future internet

Article
An Optimized Planning Tool for Microwave Terrestrial and
Satellite Link Design
Eduardo Ferreira 1, * , Pedro Sebastião 1,2 , Francisco Cercas 1,2 , Carlos Sá Costa 1,2 and Américo Correia 1,2

1 Department of Political Science and Public Policy, ISCTE—Instituto Universitário de Lisboa,

1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
2 Instituto de Telecomunicações, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
* Correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract: Today, the internet is fundamental to social inclusion. There are many people that live
in remote areas, and the only way to supply internet services is through the use of microwave
terrestrial and satellite systems. Thus, it is important to have efficient tools to design and optimize
these systems. In this paper, a tool with the objective to shorten the time spent in the design process
of microwave terrestrial and satellite point-to-point links is presented. This tool can be applied
in academia by engineering students, providing an extended analysis of many sections of a link
project design, as well as in professional practice by telecommunication engineering departments,
presenting a concise step-by-step interactive design process. This tool uses three-dimensional world
visualization, with the Cesium Application Programming Interface (API), to display and analyze
site-specific characteristics that can disrupt the link’s quality of service (QoS). Using this visualization,
two ray-tracing algorithms were developed to analyze signal diffraction and reflection mainly
throughout terrestrial links. Using this new algorithm, an innovative process for signal diffraction
and reflection calculations was created. Using updated standards provided by the International
Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), the characteristics of the defined
simulated links could be predicted, thus providing the user with the metrics of signal quality and
system link budget.

Keywords: radio propagation; software planning tool; terrestrial microwave link; satellite microwave link
Citation: Ferreira, E.; Sebastião, P.;
Cercas, F.; Sá Costa, C.; Correia, A.
An Optimized Planning Tool for
Microwave Terrestrial and Satellite
1. Introduction
Link Design. Future Internet 2023, 15,
58. https://doi.org/10.3390/
Terrestrial and satellite radio frequency and microwave systems are commonly used
fi15020058
to connect communication services, by providing a peer-to-peer link, and are used to
transmit data from one point to another. They introduce advantages for long-distance
Academic Editor: Sachin Sharma
communication, such as high portability, easy installation, and lower installation and
Received: 28 December 2022 operational costs. Currently, these systems are used to provide access to the internet and
Revised: 25 January 2023 other communication services in rural and precarious regions [1–3], in addition to being
Accepted: 26 January 2023 used for everyday human activities and having multiple industrial applications [4].
Published: 31 January 2023 The design of these types of systems is a methodical and time-consuming process
that requires calculations such as attenuation, fading, margins, frequency planning, and
evaluation of the line-of-sight (LoS) in a given link, following the International Telecom-
munication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) standards. Given the increased
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. number of variables involved, a perfectly precise solution becomes almost impossible to
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. achieve, relying on module simulations [5]. To address the gaps between system speci-
This article is an open access article
fication, system simulation, and circuit-level simulation, modeling and simulation must
distributed under the terms and
accompany the design phases from specification to the overall system verification [6].
conditions of the Creative Commons
To analyze “what if” scenarios, a main estimation is made with calculations, allowing
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
an evaluation of the reliability of the designed link. This estimate is defined as the link
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
budget. Since the change in a single characteristic can impose itself on the whole link
4.0/).

Future Internet 2023, 15, 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi15020058 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/futureinternet

Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 2 of 21

budget, a recalculation of the ITU-R specification models is in order. As a consequence, a

constant manual recalculation of this model becomes impractical for engineering fields.
In the academic field, the ability to provide an application of the methods studied can
be a valuable asset in gaining a greater grasp, not only of the methods themselves but also
of how they evolve as a result of a change in scenario. For this reason, being able to provide
an easy-to-understand demonstration of the process required for the design of systems
holds high educational value for engineering academic subjects.
Although tools to provide this service have already been developed and distributed,
the available tools have several drawbacks such as unaffordable pricing for academic use
(licenses can cost over USD 300 monthly [7]), outdated specifications in terms of standards
used, and poor user experience.
Subsequently, a need arises for an all-in-one tool that can provide the principal features
needed to assert system link budgets, available at an affordable price for students and
without compromising on the educational value of intermediate computations. This leads
to a reduction in the time it takes engineers to compute all the components of the link
budget of a designed link by providing an easy-to-understand graphical user interface to
be used by users with little to no instructions.
To assess the QoS of a communication link, the general steps presented in Figure 1
were established to develop the tool.

Figure 1. Developed Tool workflow.

