 | For Use with Small Antennas (0.25m to 2.4m) |
| Provides full Azimuth and Elevation movement |
| Optional Polarization Motorization |
| Low Cost NORAD Tracking for Inclined Orbit Satellites |
| Optional Beacon Receiver Tracking |
| Inherently Orthogonal Az/El Motion |
Benefits By providing a very cost effective tracking solution for small VSAT antennas, the door is now open for VSAT networks or broadcast contribution links to take advantage of the lower price space segment on inclined orbit satellites (30% of Geostationary Satellites are inclined by more than 1°). Three axis motorization allows the antenna to operate with a number of different satellites both inclined and station-kept. Variable speed motors provide rapid slewing coupled with fine control for signal optimization.
Mount Description The three axis elevation over azimuth mount is specifically designed for small 0.25-2.4m dishes requiring automatic tracking or positioning. The mount provides inherently orthogonal azimuth and elevation motion meaning that once the kingpost is set vertical, no further alignment is required. The addition of optional polarization motorization allows for operation with multiple satellites. With a slew speed of up to 5° per second, moving from satellite to satellite is easy and quick - even if the destination satellite is in inclined orbit. Motorization is provided by 36v dc linear actuators. Positional read-out is provided by absolute encoders meaning that position is remembered even after a complete power failure. A number of common VSAT antenna types can be fitted to the mount via custom interface plates, the mount itself fixing directly to a 4” or 6” pipe kingpost.
Antenna Controller The low cost of the controller is due to the fact that no beacon receiver is required in order to implement tracking on the antenna. The pattern of movement of a satellite is described by ephemeris data expressed as a TLE or ‘three line element’. These TLEs are created by NORAD—part of the US government—and are published on the internet. The S3 Satcom controller downloads these TLEs at regular intervals and points the antenna in accordance to the published track of the satellite. The TLEs file for the entire list of geostationary satellites is about 60kB and consequently even a narrow band internet connection is perfectly adequate. Updates are ideally, downloaded once a day, though for most satellites, a weekly update is sufficient. Manual entry of the TLE data is also possible using a connected PC. The controller also has a beacon interface connection so that step-tracking can also be used if desired. When used as a postioner, the TLE file provides a list of satellite names which are displayed on the front panel. This means that moving to a new position is very easy and eliminates the need to store satellite names manually. The controller is equipped with a web browser interface for remote control via the Ethernet interface.
Further Information
Download PDF Brochure of Antenna Mount and Controller (912K)
View Movie of Antenna Tracking Mount in Action
PDFs Require 