20, 30 GHz Band Cassegrain Earth Station Antenna for the Japanese Domestic Satellite Communication System

An 11.5 m 30/20 GHz band Cassegrain antenna has been developed for a Japanese domestic satellite communication system earth station. In order to form an economical satellite communication network, the earth station antenna is required to be installed on the top of a telephone office building in a large city. Therefore, interference with terrestrial radio relay systems and antenna load on a building become the most important problems to be investigated. Considering the satellite position in geostationary orbit, a limited steerable system combined with a two-jackscrew drive mechanism is employed to lighten and simplify the antenna structure. Measured antenna aperture efficiencies are 72% in 20 GHz band and 68% in 30 GHz band. Measured wide angle radiation patterns satisfy the CCIR recommendation level. The
G/T
of the antenna at the feed horn port is measured to be 53.9 dB/K at
El = 45\deg
at 18.75 GHz. Interference with the 20 GHz band terrestrial radio relay system in extremely near field was experimentally studied. Results show that the terrestrial system's antennas can be installed closely up to about 20 m without serious interference.