As shown, the user must define the variables where the link will be implemented.
This group of steps provides a vast number of iterations to find the optimal characteristics
for the best QoS possible. For terrestrial communications, the route selection, antenna
characteristics, and radio characteristics exert a major effect on the attenuation found
through the link path, which will subsequently impact the metrics used to evaluate the link.
In satellite communications, although most of the attenuations found in terrestrial systems
are not applied, the choices of orbit and antenna positions (which will also determine
the link connection distance) reflect major changes in the attenuations found and, as a
consequence, in the necessary characteristics found in the link budget to make the designed
link possible.
In order to present a tool including the most important features for radio-link planning,
we performed an extensive search of the literature for currently available tools, comparing
their benefits and drawbacks.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 3 of 21

Out of these, we selected the following ones since they also have the same purpose as
ours, both for academic and professional use:
• LINKPlanner, available in [8];
• TAP 7, available in [9];
• MLinkPlanner 2.0, available in [10];
• Feixer, presented in [11];
• Smart Link Planning Tool (SLPT), presented in [12,13].
The tools analyzed were developed both through academic investigation, for the case
of Feixer and SLPT, and enterprise development, with allocated teams of developers to
create the said tools, for the case of LINKPlanner, TAP 7, and MLinkPlanner 2.0. For paid
licensing tools, the available free versions were used. The tools found in this case were TAP
7 (with a yearly license of USD 1999 [14]) and MLinkPlanner 2.0 (with a yearly license of
USD 399 [15]).
Analyzing the presented tools, the characteristics denoted while using said tools are
presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Comparison of the researched tools and the developed tool in this study.

User- Automatic Obstacle 3D Path Urban Building Updated Single

Friendliness Detection Analysis Integration Standards Software
LINKPlanner x x
TAP 7 x x x x x
MLink-Planner 2.0 x x x
Feixer x
SLPT x x
Proposed Tool x x x x x x

2. Technology Used
A Web development technique was used to create a flexible and user-friendly software
solution that also provides easier access to and interaction with third-party software. The
suggested utility was created in this way utilizing the HTML, JavaScript, and CSS computer
languages. The use of JavaScript, which is used to specify the processes that occur after user
interactions, adds functionality to the visual structures that can be presented and interacted
with by users using HTML. Finally, CSS was used for styling and animation, which helps
the user understand the presented page.
The Electron Framework [16] was used to ensure a cross-platform, client-side appli-
cation without the direct use of a Web browser. A developed Web page is shown with
this framework using the Chromium browser in a way similar to that of most other web
browsers, and the developed software is hosted on a virtual local server using Node.js. With
the use of a package manager such as Node Package Manager (NPM), Node.js also enables
the integration of the modules created by third parties (referred to as node modules). The
Git and GitHub platforms were used for software version management. These platforms
offer the management and storage of several produced feature versions, which is beneficial
for software development [17].

3. Tool Description
3.1. Tool Structure
The software and application designing tool Adobe Xd was used to achieve the
specified objectives. This software has drag-and-drop capabilities that make it easier to
see the design that will be used. In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, a prototype
design, shown in Figure 2, was made.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 4 of 21

Figure 2. The developed tool’s main structure.

The areas highlighted in Figure 2 represent the main objectives previously presented,
where area 1 provides the selected project title (defined by the user on the project creation),
area 2 presents the selected project content, area 3 contains a side menu with an easy
process for the creation and saving of the projects and project progress in area 3.1, and the
presentation of the created projects, allowing the user to select or delete a project in area 3.2.

3.2. Project Creation

To create a new project, after the user selects the necessary button to initiate this
process, a pop-up box is presented, allowing the user to select the different types of projects
available, the level of data presented, and the type of visualization to be presented. The
level of data to be presented and the type of visualization are the two features resulting
from client meetings.
Upon creating a project, a selector element is added to the side menu, where the user
can select the project to load the created project. This element includes the project name, an
icon to distinguish which type of project it contains, an icon allowing the user to delete the
project, and an icon that, when pressed, provides a window on the side menu presenting
all the steps of the said project and an icon that warns the user when the file contains
elements that are not saved, being hidden when all the defined project elements are saved.
To simplify the process for users to interact when using a different type of project,
the content of the various projects all adhere to the same design principles. With this
layout, a series of windows that analyze various project creation and analysis processes
are produced. This process is consistent with how a real communication project would
typically proceed.

3.3. File System Architecture

A file system was developed to enable the user to save the current project progress for
future work and to access it again. When the software is first run, a file folder is automati-
cally established to achieve this purpose. This folder is generated in the operating system’s
application data directory, which varies depending on the operating system (for example,
C:/Users/User Name/AppData/Roaming for Windows and./Library/Application Sup-
port for Mac-OS). Therefore, the Electron app API was used to enable the development of
cross-platform apps by accessing this directory independently of the operating system.
The JSON file format was used to store the project’s progress given the compatibility
of JavaScript and JSON files. Upon loading the project page, the saved JSON object is saved
in memory for easier access.
In the section in which the user chooses the project, an icon is displayed to show the
user that a file has not been saved. When the project is saved, this icon is hidden to signify
that the project’s present state is saved. Finally, the project-specific file is only changed when
the user chooses to save it. Given these characteristics, the file system architecture resembles
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 5 of 21

that of a non-relational database, where each project simply saves the user-defined variables
that differ across different types of projects (terrestrial or satellite projects).

