Land-mobile satellite start-up systems

Attention is given to the relationships between space segment mass, mobile terminal characteristics, and system capacity, for the case of an experimental Land Mobile Satellite System (LMSS) for the contiguous United States. Models for: (1) multipath fading vs mobile terminal antenna gain; (2) mobile terminal costs vs mobile terminal antenna gains; and (3) space payload mass, are developed for LMSSs operating in the bands near 800 and 1600 MHz. LMSS configurations are given for three specific examples that correspond to the payload mass equivalent of an Intelsat V maritime communications subsystem package, a Satellite Business Systems spacecraft, and an Intelsat V spacecraft, giving system alternatives which illustrate tradeoffs among mobile terminal cost, modulation type, and system capacity.