Question
What is a link budget?
Answer Options
- A) The financial costs associated with operating a radio link
- B) The sum of antenna gains minus system losses
- C) The sum of transmit power and antenna gains minus system losses as seen at the receiver
- D) The difference between transmit power and receiver sensitivity
Correct Answer: C
Explanation
A link budget is a comprehensive calculation used in radio engineering to predict the performance of a radio communication link, particularly the expected received signal power. It is a balance sheet that accounts for all factors that affect the signal from the transmitter to the receiver.
Specifically, it is the sum of transmit power and antenna gains minus system losses as seen at the receiver. This calculation includes the transmitter’s output power, the gain/loss of the transmitting antenna, the free space path loss (signal weakening over distance), and the gain/loss of the receiving antenna and feed line. The final calculated value is the received signal power at the receiver’s input.
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