STEP 7: FADE MARGIN

INTRODUCTION

• The receiver manufacturer will offer a noise threshold

specification (expressed in dBm) which simply, is the
sensitivity of the receiver.
• It is considered to be the lowest receive signal level at
which the receiver will still be considered “unusable”.
DEFINITION
FADE MARGIN
• the difference in dB between the normal unfaded signal and the
Improvement Threshold
• a “safety margin” of excess signal that the path can fade before
the receiver becomes unusable due to noise
• FMdB = RSLdBm – ITdBm
DEFINITION:
IMPROVEMENT THRESHOLD
• this is the point at which the RF carrier-to noise ratio is equal
to10 dB
• the point at which the “capture effect” takes place
• at this point, the peaks of the signal begin to exceed the peaks
of the noise and quieting begins
• IT(dBm) = -104 +10log BWMHz + NFdB
• Typical receiver threshold levels for digital and analog
commercial receivers are usually in the ballpark area of -70
dBm to -85 dBm
• Typical design for a microwave receiver is about -35 dBm
RAYLEIGH FADING DISTRIBUTION

Single-Hop Propagation Required Fade Margin (dB)

Reliability (%)
90 8
99 18
99.9 28
99.99 38
99.999 48
99.9999 58
NOTE

• Adding margin costs money, and it would be desirable

to reduce the margin yet maintain the hop reliability.
DEFINITION:
CARRIER-TO-NOISE RATIO
• the ratio of the minimum wideband carrier power at
the input of a receiver that will provide a usable
baseband output to the wideband noise power present
at the input of a receiver and the noise introduced
within the receiver.
DEFINITION:
RECEIVER THERMAL NOISE
• sometimes called “Detection Threshold” or “Absolute Noise
Threshold”
PROBLEM

• An FM LOS microwave link operates at 6.15 GHz. The required

receiver IF bandwidth is 20 MHz. The transmitter output power
is 30 dBm. The receiver’s front end active stage is a mixer with
a noise figure of 9 dB. The path length is 21 mi, the antennas at
each end have a 35 dB gain and the transmission line losses at
each end are 3 dB. If the FM Improvement threshold is used as
the unfaded reference, what is the reliability of the radio link?
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