Uplink
The radio frequency transmission path from an earth station to a satellite. Contrasted with downlink, which is the path from satellite to earth.
Full Definition
In satellite communications, the uplink refers to the signal transmitted from a ground-based earth station (or mobile terminal) toward the satellite. Uplink frequencies are generally higher than downlink frequencies within a given frequency band to exploit the greater power availability on the ground. For example, in Ku-band, uplinks typically occupy 14–14.5 GHz while downlinks occupy 10.95–12.75 GHz. Editors must ensure 'uplink' is treated as one word (no hyphen, no space) and used consistently to mean the ground-to-space direction. It functions as both noun and verb ('to uplink data') and as an attributive adjective ('uplink power', 'uplink frequency').
Usage
Usage note: Always one word: 'uplink', not 'up-link' or 'up link'. Distinguish from 'forward link', which has a specific meaning in VSAT hub-and-spoke architectures (hub-to-remote direction).
In Context
- "The uplink power control system automatically compensated for rain fade by increasing transmit power by 4 dB." — System Design Specification
- "The operations team confirmed that the uplink carrier was on-frequency before enabling the downlink beacon monitor." — Operations Procedure