Matching the equipment to the desired performance.

When we design a VSAT antennas system there are many variables to consider, but for simplicity we can narrow down the list to the location, the antenna size and the output power of the BUC or transceiver.

The most critical calculation is to match the power of the BUC with the diameter of the antenna in order to have sufficient power to send a clear signal to the satellite.

We will take a single location as an example and choose two different antenna sizes and compare the output with different power satellite radios or BUCs.

Location is Nigeria: with a Datum PSM508 Modem with TPC and LDPC operating in C-Band

The values in the table are estimates, because in real life there may be some wide differences in the amount of data that a VSAT system can transmit and receive. You can take two identical sites in the same country, with 2.4m 5 watt at each site and you may get two completely different results - one site may transmit 384Kb and the other may transmit 512Kb, it is unwise expect that the maximum data rate will always be available. Not only does the weather affect the satellite signal, even identical BUCs may have variations.

You cannot recommend equipment based on MAX.