Phased Array Feed or SmartLNBF/BUC™

A phased array feed (PAF) replaces a standard feed(including LNB/BUC) for a reflector based satellite ground terminal. PAFs’ addition of limited, dynamic beam forming and beamsteering can offer the following benefits to fixed reflector antenna:

  • Tracking (inclined satellites)
  • Repeaking (corrects dish misaiming that happens naturally over time or from a bad install—maintaining optimal links)
  • Repointing to adjacent satellites for load balancing or failover
  • Improving signal to noise ratio for a given dish aperture area
  • Cancelling of dynamic noise sources
  • Adding simultaneous multi-satellite access (ie TV + Internet bundling)

Phased Array Feeds can offer additional benefits for mechanically steered reflector antennas:

  • maintaining signal while tracking through “keyhole”
  • improving scanning speed and field of view
  • compensating (or refining) for ‘rough pointing’ mechanical steering/stabilization
  • finding direction

Essentially, a PAF dynamically forms and steers one or more concurrent beams across the surface of the reflector to perform very rapid and precise antenna pointing functions.

Linear Signal’s Ad-A-Beam™ chips are specifically designed to accommodate both phased array and array feed antennas. The Phased Array Feed incorporates and integrates both LNB and BUC (if bidirectional)

Markets for phased array feeds range from “side-of-the-house’’ satellite television or internet receivers, to fixed and mobile VSAT terminals, to military communication systems.

Some application cases for Phased Array Feed include:

  1. Increased pointing agility for rugged comms-on-the-move applications. The Phased Array Feed can rapidly adjust the signal pointing (and add nulling) to highly complex mechanical pointing systems. This may reduce the cost of the mechanicals tremendously as well as improve signal quality and vibration compensation.
  2. Switching for VSAT or Satellite IP applications. Depending on the location of proximate satellite services and the shape of the reflector, a Phased Array Feed can switch satellite’s for failover, load balancing, or competitive service bidding—allowing a single fixed reflector to perform for many satellite sources.
  3. Extending the life of orbital assets in dedicated networks. Essentially, satellite operators may allow their birds to incline within certain tolerances—saving scarce onboard fuel.
  4. Rapid beam steering is now required for Vehicle Mounted Earth Station (FCC 1/2010). Adding a PAF to an existing mechanically steered platform may offer the speed required to keep these antennas in service (or in market).

Linear Signal is currently developing its first Ku band PAFs. Custom Array Feed projects are welcome.

Contact sales@linearsignal.com

801 337-9100