Application Technology Strategy, Inc., (ATSI), is the satellite consulting firm founded by Bruce Elbert, leading satellite expert and consultant, technologist, educator and author of standard industry books. We emphasize the how of developing satellite systems.

Advances in Satellite Communications Class

Advances in Satellite Communications - Efficient and Reliable Transmission Systems:  Date TBD 2013: Westwood, CA, USA

UCLA Extention Short Course - Click here to register

This three-day course provides satellite communications engineers and managers with a thorough review of innovations now applied to systems and technologies for 2011 and beyond. Over the past decade, satellite communications has been transformed from a technology for specialized situations in narrow markets into a broadly-based networking scheme that addresses the full range of fixed and mobile communications needs.

This course provides a review of key advances in space platforms, broadband analog and digital payloads, and new devices for ground terminals. How these innovations apply to different situations for broadband fixed services in video and IP data is addressed, as well as innovations in the mobile field on how satellites may be integrated with third- and fourth-generation (3G and 4G) wireless systems. Because of the rapid introduction of new space and ground-based technologies, such as digital beam forming and DVB-S2 adaptive coding and modulation, new applications benefit from higher bandwidths that are cost-efficient and reliable. Consequently, engineers and managers who develop and employ satellite resources need to update their knowledge about these and other emerging technologies. Professionals are expected to understand how to apply, implement, and operate the new systems and technologies but cannot rely on outdated information.

At the end of the course, participants should be able to apply new satellite-based networks and gain awareness of future improvements and enhancement for service delivery to end users around the world.

Course Materials
The text, Introduction to Satellite Communication, Third Edition, Bruce R. Elbert (Artech House, 2008) and a set of notes containing each presentation page and any reference material are distributed on the first day of the course. The notes are for participants only and are not for sale.

Coordinator and Lecturer
Bruce R. Elbert, MSEE, MBA, President, Application Technology Strategy, Inc., Thousand Oaks, California; and adjunct professor (retired), College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Mr. Elbert is a recognized satellite communications expert and has been involved in the satellite and telecommunications industries for over 40 years. He founded ATSI to assist major private and public sector organizations that develop and operate cutting-edge networks using satellite and other wireless technologies and services. He contributed to the engineering of a satellite network to deliver video programming to commercial aircraft, evaluated a Big LEO MSS system under realistic conditions, and planned the implementation of a VSAT WAN for an international nonprofit organization. During 25 years with Hughes Space and Communications (now Boeing Satellite Systems), he directed communications engineering of several major satellite projects, including Palapa A, Indonesia's original satellite system; the Galaxy follow-on system (the largest and most successful satellite TV system in the world); and the development of the first GEO mobile satellite system capable of serving handheld user terminals. Mr. Elbert has written seven books on satellite communications, including The Satellite Communication Applications Handbook, Second Edition (Artech House, 2004); The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth Station Handbook (Artech House, 2001); and Introduction to Satellite Communication, Third Edition (Artech House, 2008). He also was a recipient of a UCLA Extension Distinguished Instructor Award in 2006.

UCLA Faculty Representative
Kung Yao, PhD, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science

Daily Schedule
Wednesday
SPACE TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS
Advanced Principles of Communications Satellites and Networks

  • The evolving space segment: GEO and non-GEO satellites and constellations, impact on coverage and quality of service
  • Developing requirements for applications and services using systems engineering principles; commercial requirements for business use; government requirements tied to superior satellite solutions
  • The new generation of space platforms: large vehicles (10 to 20 kW), compact and efficient medium buses (4 to 8 kW); small satellites (under 3 kW)
  • Payload technologies for on-board and ground-based processing and beam forming
  • Discussion of satellite operator capabilities and strategies; operation and service trends

Transmission Techniques for Optimum Satellite Links

  • Sustainable use of the frequency spectrum and bandwidth: strengths and weaknesses of L and S-bands (Ancillary Terrestrial Component); evolving role and value of C and Ku-bands: Ka-band directions and unresolved issues
  • Modern digital modulation and coding methods: 8, 16, and 32 APSK; current choices and tradeoffs among coding methods: Turbo Codes, HDPC, concatenated systems
  • Standards for satellite transmission: DVB-S2 and Adaptive Coding and Modulation; Joint IP Modem

