Antenna Pointing Loss Blocks

Embedded MATLAB function blocks that simulate pointing loss and signal obstruction for Gaussian ...

Communication signals can be attenuated at the receive antenna if there is a misalignment between the transmit and receive antenna. This can be either a static misalignment or a time varying misalignment, like when an antenna is mounted on a tower that sways in the wind.
Communications signals can also be totally blocked by obstructions passing in front of an antenna. An example would be an antenna mounted in a buoy out at sea that occasionally has a wave wash over it.

Both these conditions cause a loss in overall communications performance. The models in this submission show how to simulate these effects of antenna misalignment and obstruction in a Simulink communications system simulation.

1- XModel6. This model is a comms simulation with perfect antenna pointing.

2- XModel6Gauss. This model shows how to simulate a static misalignment between a transmit and receive antenna. The antenna pattern used in this example is a Gaussian approximation.

3- XModel6Sinc. This model shows how to simulate a dynamic pointing loss. In this case the misalignment is simulated with a sinusoidal function. The antenna pattern used in this example is for a square feed horn, which has a sinc rolloff characteristic.

4- XModel6SincBlocked. This model shows how to simulate a receive antenna that is misaligned and periodically obstructed. The obstruction is modeled with a low duty cycle square wave. The antenna pattern used in this example is for a square feed horn, which has a sinc rolloff characteristic.