Development of advanced receiving antennas for satellite broadcasting

On August 1^st, 2016, test satellite broadcasting of ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV) was launched, which is transmitted with right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) in the 12-GHz band. Because every RHCP transponder is in use in Japan, left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) has been studied to provide multiple UHDTV programs. Satellite broadcasting using LHCP will start in 2018. The 21-GHz band has also been allocated as the downlink band for satellite broadcasting. To provide advanced services, such as 3DTV, a 21-GHz-band satellite broadcasting system has been studied. In this paper, we describe the development of advanced receiving antennas for 12- and 21-GHz-band satellite broadcasting.