3.4. Terrestrial Links

In this section, the terrestrial-link design steps in the developed tool are presented.

3.4.1. Route Selection

To define the communication path, the Cesium API was used. The API allows the
integration of external three-dimensional modules imported using a GL Transmission
Format Binary (GLB) file format. The GLB format was used to exhibit the 3D models, as
it represents a binary structure of the data included in GL Transmission Format (glTF)
files, using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). The Blender software, which enables the
development of 3D models and the export of these models using the GLB file format, was
used to build the GLB file for the antennas.
In order to track user clicks on the Cesium window, Cesium offers an internal window
listener. Using the camera position and projection, it is possible to store and interpret
the user’s click location for a true place in the scene. After clicking the window, the user
can distinguish between the components of the communication system by label and a 3D
representation of an antenna placed on the spot they had chosen.
The path length and other measurements needed for calculations were taken straight
from the Cesium API, as Cesium offers a 1:1 measurement of length in comparison to the
real world.
If both the transmission and receiving antennas are in place, the first Fresnel Ellipsoid
is represented between both antennas, as depicted in Figure 3. This ellipsoid provides
an estimate of the path through which the signal energy travels. For the ellipsoid to be
presented correctly, it is placed in the middle point between the path origin and the target
and rotated using the Eye-Gaze-Up representation [18].

Figure 3. Path definition window.

Similar to how a station antenna is integrated into a communication system, so is a

passive repeater. A passive repeater model is positioned once the user selects the inclusion
of a passive repeater and specifies the location where it is to be placed. The orientation
where the passive repeater is placed reflects the angle where the post-reflection signal can
be found in the receiving antenna.

3.4.2. Antenna Characteristics

The user can change antenna characteristics such as pool height, dish diameter, and
radiation efficiency. Using the data made available by Telewave [19], the user is presented
with the option to select between different radiation patterns, as presented in Figure 4.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 6 of 21

Figure 4. Radiation pattern window.

3.4.3. Radio Characteristics

In this design step, the user inputs all the radio parameters such as transfer rate,
bandwidth, modulation, and frequency. The user can analyze multiple frequencies given
a minimum and maximum frequency. The user is able to choose between quadrature
amplitude modulation (QAM) and phase-shift keying (PSK) with the number of symbols
inputted by the user. The user may also choose the polarization of the signal, having a
horizontal and vertical option.

3.4.4. Signal Attenuation

The signal found in the receiving antenna is altered by the path in which it trav-
els. Typically, these alterations result in signal attenuation that can be divided into the
following elements:
• Free space attenuation;
• Diffraction attenuation;
• Atmospheric attenuation;
• Rain attenuation;
• Signal fading;
• Signal reflection.
Each step represents a different window on the project page, where the user may
insert necessary information (such as polarization, for example) or change automatically
acquired information (such as rain intensity). The global real-life elements necessary for
signal attenuation calculations are acquired by two different processes. Either by the use of
the OpenWeatherMap API [20], used for real-time weather variable acquisition, or using
the digital maps provided in multiple ITU-R Recommendations. These digital maps may
vary in precision and meaning; whereas one digital map has leaps between the latitude and
longitude angles of 0.75 degrees, other digital maps may have an angle leap of 1 degree.
For a faster search of the values in these digital maps, the content inserted in the .txt files
provided is rearranged to a tree-search-like structure exemplified in Figure 5, dividing the
latitude and longitude values into different categories and eliminating the need to loop
through all the elements of the file content to find a searched value of a given latitude and
longitude coordinate.
To detect diffraction and reflection points within the first and second Fresnel ellipsoids,
two ray-tracing algorithms were designed; in both algorithms, the camera displayed
in the Cesium window is used as a starting position, and they can detect both urban
building entities and terrain points. The first algorithm, denominated optical ray-tracing,
only considers the first element intersected in each ray, ignoring the remaining obstacles
that may be found after the intersected obstacle. Alternatively, the second algorithm,
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 7 of 21

denominated complete ray-tracing, considers all the obstacles found in a ray direction and
inside the Fresnel ellipsoids. To do so, after a ray intersects a building entity, the visible
element of each entity is intersected and new rays are cast until either no entities are found
or the entities are positioned outside the Fresnel ellipsoids.

