Project Properties Project PropertiesThe Properties dialog box consists of a navigation tree control on the left and a series of tabbed pages on the right. By selecting a project icon in the tree control, a set of tabs are displayed which expose the project’s user-configurable properties. There is exactly one icon for each open project.
Changes made at the project level potentially affect the performance of each system page within the project depending on several factors. Each project parameter is discussed in the following paragraphs. Note that changes made on one project do not have an affect on any other project.
The project Display tab declares whether the project is based on Receiver or Transmitter concepts. Some aspects or SysCalc, such as the Control Palette behavior and Spurious Reports, change based on the type of project.
The project Display tab establishes the default appearance and user interface for all the system pages within the project. There are two list boxes shown on the Display tab: Display Parameters and Hidden Parameters. By moving items between the ‘Hidden parameters’ and the ‘Display parameters’, you can customize exactly what will be shown beneath each component on each system page. A parameter is moved by first selecting it within a list box and then clicking the << or >> button as appropriate.
There are two independent sets of customizable parameters: input and output. Either set can be displayed by selecting the appropriate button within the Parameter Set group box.
Input Parameter Set
The input parameter set consists of all component items that can be directly edited on a system page such as NF and Gain. Only those parameters in the Display Parameters list box will appear below the components on each page. These parameters will appear in the same order on the system page as they appear in the Display Parameters list box. The parameters can be reordered by selecting a parameter in the Display Parameters list box and clicking on the Up or Down buttons below the list box as appropriate.
Output Parameter Set
The output parameter set consists of all non-editable component items that can be displayed on a system page such as Pout. Only those parameters in the Display Parameters list box will appear below the components on each page. These parameters will appear in the same order on the system page as they appear in the Display Parameters list box. The parameters can be reordered by selecting a parameter in the Display Parameters list box and clicking on the Up or Down buttons below the list box as appropriate. The output parameter set is described below:
The project Source tab exposes the parameters of the project source. Some parameters, such as Demodulation type, are fixed for a given project; however, some parameters are also editable on specific system reports for convenience.
| Source Temperature | the source's noise temperature (K). | |
| Crest Factor | the difference (dB) between the source's rms power and peak power. SysCalc will issue a warning when the peak power present at a component's output exceeds its supply voltage. Enter 0 is the crest factor is to be ignored. | |
| Two-Tone IM Offset | See Linear Report | |
| Modulation |
The modulation method for the source. This parameter relates to receiver analysis only. There are a variety of modulation choices available in the drop-down list, the majority of which are digital. By default, FM is selected as the modulation type. To provide a measure of flexibility for modulation schemes not supported by SysCalc, the Custom type is available. By choosing Custom in the drop-down box additional fields become active as shown below. Use the Display Name field to name the Custom modulation (e.g., 16 QAM). This will be the name used in related reports. If the modulation type is not considered digital, select the S/N button. If the modulation type is digital, select the Eb/No button. Note that there is no internal relationship between BER and Eb/No for the Custom type. The user is responsible for entering meaningful numbers into both of these fields. For more information see Modulation |
The project Parameters tab exposes the high-level parameters of the project. Some parameters are also editable on specific system reports for convenience.
| Sens. Loss | The loss in sensitivity (dB) due to system inefficiencies. Use this field to account for the differences between ideal and actual performance. | |
| Eb/No (S/N) | The margin (dB) above the effective noise floor (MDS) required to meet receiver sensitivity. For digital demodulation the margin is in terms of the bit-energy to noise-density ratio; otherwise, the tab displays S/N (dB, Req’d) next to the field to allow entry of the required signal-to-noise. | |
| BER | The bit error rate performance required to meet receiver sensitivity. This field is only available for digital demodulation. BER is mathematically related to Eb/No according to the particular modulation scheme chosen for the project. Entering a value in either of these fields causes the equivalent value to be computed and entered in the related field. | |
|
System Temperature
|
Each
system page within a project uses this temperature as its own temperature
by default; however, each page may have its own independent temperature
as appropriate (see System Properties
). Component parameters are affected system temperature as described in
Component Properties . The
default system temperature is 290 K. |
The project Antenna tab allows you to specify the parameters of the receive-antenna associated with the project and are only applicable to the Link Budget Report. These parameters also appear on the Link Budget Report and can be edited there as well.
| Freq (MHz) | the antenna receive frequency | |
| Ant. Temp (K) |
The effective
noise temperature of the receive antenna. The default temperature is 290 K. All noise figure calculations within a project are computed
relative to the antenna temperature defined in this dialog. Antenna
temperature and Pwr Density are alternative fields for expressing the
antenna noise and are mutually exclusive. |
|
| Pwr Density (dBm/Hz) | The noise power density present at the antenna input. Antenna temperature and Pwr Density are alternative fields for expressing the antenna noise and are mutually exclusive. | |
| Ant. Gain (dBi) | the effective gain relative to an isotropic antenna (dBi). | |
| Ant. Factor (dB/m) | the antenna
factor (AFE) expressed in dB/meter.
The antenna vendor usually supplies the antenna factor. The formula relating
the parameters is  The receiver input power at a given frequency is calculated from the field strength present at the antenna and the antenna factor.
|
The project Notes tab allows you to conveniently keep project notes.
