Optimal Satcom’s Training Program

This course is intended for professionals who are new to the field of satellite communications, and who need to acquire essential satellite communications knowledge quickly. It is an ideal first course in satellite communications for people with some technical background. After you take this course, you will have a clear understanding of basic satellite communications, and become familiar with common terminology. You will learn the history of satellite communication, basic satellite flight dynamics, and common satellite orbits. You will be introduced to different types of signals typically used for satellite communications and obtain an overview of how different satellite systems work – point-to-point, SCPC, VSAT networks, satellite broadcasts, satellite TV, DVB, etc.

This course is offered as a 2-day course where the first day is shared with SC-201. The second day of the course builds on the first day with more in-depth topics. After you take this course, you will have a clear understanding of basic satellite communications, and will proficiently use SATCOM terminology. You will understand the working of a typical satellite link, and its elements – the transmit terminal, the satellite, the carrier, the interference parameters and the receive terminal; and will be able to perform elementary link budget analyses.

This course is intended for technical professionals who are familiar with basic satellite communications and link budget analyses, and who are involved in the analysis and design of satellite links. It is an ideal course for SATCOM engineers who want to build a firm SATCOM engineering foundation to help them design well-engineered satellite links. After you take this course, you will master the process of link budget analysis and link design. You will be able to easily understand and analyze link budgets. You will understand the key parameters which influence each design decision, and learn how to engineer links that deliver the required quality of service without being overly conservative. You will also learn to recognize and avoid common errors in link design.

This course is intended for SATCOM engineers and managers who are very familiar with satellite communications and link-budget analysis, but who want to enhance their depth and breadth of knowledge of satellite communications. It is an ideal course for senior engineers and technical managers who frequently face challenging link design and SATCOM engineering problems. After you take this course, you will have a deep understanding of satellite communications. You will become familiar with a typical communications satellite payload architecture, and the layout of transmit and receive earth stations. You will understand the sources of the major link impairments – thermal noise, interference, and intermodulation. You will learn about the various propagation effects (rain, scintillation, gaseous absorption, etc.) which need to be considered in link design, and the popular rain models used to model them. You will learn about the satellite non-linear amplifier, and optimization of satellite capacity. You will understand the considerations involved in digital link design and selection of modem options – modulation types, FEC, Reed-Solomon, and Turbo Codes, etc. You will also become familiar with relevant ITU regulations.

This course is intended for experienced SATCOM engineers, network planners and capacity managers who are involved in the design and operation of satellite-based networks, or who manage sizeable transponder capacity. After you take this course, you will learn a systematic approach to designing satellite networks – an approach that progresses from an initial design towards an optimal design through a process of recognizing, analyzing, and correcting problems and bottlenecks, and performing necessary trade-offs. You will learn to consider alternatives, make modifications that yield the greatest improvement, and reject approaches that are unlikely to make much difference, or are operationally undesirable. You will understand how to recognize the dominant impairments which may be wasting transponder power, and how to reduce their impact. You will learn about the classic trade-offs – bandwidth vs. power; uplink vs. downlink; satellite vs. ground, etc. – that need to be made in designing a satellite network.

This course is intended for experienced SATCOM engineers, network planners and capacity managers who are involved in the management of satellite transponder capacity. It is an ideal course for satellite operators who manage substantial capacity – a partial or whole satellite, or even an entire satellite fleet – and need to simultaneously manage, and coordinate between several independent satellite networks. After you take this course, you will learn a systematic approach to managing satellite capacity. You will learn how to quickly analyze your satellite, assign capacity to your customers, and compute power-equivalent bandwidth. You will understand how to recognize and avoid potential problems such as interference and intermodulation, and optimize use of your satellite capacity. You will learn how to develop good frequency plans and perform grooming. You will learn to define transponder operating conditions and assign optimum gain (SFD) settings. You will learn to function under operational constraints and ensure adherence to ITU regulations, and deal with issues related to inter-system and inter-network coordination.

This course is intended for engineers and technical professionals working in the SATCOM industry, as well as network planners and managers who are involved in the design of satellite-based networks and who want to become familiar with the ITU regulations and processes for inter-system coordination. After you take this course, you will understand the issues involved in coordination between two systems – either two satellite systems, or between a satellite system and a terrestrial system – with regard to inter-system interference. You will become familiar with the ITU regulations and recommendations which are applicable to inter-system interference, and the procedures and guidelines for coordination. You will learn how to compute adjacent satellite interference (ASI), and determine compliance with ITU regulations. You will also learn about the databases, resources, and software that the ITU provides for purposes of facilitating coordination.

These courses are intended for new users of Complan®, and are offered in a 1-day or 2-day format; the second day of the course builds on the first day with more in-depth discussion on selected topics. After you take these courses, you will be able to use the Complan® at a basic level (1-day course) or intermediate level (2-day course). These are excellent courses for employees of companies that have deployed Complan®, and who need to use the software to perform their job functions. Please contact Optimal Satcom for more in-depth courses in the use of Complan®.

These courses are intended for new users of the Enterprise Capacity Manager® (ECM™), and are offered in a 1-day or 2-day format; the second day of the course builds on the first day with more in-depth discussion on selected topics. After you take these courses, you will be able to use the ECM™at a basic level (1-day course) or intermediate level (2-day course). These are excellent courses for employees of companies that have deployed ECM™, and who need to use the software to perform their job functions. Please contact Optimal Satcom for more in-depth courses in the use of ECM™ or other Optimal Satcom products.

We are happy to customize courses to suit your needs. Customized courses can be structured for as few as three users, can last from three to ten days, and may span a variety of topics in satellite communications from basic to advanced level. Customized courses can be held at either Optimal Satcom’s training facility in Herndon, VA or at your offices. When customizing a course, we typically use data, examples, and hands-on exercises that relate to your specific capacity management environment, and try to use the satellites, terminal types, and communications technologies of interest to you. Please contact us for any further inquiries.