Same frequency satellite terrestrial radio broadcast

摘要

A satellite broadcasts radio programs to mobile and fixed receivers at various locations. Ground stations supplement the satellite broadcasts in areas where the satellite signal may be shadowed. Likewise, the satellite signal supplements the terrestrial transmissions in areas with marginal terrestrial signal strength. Ground stations and a satellite transmit the same digital symbol stream over a same frequency spectrum. The symbol streams arrive in each service area of the ground stations with a relative delay that is within a window for which a receiver is adapted to decode efficiently. Spectral efficiency is achieved by allowing the ground stations to share the same frequencies as the satellites.

主权项

1. A digital wireless broadcast system, comprising:
a plurality of ground stations respectively configured to wirelessly transmit a digital symbol stream over a frequency spectrum to corresponding plurality of service areas; and a satellite configured to wirelessly transmit the digital symbol stream over the frequency spectrum to the plurality of service areas, wherein the plurality of ground stations are configured such that the digital symbol stream from each ground station and the digital symbol stream from the satellite arrive within a predetermined time period of each other in each corresponding service area, wherein the predetermined time period is a relative delay between the digital symbol stream from the satellite and from the ground station that is within a range for which a receiver in the corresponding service area is capable of decoding the digital symbol stream, and wherein the plurality of ground stations are configured such that a timing of the digital symbol stream transmission from at least one ground station is independently controllable from a timing of the digital symbol stream transmission from at least one other ground station.