Figure 5. Example of created latitude and longitude tree search.

Free-Space Attenuation
To calculate free-space attenuation Lb f , the ITU-R Recommendation P.525-4 [21] was
used. In this recommendation, this attenuation is obtained as follows:

Lb f = 32.4 + 20 log( f [MHz] ) + 20 log(d[km] ) (1)

where f is the signal frequency in MHz, and d is the link distance in km.

Diffraction Attenuation
To calculate diffraction attenuation, the ITU-R Recommendation P.526-15 [22] was
used. In this recommendation, this attenuation is obtained using three different methods:
• Single knife-edge obstacle, when one obstacle is found;
• Double-isolated edges, when two obstacles are found;
• Bullington model, when three or more obstacles are found.
For a single knife-edge obstacle, the diffraction attenuation J (υ) is obtained using
the following equation:
p !
[1 − C (υ) − S(υ)]2 + [C (υ) − S(υ)]2
J (υ) = −20 log (2)
2

where υ is defined as s  
2 1 1
υ=h + (3)
λ d1 d2
where λ is the used wavelength, and h, d1 , and d2 can be obtained following the images
provided in P.526-15 [22], and C (υ), and S(υ) represent the Fresnel integrals, also described
in the recommendation.
For double-isolated edges, the diffraction attenuation L is obtained using the follow-
ing equation:
L = L1 + L2 + L c (4)
or
L = L1 + L2 − Tc (5)
where L1 represents the signal diffraction caused by the first obstacle in an imaginary
connection between the transmission antenna and the second obstacle, and L2 represents
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 8 of 21

the signal diffraction caused by the second obstacle in an imaginary connection between
the first obstacle and the reception antenna. Tc and Lc represent the correction term used.
Equation (4) is used if L1 and L2 have a value greater than 15 dB and (5), if otherwise.
For the Bullington model, the diffraction attenuation Lb is obtained as follows:

Lb = Luc + [1 − exp(− Luc /6)](10 + 0.02d) (6)

where Luc represents the knife-edge loss obtained as described in [22].

Atmospheric Attenuation
The model to predict the atmospheric attenuation is described in ITU-R Recommenda-
tion P.676-13 [23] and is obtained as follows:
00 00
A a = γ × r0 = 0.1820 × f × ( NOxygen ( f ) + NWaterVapour ( f )) × r0 (7)
00 00
where r0 represents the path length, NOxygen ( f ) and NWaterVapour ( f ) are the imaginary parts
of the frequency-dependent complex refractivities.

Rain Attenuation
As defined in ITU-R Recommendation P.838-3 [24], the attenuation due to rain in
relation to the rain rate R is obtained as follows:

Ar = d × γR = d × kRα (8)

where the coefficients k and α, in cases of frequencies between 1 and 1000 GHz, are obtained
as follows:
  !2  
4 log10 f − b j
log10 k = ∑  a j exp−  + mk log f + ck
10 (9)
j =1
cj

  !2  
5 log10 f − b j
α = ∑  a j exp−  + mα log
10 f + cα (10)
j =1
cj

The values of the constants a j , b j , c j , mk , mα , ck , and cα follow Tables 1–4 in Recommen-

dation P.838-3 [24].

Signal Fading
Using the method described in ITU-R Recommendation P.530-18 [25], the percentage
of the time during which the enhancement A (dB) is not exceeded, pW can be obtained
as follows: h  i
pW = 100 1 − exp −10−qa A/20 (11)

Signal Reflection
Applying the method presented by C. Salema in [26], given the transmission and
reception antennas gains gE and gR , a system frequency f and emission power p E , the
dispersed power dps for a given point P, which is categorized by Cartesian coordinates
depicted in Figure 6, and with an area element of dxdy, the signal reflection dps can be
obtained as follows:

λ2 gEP gRP
dps = p E × × × × σ × dxdy (12)
4π 4π ( x2 + y2 + h E ) 4π [(d − x )2 + y2 + h2R ]
2
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 9 of 21

Figure 6. Signal reflection coordinates system, as presented by C.Salema in [27].

3.4.5. Link Quality

In this step, the calculated values for the quality metrics SESR, BBER, ESR, and
unavailability and respective clauses are presented to the user. Given that the feature to
select multiple signal frequencies is presented to the user, the results of these metrics are
presented in a two-dimensional chart (Figure 7) using the Plotly.Js library [28], depicting
the evolution of the metric values with the difference in signal frequency, as well as in
separate output sections for the different metrics (Figure 8).
Using the information presented in the graphic depicted in Figure 7, the optimal
frequency is outputted to the user, as it represents the signal frequency with a higher
critical margin.

Figure 7. Critical margin window (1).

Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 10 of 21

Figure 8. Critical margin window (2).

3.5. Satellite Links

3.5.1. Antenna Characteristics
In this step, the user is required to input the antenna positions in geographic coordi-
nates. Upon completing the insertion of data, an antenna entity is displayed in a Cesium
window provided on the user page.
Using the orbit later selected, the elevation and azimuth angles of each antenna are
also outputted in order to be directed to the satellite position.

3.5.2. Orbit Selection

In this step, a set of preconfigured orbits is offered to the user in order to define the
satellite orbit that the communication system will use as its base. The information about the
current active satellites provided by CelesTrak at http://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/
active.txt (accessed on 27 December 2022) is fetched using the JavaScript fetch API and
used to create these orbits. Over 3000 satellite orbit TLE coordinates are provided in this
text file, which can be individually displayed in the Cesium window, upon user selection.
As the user selects one of the provided orbits, the satellite entity is displayed in the Cesium
window, allowing the user to see the possible satellite positions with the evolution of time.
Additionally, the user can visualize the complete selected orbit by pressing the provided
button, as displayed in Figure 9.

Figure 9. Satellite orbit elements in Cesium window.

Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 11 of 21

In Figure 9, two direct lines are also shown, which connect the antenna positions
defined in the previous subsection. These direct lines are used as visual queues to indicate
if the link has an uninterrupted LoS between the uplink and downlink endpoints; the
red color indicates that the LoS is interrupted, and the green indicates otherwise.
This verification was performed using the general formula of intersection between a
sphere and a vector. In this case, the vector is composed between the mentioned link end-
points and the satellite position, and the sphere is representative of Earth. The intersections
found can result in the following three cases:
• Only one intersection is found, resulting in no signal blockage (case a);
• Two intersections are found, and the antenna position consists of a further intersection,
having signal blockage (case b);
• Two intersections are found, and the antenna position consists of the closest intersec-
tion, having no signal blockage (case c).
The three cases are depicted in Figure 10.

Figure 10. Possibilities for signal blockage due to Earth’s surface.

3.5.3. Satellite Characteristics

In this step, the user is required to input the satellite characteristics required for link
budget calculations. The values requested are as follows:
• Satellite power density for transponder saturation;
• Receptor merit factor;
• Saturated effective isotropic radiated power;
• Input back-off with clear sky;
• Output back-off with clear sky.

3.5.4. Radio Characteristics

Similarly to terrestrial links, in this step, the user is required to input the radio com-
munication characteristics used in the simulated link. Although maintaining the layout
of the terrestrial links, for satellite links, the user can define different frequencies for the
ascending link (uplink) and descending link (downlink).

3.5.5. QoS Parameters

Here, the user must specify the maximum bit-error ratio (BER) to be reached, as
well as the annual maximum time percentage of the outage target. These characteristics
have an impact on both the estimates for the link budget as a whole as well as the path
loss calculations (particularly the rain attenuation). In order to offer an updated result,
these elements are recalculated in response to the changes in this step.

3.5.6. Signal Attenuation

For satellite links, only rain and atmospheric attenuations were considered. Although
retaining the layout of the terrestrial, this step is divided into uplink and downlink subsec-
tions, as the frequencies used to perform the calculation may differ.

Atmospheric Attenuation
To calculate rain attenuation, ITU-R Recommendation P.618-13 [29] was used. P.618-
13 states that for links using a frequency less than 10 GHz, atmospheric attenuation can be
neglected, and for links using higher frequencies, the method used for atmospheric attenuation
calculations is the same used in terrestrial links, described in Recommendation P.676 [23].
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 12 of 21

Rain Attenuation
Recommendation P.618-13 presents a step-by-step method to calculate the rain attenu-
ation in satellite links, where the rain attenuation is obtained as follows:

1
r0.01 = q (13)
L G ×γR
1 + 0.78 × f − 0.38 × (1 − e−2× LG )

where LG represents the horizontal projection of the slant path, γR is the product found
using Equation (8), and f is the radio frequency used.

3.5.7. Link Budget

In this section, using all the elements previously inserted for the user and calculations
made in the previous sections, the minimal antenna diameters, radiation efficiency, gain,
and emission power to assure a reliable connection, both on ascending and descending
links, are presented.
The user can also change the value of radiation efficiency to analyze the effects of
this characteristic on the remaining elements, using the interface depicted in Figure 11.

Figure 11. Satellite project link budget step window.

4. Use Case
In this section, a terrestrial and satellite link project is designed using the software
developed. The system parameters are presented, as well as the results outputted using
the tool.

4.1. Terrestrial Project

This subsection presents the design of a terrestrial RF communication project between
a station located in Moscavide (Lisbon, Portugal) and a station located in Palmela (Setúbal,
Portugal), using the characteristics shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Simulated terrestrial link characteristics.

