Abstract
Satellite communication has served as the foundation for television, radio, and telephone transmission for more than a century. These communications function at extremely high frequencies, primarily 6 GHz for uplink and 4 GHz for downlink. Satellite antennas installed on residences convert these high-frequency signals downward to make more efficient use of them. Frequency down-converters are commercially known as Low-Noise Blocks (LNBs). LNBs are responsible for receiving, amplifying, and then down-converting these microwave signals to a lower range of intermediate frequencies. This down-conversion is essential as it enables the signal to be transmitted through relatively inexpensive coaxial cables, in contrast to the costly and impractical waveguides that would be necessary for transmitting the original microwave signals. This paper addresses the design of the three primary components that constitute a frequency downconverter: the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), the Local Oscillator (LO), and the Frequency Mixer. The intermediate frequencies required for satellite applications typically range from 75 MHz to 900 MHz. This study designs a frequency down-converter that generates an intermediate frequency of 100 MHz. For an input radio frequency of 1 GHz, the oscillator will be designed to operate at a center frequency of 0.9 GHz.