Performance Analysis of 2G ALE HF Networks

Optimum channel selection for High Frequency (HF) communications is influenced by several factors and configurable parameters. In modern HF communication equipment, Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) protocols are used to coordinate communication between remote operators. To efficiently design an ALE network, a model is required to analyse the system performance and facilitate the optimal selection of system parameters. In prior work, this problem was addressed by computationally intensive channel-based methods. This paper introduces a novel node-based Markov-Chain model for 2G ALE HF networks and details the derivation of closed-form analytical solutions to calculate both the channel congestion and the steady-state probability distribution of nodes within the 2G ALE state space. From the Markov-Chain model, a computationally efficient closed-form solution is derived and subsequently validated against a Monte-Carlo based ns-3 simulation. Future extensions of the Markov-Chain model are discussed to include the later 3G ALE and 4G ALE protocols and to derive solutions for network performance parameters such as throughput, link establishment time, and average call duration.