A link budget is a systematic accounting of all gains and losses from the transmitter, through the space path, to the receiver. It allows engineers to predict whether a communication link will meet its performance requirements.
Key components include transmit power, antenna gains, freeβspace path loss, and any additional system losses such as feeder or atmospheric attenuation. By summing these terms, the expected received power at the antenna can be calculated.
P_{t} = transmit power (dBm)
G_{t}, G_{r} = antenna gains (dBi)
L_{p} = freeβspace path loss (dB)
L_{s} = system losses (dB)
The link margin, defined as the difference between received power and receiver sensitivity, indicates how much performance headroom exists. A positive margin larger than the required safety margin ensures reliable operation under varying conditions.
What is a link budget in astronomy?
How do I calculate free-space path loss?
What factors are included in a link budget?
How do I determine the expected received power?
What is the importance of link budget in space communications?
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