Further Development of Multiple Access Systems

  • Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) variants: MF-TDMA, hybrid outbound/mesh
  • Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) for spectrum reduction and control
  • Carrier-in-carrier and paired carrier operations
  • Demand assignment and dynamic bandwidth allocation
  • Comparison and evaluation of the most appropriate transmission system for a given application

Thursday
LINK EVALUATION UNDER THE INTERNET PROTOCOL
Broadband Data Networking with the Internet Protocol and IP Services

  • Review of computer networking, OSI model, network layers, TCP/IP protocol suite: TCP, UDP, IP
  • The relationship of IPv6 to the satellite network environment
  • Operation and issues of TCP/IP over satellite: bandwidth-delay product, acknowledgement and retransmissions, congestion control
  • Content distribution strategies
  • Broadband access techniques (2 Mbps and up)

RF Interference Evaluation and Control

  • The Interference-limited environment (X-pol, adjacent satellite interference, adjacent channel interference, terrestrial interference); C/I estimation and mitigation
  • Noise considerations of the receiver, antenna, and transmission line: G/T, intermodulation products and satellite amplifier backoff
  • Earth station characteristics
    — Antenna characteristics (main beam, sidelobe, X-pol considerations)
    — HPA characteristics, intermodulation and sizing
  • Optimizing the link budget in an interference limited environment

TCP/IP Acceleration and Optimization Techniques for Satellite Networks

  • TCP acceleration, HTTP acceleration, CIFS acceleration, compression and caching
  • Survey of available standards-based and proprietary optimization solutions: SCPS, XTP, commercial WAN optimization products, satellite-specific optimization products, application-specific optimization products, solution selection criteria
  • Quality of service (QoS) and performance acceleration
  • IP multicast: IP multicast fundamentals, multicast deployment issues, solutions for reliable multicast

IP Application Considerations

  • Voice over IP, voice quality, compression algorithms
  • Web-based applications: HTTP, streaming
  • VPN: resolving conflicts with TCP and HTTP acceleration
  • Video Teleconferencing: H.320 and H.323
  • Network management architectures

Friday
SATELLITE GROUND SYSTEMS AND TERMINALS
Terminal Technology

  • Advances in antennas: portable and mobile installations
  • Solid-state HPA replacements: medium and high power
  • Discussion and comparison of suppliers and technologies for VSATs
  • Interfacing the ground segment with terrestrial users; 3G and 4G air interface standards and their relationship to satellite service; backhaul
  • A role for sustainability in satellite communications systems

Measurement Techniques

  • Physical layer: bit error rate, Eb/No, power and bandwidth
  • Link layer: frame error rate, jitter
  • Network layer: packet error rate
  • Testing of applications, pilots

Development of New Technologies

  • Advanced satellite architectures using Ka band: on-board versus ground-based beam forming
  • Mobile satellite systems based on small user terminals capable of broadband mobility
  • Consideration of future requirements and architectures

For more information call the Short Course Program Office at (310) 825-3344; fax (310) 206-2815.

Dates TBD
Time 8am-5pm (subject to adjustment after the first class meeting)
Location Room G-33 West, UCLA Extension Building, 10995 Le Conte Avenue (adjacent to the UCLA campus), Los Angeles, California
Reg# V9927 
Course No. Engineering 881.274
Units 1.8 CEU (18 hours of instruction)
Fees Early Enrollment (through January 2, 2011): $1,895  /  After: $2,085
Fee includes course materials. $30 nonrefundable; no refund after January 24, 2011; however, course fee (less $30) may be applied toward another short course enrollment.
Take advantage of early-enrollment pricing by enrolling no later than one month prior to the start date of this short course. Payment must be received by the early-enrollment deadline date indicated in this description. Note that a tentative reservation only holds a space in the course and that payment must be made by the deadline to qualify for the discount. Enrollment and/or payment after the deadline date will be processed using the higher fee listed herein.