Just some notes and resources. By @Aryan K

https://www.antenna-theory.com/

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1befB1_x0NGUDufLeP-Q8AM-0S87x6tktke3rDF2EJ_c/edit#gid=1363551121

https://www.nasa.gov/smallsat-institute/sst-soa-2020/communications

The Process

1. Determine mission constraints:
   • Orbit geometries
   • Data rate/volume required & how much error there can be
   • Frequency constraints
   • Communication standards used
   • Look into onboard communication protocols with other subsystems (MIL-STD-1553 is an option)
2. Link Analysis
3. Subsystem Block Diagram
   • Electrical interfaces
   • Hardware involved
   • Preliminary cost estimate

Antennas

How Antennas Work

• A receiver picks up on magnetic flux changes in the air, and uses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSoXIqBlg9M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRX2EY5Ubto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMxaYj7Xs5k

Gain

A key property of antennas is gain

• Gain describes how much a signal is amplified by the antenna. Consider a light bulb. If the bulb has an input of 1W and an output of 1W, it has a gain of 0 dB
• The regular light bulb has an isotropic radiation pattern: one that scatters in all directions
• If we put a mirror on one side of the bulb to focus the light, we get an effective 2W of light on the other side. This is called 2W equivalent isotropic radiated power, or 2W EIRP. This is also known as a gain of 3 dBi (i meaning isotropic)