Frequencies (GHz) 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
Antennas radiation efficiency (%) 50
Transmission power (W) 20
Transmission rate (Mbits/s) 140
Bandwidth (MHz) 34
Roll of factor 0.142
Modulation 64-QAM
Polarization Horizontal
Residual BER (RBER) 1 × 10−12
Quality of service (QoS) X = 0.08
Additional attenuations (dB) 0
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 13 of 21

Figure 12 displays the transmission and reception antenna positions, as well as the
signal route.

Figure 12. Simulated terrestrial project link.

With the given system characteristics and using the modules for signal attenuation
mentioned, the results of simulated signal attenuation are presented in Table 3.

Table 3. Path attenuations for the simulated terrestrial system.

Frequency (GHz) 1 3 5 7 9
Free-space attenuation (dB) 121.3 120.9 135.3 138.2 140.4
Obstacle attenuation (dB) 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4
Atmospheric attenuation (dB) 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.8 1.2
Rain attenuation (dB) 0.03 0.03 2.7 11.2 24.96
Signal reflections (dB) −65.9 −17.0 12.9 29.7 38.97
SNR in IPC (dB) 65.2 74.1 75.8 69.6 57.4

Analyzing the system’s signal reflections, we found that the path contained a high
level of signal reflections when frequencies equal to or above 5 GHz were used, resulting in
the need to redirect the signal for the system to provide a reliable connection. Therefore, a
passive repeater was added, creating a new signal route displayed in Figure 13.

Figure 13. Simulated terrestrial project link with passive repeater.

The simulated results with the inclusion of the passive repeater are presented in
Table 4.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 14 of 21

Table 4. System elements with passive repeater addition for the simulated terrestrial project.

Frequency (GHz) 1 3 5 7 9
Free-space attenuation (dB) 230.7 249.8 258.7 264.5 268.9
Obstacles attenuation (dB) 0 0 0 0 0
Atmospheric attenuation (dB) 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.8 1.2671
Rain attenuation (dB) 0.03 0.4 2.7 11.4 25.3
Signal reflections (dB) −∞ −∞ −∞ −∞ −∞
SNR in IPC (dB) 26.8 45.3 51.3 47.98 37.8

Based on the outputted results, the signal reflection was no longer a degrading element
to the system.
To establish a reliable communication system, the system should verify all defined
margins, in addition to having a system critical margin above 3 dB [12]. For the simulated
project, the verification of project clauses is presented in Table 5.

Table 5. Project clause fulfillment for the simulated terrestrial project.

Frequency (GHz) 1 3 5 7 9
SESR clause fulfillment False True True True False
BBER clause fulfillment False False True False False
ESR clause fulfillment True True True True True
Unavailability due to rain clause fulfillment True True True True False

Based on the clause analysis, the critical margins for these clauses were calculated,
which are presented in Table 6.

Table 6. The critical margins of project clauses for the simulated terrestrial project.

Frequency (GHz) 1 3 5 7 9
SESR critical margin (dB) −11.96 1.7 5.6 0.7 −10.6
BBER critical margin (dB) −16.3 −2.6 1.2 −3.6 −14.9
ESR critical margin (dB) 4.2 15.6 17.2 15.0 5.5
Unavailability due to rain critical margin (dB) 1.3 19.5 23.7 13.6 −7.4
Project critical margin (dB) −16.3 −2.6 1.2 −3.6 −14.9

As presented in both Tables 5 and 6, all clauses were fulfilled only when a frequency
of 5 GHz was used. Conversely, using this system frequency did not fulfill a project
critical margin of 3 dB (having a 1.2 dB project critical margin), as previously mentioned.
Subsequently, diversity and signal equalization was used.
The introduction of diversity and equalization led to the requirement to obtain a 3 dB
threshold for the project’s critical margin. For this system, both methods of diversity were
implemented, as well as signal equalization. These methods were implemented using the
characteristics shown in Table 7.
As a result of diversity and equalization implementations, the project’s critical margins
were recalculated, and the obtained values are presented in Table 8.
Using this method, the project’s critical margin with 5 GHz communication frequency
was increased to 4.0 dB, thus creating a reliable communication system using the elements
and characteristics described throughout the design of the project.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 15 of 21

Table 7. Diversity and equalization characteristics for the simulated terrestrial project.

Distance between space diversity antenna

10
and transmission antenna (m)
Space diversity
Gain ratio between space diversity antenna
1
and transmission antenna
Carriers frequency separation (GHz) 4
Frequency diversity Gain ratio between frequency diversity
1
antenna and transmission antenna
Minimum phase gain factor 490
Signal equalization
Non-minimum phase gain factor 35

Table 8. The critical margins of project clauses for the simulated terrestrial project using diversity
and equalization.

