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Link Budget

For a radio to properly function, a signal must be able to be detected by the receiver. The link budget accounts for all the gains and losses from the transmitter to the receiver, to determine if the received signal is strong enough that the receiver can decode it.  In this interactive we’ll visualize the Link Budget equation Step by Step:

The Power of our Starting Transmission, measured in dBm.

Tx Radio

Tx Power

dBm

Transmission Power

Distance

Transmitter Losses

The Power that is lost as our signal travels through cables and physical materials in our Transmitter. 

Cable

EIRP

Antenna

Transmitter Antenna Gain

The Gain in power attributed to the Transmission Antenna. 

Path Loss

The Loss of Energy as your signal travels across space to the reciever, different materials will diminish energy more or less. 

Path Loss

Reciever Losses

The power that is lost as our signal travles through cables and physical materials in our Reciever.

The Recieved Power. Measured in dBm, at this point you can calculate if the signal is powerful enough to be recieved. 

Rx Radio

Rx Sensitivity

Rx Power

Margin

Receiver Power

Our Graph

The following chart plots the dBm losses and gains across distance, highlighting the points in which we lose and amplify our signal. 

Reciever Antenna Gain