Radio frequency power considerations for land mobile radio systems

The design of land mobile two-way and one-way radio systems requires consideration of the power handling capabilities of the system and of the individual components. It is pointed out that a power budget ought to be employed to calculate the power handling capability of the system before construction. Individual component specifications ought to be analyzed and proper precautions taken to ensure a well-engineered system. The power budget and its components are discussed. Examples are used to demonstrate the importance of the evaluation and to prove its relevance to radio system design. It is shown that the power budget makes it possible to determine that the cable and connector sizes of the combined 20-channel 800-MHz trunked radio system are not adequate and require upgrading. This analysis is useful as a preventative tool and as a troubleshooting tool for the radio systems engineer, consultant, or technician