After defining the CommSystem, select Compute Data from the CommSystem menu to process link information and, if applicable, interference. When you select Compute, a two-phase process begins to generate the desired information. The first phase analyzes the visibility of the transmitters, receivers, and interferers (if available) to each other to determine when they are accessible. Access calculations take into account any of the normal access constraints that may be applied to each of the objects. The second phase steps through the desired CommSystem interval, calculating the link performance. During each of the phases, a Progress window appears. The first phase of calculations is completed rather quickly but the second phase can be lengthy, depending on the complexity of the CommSystem.
STK computes data at a certain resolution for a CommSystem. When a non-linear constraint, such as DeltaT/T, is evaluated, the reported value may not match the exact value set for the constraint. For example, when the DeltaT/T Min constraint is set to 10, STK will compute the time when the DeltaT/T threshold of 10 is reached. Yet, the CommSystem will compute at the next integral time step (1 second or the value that is set on the CommSystem's Basic Interval page), and the DeltaT/T value at that time step will be reported.
After link performance and interference are calculated, the desired links, interference sources, and the primary interferer appear in the 2D and 3D Graphics windows.
STK Communications also provides report and graph elements for CommSystems. These can be incorporated into custom reports and graphs.