Optimum Transponder Design for Pseudonoise-Coded Ranging Systems, Weak Signals

Optimization of the bandwidth of a turnaround transponder is carried out for weak signals at the transponder receiver. Optimum transponder bandwidth is found to be around 0.77-1, where T is the period of one element of the ranging code. Linear transponders are compared with transponders having baseband limiting. Phase modulation is assumed. It is shown that, for weak signals, linear transponders are preferable for a partitioning of the transponder transmitted power giving (carrier power)/(total power) > 0.43, while baseband limiters are preferred for (carrier power)/(total power) < 0.43.