Method for uplink power control for distributed satellite networks to compensate for rain fade

A method for dynamically determining the power compression point of an amplifier in a distributed network under the control of a computer, the network having a first terminal including the amplifier, the terminal being operatively coupled to a plurality of second terminals by a communication channel, said method comprising:

• (1) transmitting a signal at N power levels to the second terminals, where N is a positive integer;
• (2) measuring a bit error rate (BER) for the signal at each of said N power levels at the second terminals;
• (3) generating BER messages for the signal at each of said N power levels, each of said BER messages including the measured BER and data indicative of a power level, among said N power levels, corresponding to the measured BER in the each of said BER messages;
• (4) transmitting the BER messages to the computer;
• and
• (5) when it is determined that the amplifier is approaching saturation from the BER messages, reducing the maximum allowed power of the amplifier,
• wherein the signal is always transmitted at the N power levels prior to the reducing the maximum allowed power of the amplifier.

A method for dynamic uplink power control for an amplifier in a distributed network under the control of a computer, the network having a first terminal including the amplifier, the first terminal being operatively coupled to a plurality of second terminals by a communication channel, said method comprising:

• examining a plurality of control burst bit error rate (CB BER) measurement reports, said reports respectively corresponding to a signal transmitted at each of N power levels, where N is a positive integer, each of said CB BER measurement reports including data indicative of a measured BER and data indicative of a power level, among the N power levels, to which each of said CB BER measurement reports corresponds;
• computing an average CB BER responsive to said examined plurality of the CB BER measurement reports;
• determining whether the amplifier is approaching saturation, wherein the determining comprises determining whether a power level of the amplifier is greater than a maximum allowed power level of the amplifier responsive to the examined CB BER measurement reports;
• and reducing the maximum allowed power level of the amplifier when it is determined that the power level of the amplifier is greater than the maximum allowed power level,
• wherein the signal is always transmitted at the N power levels prior to the reducing the maximum allowed power level of the amplifier.

A method for dynamic uplink power control for an amplifier in a distributed network under the control of a computer, the network having a first terminal including the amplifier, the first terminal being operatively coupled to a plurality of second terminals by a communication channel, said method comprising:

• examining a plurality of control burst bit error rate (CB BER) measurement reports, said reports respectively corresponding to a signal transmitted at each of N power levels, where N is a positive integer, each of said CB BER measurement reports including data indicative of a measured BER and data indicative of a power level, among the N power levels, to which each of said CB BER measurement reports corresponds;
• computing an average CB BER responsive to said examined plurality of the CB BER measurement reports;
• determining whether the amplifier is approaching saturation, wherein the determining comprises determining whether a power level of the amplifier is greater than a maximum allowed power level of the amplifier responsive to the examined CB BER measurement reports;
• and reducing the maximum allowed power level of the amplifier when it is determined that the power level of the amplifier is greater than the maximum allowed power level,
• wherein the signal is always transmitted at the N power levels prior to the reducing the maximum allowed power level of the amplifier.