An 8-element switched-beam array antenna for mobile satellite communications

Conventional designs of phased array antennas for mobile satellite communications carry a high price tag. Hence antenna designers look for alternative low-cost solutions. In the paper, the design and development of a low-cost 8-element switched-beam array antenna is presented. The array elements are arranged in a circle on the side of a truncated cone whose inclination angle matches the satellite look angle. The heart of the system is a radial switch that activates two elements facing the satellite and deactivates the remaining six elements. In order to produce additional beams, each antenna element is equipped in a 1-bit phase shifter. The performance of individual sub-systems and the entire array is presented.