Frequency (GHz) 1 3 5 7 9
SESR critical margin (dB) −37.3 −0.5 11.7 4.97 −15.4
BBER critical margin (dB) −44.98 −8.2 4.0 −2.7 −23.1
ESR critical margin (dB) −23.8 12.13 18.3 15.9 −1.9
Unavailability due to rain critical margin (dB) 1.3 19.454 23.7 13.6 −7.4
Project critical margin (dB) −44.99 −8.2 4.02 −2.7 −23.1

4.2. Satellite Project

In this subsection, a satellite communication system is simulated using the developed
tool. The tool, at the conclusion of the design phase, outputted the necessary antenna
characteristics required to ensure a reliable connection.
The simulated satellite system characteristics are presented in Table 9.

Table 9. Simulated satellite-link characteristics.

Transmission antenna coordinates 39°230 5900 N–8°10 000 W

Receptive antenna coordinates 16°00 700 N–24°00 000 W
Uplink frequencies (GHz) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
Downlink frequencies (GHz) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
Transmission rate (Mbits/s) 60
Bandwidth (MHz) 36
Residual BER (RBER) 10−4
Unavailability year percentage (%) 0.15
Modulation 4-QAM
Uplink polarization Horizontal
Downlink polarization Horizontal

For the present simulation, the orbit of satellite LCS 1 was used, with the main
Keplerian elements listed in Table 10.
The connection made between the satellite and the stations is depicted in Figure 14.
Following the methods presented and using the weather characteristics outputted, the
attenuation values were determined, which are presented in Table 11.
Using all the inputted and outputted elements, in this step, the antenna character-
istics were determined to establish a reliable communication system. Considering the
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 16 of 21

elements presented for this simulation, the antenna characteristics outputted are presented
in Table 12.

Table 10. Main Keplerian elements of used satellite orbit for the simulated satellite project.

Longitude of ascending node (°) 231,55

Orbit inclination (°) 32,14
Argument of perigee(°) 137,36
Ellipse semi-major axis (km) 9166,05744
Eccentricity 0,0012574

Figure 14. Antennas and satellite positions for the simulated satellite project.

Table 11. Path attenuations for the simulated satellite system.

Frequency (GHz) 2 4 6 8 10
Free-space attenuation (dB) 169.2 175.2 178.7 181.2 183.1
Uplink Atmospheric attenuation (dB) 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7
Rain attenuation (dB) 0.04 0.3 1.4 3.5 6.1
Free-space attenuation (dB) 169.9 175.9 179.4 181.9 183.9
Downlink Atmospheric attenuation (dB) 0.2 0.4 0.7 1.1 1.6
Rain attenuation (dB) 0.06 0.4 1.9 4.8 8.6

Table 12. Simulated satellite project link budget elements.

Diameter (m) 1.41

Radiation efficiency (%) 50
Transmission antenna
Minimum gain (dB) 40.4
Minimum emission power (W) 61.57
Diameter (m) 1.41
Receiving antenna Radiation efficiency (%) 50
Minimum gain (dB) 40.37

5. Tool Optimization
In a combined effort with the Portuguese Army Directorate of Communications
and Information Systems (DCSI), usability tests were performed in order to evaluate the
developed tool’s user-friendliness and to define the additional features that were found
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 17 of 21

useful for using the tool in professional practice. This process granted further professional
value to the developed tool through the addition of the suggested features, as well as
assuring that the tool is easy to use for the professional user.
During several meetings, the following problems were brought up:
1. The process of adding antennas and passive repeaters in terrestrial projects was
found to be difficult since in the first iteration, these elements were added not by using
different buttons but by using the right and left click of a mouse; the transmission and
receiving antennas were added by order (i.e., first the transmission was added and then the
receiving antenna, looping this order to change antenna positions), using the left mouse
click, and the passive repeater was added by using the right mouse click. To facilitate
this process, the buttons presented at the bottom of Figure 3 were created.
2. Users found it difficult to differentiate an input element from an output element.
Therefore, the layout of the different elements was changed; input elements had a white
outline, and output elements had a black outline.
3. It was requested to add a numerical element for each step window, allowing the
user to understand the project progress made. This feature was added in the title of
each step window.
4. The software allowed the user to input the elements without verification. The input
of negative values and different decimal separation elements (. or ,) led to inputs that were
not valuable and displayed errors to the user, as presented in Figure 15.

Figure 15. Invalid input error message.

