Level 4: New Bird, No Handbook - Frequency Calculations

[thkruz]

Phase: Mastery
Time Pressure: None
Calculation Required: Yes (RF to IF conversions)
New UI Elements: Reference guide, calculation confirmation dialogs

Premise:
TIDEMARK-2 just reached geostationary orbit at 45°W. Spacecraft team has provided the beacon frequency, but you need to calculate all IF frequencies yourself. No more pre-filled values.

Scenario:

• TIDEMARK-2 beacon frequency provided: 3,947.8 MHz
• Target IF frequency (standard): 1,247.5 MHz
• You must calculate required LNB LO frequency
• You must select appropriate filter bandwidth
• You must configure spectrum analyzer parameters
• Charlie checks your math before you execute

What You Learn:

• RF to IF conversion calculations
• Formula: IF = RF_in - LO, therefore LO = RF_in - IF_target
• Filter bandwidth selection for CW beacon
• Spectrum analyzer span/RBW tradeoffs
• Using reference documentation

Dialog Tone:
Professional expectation - you should be able to do this now.

Victory Condition:
Successfully acquire TIDEMARK-2 beacon on first try. Charlie approves your calculations and the signal appears cleanly on the spectrum analyzer.

[thkruz]

Complete