Low-cost x-band satellite terminal

At some level of service requirement it is necessary to adopt a multiple beam satellite antenna concept, since wide coverage coupled with high bit speeds and small Earth stations leads to impossible requirements in the satellite. On the other hand using multiple beams has a negative impact on the interconnectivity of the small Earth stations. The author tries to throw some light on the issues which principally determine the level at which multiple beam concepts have to be introduced. By making assumptions concerning the size of Earth stations which may be acceptable to locate at user premises and by giving approximate values to the likely values of other parameters, it is possible to gain an impression of the coverage available for a VSAT system for a given satellite and Earth station performance.<>