Multiband antenna for airborne satellite communications

Satellite broadcasting of weather information promises to provide an economical method of improving aviation safety for commercial and general aviation transportation. The paper presents an airborne antenna developed to receive satellite weather information around the world. To accomplish this, the antenna supports three separate frequency bands and dual senses of polarization. Method of moments (MoM) and finite element method (FEM) simulations were employed in the development of the antenna. Details of the prototype antenna and its performance evaluation are presented.