airplane fuselage).
        Extensive laboratory measurements have been made of the installed antenna
patterns as a function of the antenna azimuth and elevation pointing angles, the antenna
polarization angle and frequency. To simulate the impact of fuselage scattering and
reflection on the antenna patterns, the antenna and radome were mounted to a truncated
metallic cylinder of the same radius as a 737 airplane. The results show that the free-
space antenna patterns are not significantly affected by either the presence of the radome
or the simulated fuselage and antennahadome adaptor plate. Figures 8 and 9 compare the
installed and free-space azimuth and elevation patterns for a typical case. It is apparent
that the installed patterns differ from the free-space patterns at relatively low pattern
levels, but it has been shown that these pattern changes have little impact on the
contribution to the aggregate off-axis PSD.




                                            10


               OdB




              -1OdB




              -2wB




              -3odB




              4dB




              SodB
                  -W 80'        -70' -EQ.    50' -W       -30" -20'     -10'   (r   IO'   20'   30'   40'   97    60'    70'    80'    90'
                                                                       Azimuth Angle


             Figure 8: Measured Azimuth Antenna Patterns, Installed and Free-Space


             OdB




            -10dB




            -20dB




           -30dB




           -4OdB




           -5068
                -90'   -80'   -70'   60'    50'   -40'   -30'   -20'   -10'    0'   IO'   20'   30'   40'   50'    M)'    70'    80'    90'
                                                                       Elevation Angle


            Figure 9: Measured Elevation Antenna Patterns, Installed and Free-Space


        The measured free-space antenna pattern data used by the NOC to compute off-
axis PSD levels along the GSO were measured for a single antenna. Any variation in
pattern levels from antenna-to-antenna due to manufacturing tolerances (if at a significant
level) would require that this variation be used in the off-axis PSD management budget.
The antenna aperture is, however, an assembly of computer numerically controlled (CNC)
machined components (main reflector and sub-reflector, sub-reflector support struts, and
feed horn), with each part machined to stringent tolerances, and with the assembly


                                                                          11


precisely aligned. On this basis it is expected that any antenna-to-antenna pattern
variation will be minimal.
        To confirm this, patterns were measured under closely identical conditions in the
same antenna test range for two nominally identical antennas. Although the particular
antenna design for these antennas was not identical to that of the production antennas, the
differences were in only the detailed profiles of the two reflectors; in all other respects the
design was identical to the production design, while the manufacturing and alignment
processes were identical. Figures 10 and 11 compare measured transmit band patterns for
the two nominally identical antennas in the azimuth and elevation planes respectively. It
is apparent that any differences in the patterns are extremely small and essentially at the
same level as differences between repeat measurements on the same antenna. For this
reason there is no need to include antenna-to-antenna pattern variation as a contribution to
the off-axis PSD management budget.




               -120'   -90'    40.     -30'        '
                                                   0          30'   60'   90'   120'

                                              Azimuth Angle


      Figure 10: Measured Azimuth Pattern Comparison for Two Pre-Production Antennas




                                                12


                 -120'   -90'   80'   -30'         0'          30'   60'   90'   120"

                                             Elevation Angle

      Figure 11: Measured Elevation Pattern Comparison for Two Pre-Production Antennas


3.3 Transmit EIRP Variation
        The transmit EIRP reported by reflector antenna AESs to the NOC will be more
accurate than the EIRP reported by the phased array antenna because the input power to
the reflector antenna is measured after output of the final high power amplifier and the
reflector antenna gain is very predictable. Measuring the phased array transmit EIRP is
more challenging because the input power is measured before the phased array elements,
which act as a distributed high power amplifier, and because of the uncertainties in the
electronic gain of the phased array. At maximum power, the reported EIRP uncertainty of
the reflector antenna will be only 0.5 dB (1-sigma). This uncertainty includes radome
effects on EIRP, frequency, polarization and pointing, and compares favorably to the
reported EIRP uncertainty of 1.43 dB (1-sigma) of the phased array antenna. The NOC
will account for this error when computing the off-axis EIRP envelope for the reflector
antenna.
        One component of the reported EIRP error budget is the error in reported EIRP
under static conditions and with the radome removed. The value of EIRP reported by the
AES under these conditions is determined by the AES by combining the measured value
of SSPA output power with the known losses between the SSPAs and the antenna aperture
and the know antenna directive gain. Both the SSPNantenna losses and antenna gain is
calibrated across the transmit frequency band. Additionally, the antenna gain is calibrated
as a function of the transmit polarization angle. The SSPA output power is measured by
calibrated power detectors located at the SSPA output ports. The detectors have been
designed for high accuracy over the entire EIRP dynamic range, and are calibrated to
remove the effects of sensitivity variation with both frequency and temperature.
        The reported EIRP error has been measured in an antenna test range as a function
of both commanded EIRP level and frequency. The true EIRP was determined for each
point by measurement of the power received using a calibrated power meter from a
calibrated standard gain horn located at the opposite end of the test range (at a known
distance from the AES) as shown in Figure 4. The results of these measurements are

                                                13


presented graphically in Figure 12. The peak reported EIRP error varies from 0.2 dB at
the top end of the EIRP range to 0.6 dB at the lower end of the range, with typical values
substantially lower. Based on these measurements the total EIRP estimation error used in
the NOC will be 0.5 dB.

       +0.3

       +0.2

       +O.l

  P +o.o
  sL
   g   -0.1
  W

  2 -0.2
  W

  p -0.3
   0
   n
  2    -0.4

       -0.5

       -0.6

       -0.7
         25 dBW           30 dBW           35 dBW           40 dBW           45 dBW
                                    Commanded EIRP (dBW)


                   Figure 12: Measured Reported EIRP Errors (Static, No Radome)


3.4 Summary of Factors Affecting Off-Axis EIRP

        The design, control, and testing of the reflector antenna AES for use with Boeing’s
A M S S system has addressed a wide variety of factors that affect the aggregate off-axis
EIRP density of the system:

              0   Antenna mis-pointing (Section 3.1)
                     o Tracking error of closed loop tracking system
                     o Bias and latency of closed loop tracking system
                     o Pull-off to adjacent satellites
                     o Latency (of position and attitude inputs) and control error
                  Antenna pattern variation (Section 3.2)
                     o Scanning angle variation (elevation and azimuth).
                     o Array pattern variation from radome
                  Transmit EIRP variation (Section 3.3)
                     o Measurement error
                     o Cable loss calibration error

                                               14


                  o Unit-to-unit variation

        By accounting for all of these factors, the Boeing AMSS system can control its
off-axis EIW density to within the limits for a routinely processed VSAT system.




                                             15



Document Created: 2004-02-27 14:32:14
Document Modified: 2004-02-27 14:32:14

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