Application of contoured beam shaped reflector antennas to mission requirements

Contoured beam antennas are now widely used on-board communications and broadcast satellites to provide the optimum coverage of irregular shaped regions on earth and to minimize interference outside the coverage boundaries. ERA has carried out a number of studies involving the design of shaped reflector antennas for particular mission requirements. The authors review a number of these case studies and highlight the coverage specifications and the advantages of adopting shaped reflectors, as well as the factors which limit their use. A description of a number of contoured beam scenarios is provided