Telemetry transmitter frequency stability evaluation

All satellite telemetry transmitters use quartz crystals to synthesize their downlink frequency. Higher downlink frequency designs have evolved from lower frequency designs. Design techniques typically simply increase the crystal frequency multiplier, therefore crystal frequency instability is magnified in higher frequency designs. At some point, the transmit frequency stability will start to degrade the telemetry reception performance. This paper describes the search for appropriate measurements, metrics, impact assessment, and simulation to characterize and screen for acceptable performance.