Optimal Channelization in FDMA Communications

For most efficient performance in frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), a hard-limiting repeater should be operated completely channelized (i.e., each uplink carrier should be individually filtered and power-controlled prior to spacecraft limiting and downlink transmission). When there are a large number of uplink carriers involved, however, complete channelization is no longer feasible, and the uplink carriers must be grouped together (assigned frequencies), which allows joint filtering and amplification. In this correspondence, it is shown that an optimal grouping procedure always exists for minimizing required repeater power, no matter how many carriers and groups are to be used.