Design of Ku Band SATCOM GaN Block Up-Converter (BUC) with modeling of RF Systems using SystemVue

Mohamed K. Nezami, Ph.D. RF/Microwave design series:
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In this video, I present the design and simulation of a Ku Band Block Up-Converter to be used for satellite communication (SATCOM) terminal. I show the selection of electronic parts, budget link analysis, and RF performance analysis validation using Pathwave SystemVue CAD tool.

Excellent video!. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Do you have any advise for someone who's trying to diagnose/repair an 80W Comtech HPA? Warmest regards

[@RF_Micrwave]

Just do it carefully, give me the model number and let me see its technology first, is it Ku band ??? . You need to open it first, and study its architicture first, control, DC, RF, IOs ...etc, before you fire it up. What are the issues, does it draw current ???, low power ??, what does the BIT diagnostic tell you if any ???

​@@RF_Micrwave First and foremost, thank you for your kind response. I have two Comtech HPOD-80WR2W00 HPAs Ku-band, and both are exhibiting the same behavior: I cannot get anything beyond 42.8dBm (around 19 watts) of output power, no matter how much input power I apply. This is significantly lower than their rated output power of 80 watts.
Both HPAs turn on and draw current, and I have updated their firmware to the latest version available from the manufacturer. I have not been able to find any errors in the logs or monitoring utility.
I have checked the input and output signals with a spectrum analyzer, and they both appear to be healthy. The input signal is strong and clean, and the output signal correlates with the measured RF power.
I am at a loss to explain why these HPAs are not producing anything near their full rated output power. I would appreciate any advice you can provide since there are no technical experts in my country available to diagnose and repair this type of equipment.
Again, thanks a lot!