5. A step-by-step layout was suggested in order to visualize each step independently

of the remaining steps, verifying whether all the inputs of a given step were correctly
defined before moving to the next step. This created a methodical process to define the
project elements, in contrast to defining different parts of a given step without particular
order. To this end, an additional option was added to the project creation window that,
when selected, “next” and “previous” buttons would be added to the bottom of the project
window, which would change the step presented to the user to the next or previous when
clicked, as presented in Figure 16.

Figure 16. Satellite project link budget step window.

Figure 17 presents the project creation window with the mentioned feature highlighted.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 18 of 21

Figure 17. Step-by-step project layout option.

6. To facilitate the project design for professional users, it was requested to reduce the
number of outputs given by the software. In order to meet this need without removing
the academic value of the project design, an additional project layout was created. In
this project, the outputs considered unnecessary for professional use were hidden from the
user, thus presenting fewer steps to complete the project design.
For terrestrial projects, the following hidden steps were included:
• Equipment reliability;
• Obstacle attenuation;
• Atmospheric attenuation;
• Rain attenuation;
• Unavailability distribution;
• Fast fading;
• Signal reflections;
• SNR in IPC;
• Uniform fading margin;
• Selective fading margin.
For satellite projects, the following hidden steps were included:
• Free-space attenuation;
• Atmospheric attenuation;
• Rain attenuation.
To select this project layout, upon creating a project, the user is presented with the
option to create a professional project, as seen in Figure 18.
7. It was requested to create a mechanism that allowed the user to identify in which
step it is currently being displayed, in relation to the total steps presented in the project
design. To accomplish this goal, a slider was added to the top of the project window,
indicating the steps that the current project has and the step currently being presented
to the user. The slider also displays which step each element represents by hovering the
mouse on each step number and allowing the user to select the said step, scrolling or
skipping to the selected step in a normal project or with a step-by step-layout, respectively.
The developed feature is presented in Figure 19.
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 19 of 21

Figure 18. Professional project layout option.

Figure 19. Project step display feature.

6. Conclusions
In this paper, a tool was developed that is able to automatize the process of the project
design of terrestrial and satellite microwave communication systems, thus minimizing
the time spent on this phase of the project. This tool abides by the most recent ITU-R
Recommendations at the time of development.
Apart from performing the needed calculations, the tool also provides processes to
warn the user when an element of the project design is detrimental to the project, as well as
how to fix the problem found.
Even though there are tools currently available for similar use, it was found that the ma-
jority of the tools available are outdated or bare a large financial investment for engineering
students and institutions. Contrarily, the developed tool provides a free-to-use experience,
hence mostly advantageous to students. Furthermore, the developed tool can be applied
for both academic and professional use by providing a greater understanding of design
elements for students and a fast and direct approach for professional project designers.
To validate the outputted results, independent previously designed projects were
simulated using the developed tool, to verify whether the results in both instances matched.
There was an opportunity to interact with professional users in this field who tested
this tool, and the result was very positive, as their feedback enabled us to optimize the tool,
adding additional and useful features.
Thus, a new method for obstacle detection was created. The use of a simplified
ray-tracing algorithm allowed us to not only detect obstacles in a link path but also to
minimize its attenuation on the signal and the corresponding signal reflections that can
Future Internet 2023, 15, 58 20 of 21

be found in the receiving antenna. Despite the level of complexity of this algorithm and
having an elevated execution time when compared with two-dimensional algorithms,
the developed algorithm exhibits an increased level of precision, by considering all the
elements in a link path and path surroundings, which highlights the greater scientific value
of the developed tool.

Author Contributions: Software, E.F.; Investigation, E.F.; Writing—original draft, E.F.; Writing—
review & editing, P.S., F.C., C.S.C. and A.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version
of the manuscript.
Funding: This work was funded by FCT/MCTES through national funds and when applicable
co-funded by EU funds under the project UIDB/50008/2020.
Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from each participant before article
submission. consent was obtained from each participant before article submission.
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the
corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy.
Acknowledgments: A special thanks to the Portuguese Army Directorate of Communications and
Information Systems for welcoming us with open doors and for the combined effort to make the
presented tool better in every possible way.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise.

Abbreviations
The following abbreviations are used in this manuscript:

API Application programming interface

BBER Background block error ratio
BER Bit-error ratio
CSS Cascading style sheets
DCSI Portuguese Army Directorate of Communications and Information Systems
ESR Errored second ratio
GLB GL transmission format binary
glTF GL transmission format
HTML HyperText markup language
IPC Ideal propagation conditions
ITU-R International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector
JSON JavaScript object notation
LoS Line of sight
NPM Node Package Manager
PSK Phase-shift keying
QAM Quadrature amplitude modulation
QoS Quality of service
RBER Residual BER
SNR Signal-to-noise ratio
TLE Two-line element set

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