Multi-Band Antenna For L, S, and X-Band Data

The Navy would like a cost-effective, lightweight, multi-band antenna system that can simultaneously receive from satellites transmitting in the L-, S- and X-bands. Consolidating multiple heritage antennas into a single multi-band receive antenna wouldreduce field maintenance, topside weight and superstructure cross-section on Navy ships.Multi-band communications while tracking multiple satellites (the satellites can be variously in geosynchronous and polar orbits) is a challenging requirement for a single antenna. A number of exotic broadband antenna projects are striving towards such asingle antenna. But an innovative antenna system capable of being prototyped in the next two years can meet the requirement by using frequency selective surfaces (FSS) to nest three antenna arrays in the same radome volume. Syntonics, teamed with theElectroScience Laboratory of The Ohio State University (ESL/OSU), proposes to study and develop a practical tri-band FSS antenna capable of separately pointing L-, S- and X-band receive arrays. The antenna system will use: Three independent antenna arrays,one each for L-, S- and X-band reception, built using FSS technology so they can be packaged with overlapping fields of view; and a mechanical design that nests all three arrays into a single package within a single radome.Phase I will focus on demonstrating the feasibility of the FSS arrays and mechanical system design and trading the two principle design alternatives. In Phase II, we will design and prototype the antenna system. The eventual commercial potential of aproduct based on the tri-band FSS antenna concept is substantial. The first market, and the one most interesting to Syntonics, would be DOD meteorological systems. The antenna concept promises tri-band reception with a single antenna system and both land-and sea-based meteorological terminals are a natural application. Addition markets will exist where multiple satellite frequency bands are servicing the same application but requiring multiple antennas, as is the case with meteorology. Thus, militarysatellite communications may also be a market opportunity for multi-band antenna systems.