Shock isolation for mobile pointed satcom systems

Mobile high-bandwidth satellite communication (satcom) systems are now being deployed on a variety of military combat ground vehicles, including both rubber-tired and tracked vehicles. These systems use a directional dish antenna mounted to a gimbaled pedestal for pointing, stabilization, and tracking. In general, the shock and vibration profiles of rubber-tired vehicles are mild enough to allow direct mounting of the antenna system to the vehicle without the need for shock isolation. However, antenna shock-isolation systems are often required for tracked vehicles, vehicles supporting large-caliber cannons, and armored vehicles with aggressive ballistic-shock survival requirements. Shock-isolation systems introduce a potential source of error into the open-loop pointing accuracy of mobile satcom system. This paper discusses this error source and provides guidelines for configuration planning to ensure successful system installation and operation.