Technology
If you’re reading this, you know that parabolic antennas for communications on the move have undergone a revolution, becoming more and more compact and easier to set up.
You know, too, they’ve hit a wall when it comes to speed of installation, portability and satellite interoperability. Low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites, in particular, present almost impossible challenges.
Now you’re considering next generation solid-state flat panel satellite antennas for communications on the move. You’ve come to us because you want to know which flat panel antenna to back in the race for LEO connectivity.
In short, from form factor to capability, we’ve got you covered – and more.
The Hanwha Phasor antenna will be the world’s first commercial active electronically- steered array (AESA) for enterprise satellite communications on the move.
When fully realised, it will acquire and track satellites from any orbit, maximising the throughput and reliability of data links under all operating conditions.
What’s more, our inventive combination of digital control and analogue architectures is enabling us to create what will become the highest performing, lowest profile array on the market.
As the original disruptors in solid-state flat panel antennas, Hanwha Phasor’s pioneering work has never been matched. Passive, low-profile products in the market have not met requirements for reliability and high performance – and no other business with the foundational technology needed to achieve the required reliability and performance in all orbits has demonstrated its developments meaningfully.
Our electronically-steered antenna remains the only active, high-performance, low profile development to have been proven on the move, in real-world conditions, transmitting to and receiving from GEO and LEO satellites. Now we are testing fully integrated six-module (70 cm parabolic equivalent) pre-production systems that are capable of being certified and manufactured.
If you’re looking for the next generation antenna solution for satcoms on the move – future-proofed for LEO connectivity and optimised for GEO HTS – read on to find out why we are the ones to beat when it comes to high-performance, resilient, enterprise-grade technology.
The Hanwha Phasor AESA’s multi-beam and high EIRP and G/T capabilities will enable transmit to and receive from any orbit, with no compromise on performance.
This is because our array’s RF analogue baseband beamforming obviates the need for thousands of power-intensive digital-to-analogue converters. Our approach generates less heat and offers greater scalability, higher gain and more efficient use of bandwidth than a pure digital or metamaterials-based solution.
What’s more, multi-beam architecture unlocks flexibility across the board. The Hanwha Phasor array will work with any Ku-band satellite in any orbit. Enterprise customers will be able to work with any service provider, switching dynamically between any constellation for maximum performance and minimum cost. Users can look forward to combinations of broadcast, internet, backchannels (GPS/data) and non-safety critical telematics access.
Encompassing the entire radome, antenna and RF chain in a 7 cm (2¾ inch) deep package, our AESA has the lowest profile of any solid-state antenna, yet the largest and most powerful array for its physical dimensions.
Our proprietary ASIC design incorporates the functionality of the BUC and LNB, minimising RF losses. Even the antenna control unit is integral.
No other enterprise-grade AESA for comms on the move offers the gain ours does for the space consumed. Almost all the area beneath our radome comprises active antenna elements compared to conventional mechanically-steered designs. That’s why we get higher performance for the same footprint.
Our revolutionary array will meet link requirements precisely. It is the only next-generation commercial antenna with a configurable modular array, enabling us to increase or decrease the size of the aperture – down to as small as 50 cm or up to 1.1 m (equivalent) transmit or receive (or both).
With no moving parts, the speed at which our AESA can track a moving satellite is around 20 degrees per second.
Even more significant, when fully realised, the Hanwha Phasor AESA’s multi-beam architecture will deliver make before break capability – that’s full power available on all beams and no degradation in service, fulfilling all satcom providers’ need to future-proof their terminal solutions.
Because interoperability is about more than LEO, our array has been designed to work effectively down to a 20-degree elevation with no need for a mechanical steering aid – significantly lower than any competing flat panel antennas which typically only provide adequate performance down to 45 degrees.
Our low look angles give customers access to a far wider range of the GEO arc, solving the interoperability challenge for today’s vast Ku infrastructure.
Our patented, closed-loop tracking system will be neither dependent on modems nor external DVB demodulation. It will utilise many thousands of patch antennas to track any satellite in any orbit in near-real-time.
By correcting and adjusting the pointing angle in under a millisecond, the system will ensure accurate beam forming under all conditions and enable our AESA to move through high throughput satellite spot beams, beam-swapping between GEO satellites with ease.
There will be no need to wait for motors to move reflectors to find the next satellite as it transitions between footprints: the hand-off will be near-instantaneous, resulting in a seamless data flow.
With no moving parts, belts, motors and positioners to maintain or replace, the Hanwha Phasor antenna is a low maintenance alternative to mechanically-steered systems. Our all-electronic system and modular architecture is intrinsically resilient.
Operating costs will be minimal with no moving parts, belts, motors and positioners to maintain or replace and no spare parts inventory required: the AESA is the line replaceable unit.
Our modular, scalable aperture technology enables the Hanwha Phasor AESA to be conformed to curved surfaces, minimising drag.
This AESA will operate under a variety of conditions, including high latitudes, thanks to its ability to scan from 0° to 70° from boresight (20° to 90° elevation). In a distributed array, the antennas could be mounted at a variety of angles.
A user-friendly web-based interface enables all aspects of our antenna to be controlled from any computer or smartphone on its network. There are no complicated menus – just a simple interface in the palm of your hand.
Comms-on-the-move parabolic antennas are bulky, with relatively large radomes. Highly trained technicians need two to three days to install them. By contrast, the Hanwha Phasor array can be installed in a few hours – by end-users if needed. Two people can carry it to the required location, bolt it down, connect power, cooling, network and modem and the antenna will do the rest. Training for operators and maintainers can be completed in hours not days.
When not actively transmitting, the onboard antenna control unit will power down elements of the antenna. It will continue to track and stay locked on to the carrier but will use minimal available power to do so.
In maturity, the Hanwha Phasor AESA will automatically adjust power and beam shape to mitigate adjacent satellite interference. The control unit will power down antenna elements before interference occurs and power them back up when the threat has passed.
The Hanwha Phasor array’s thousands of patch elements are all individually digitally controlled, providing unprecedented levels of power over antenna pattern behaviour, beam forming and characteristics. Familiar L-band and OpenAMIP interfaces will offer a straightforward and streamlined upgrade process for customers transitioning from traditional antennas to our advanced solution. Embedded functionality will allow software upgrades to be completed remotely.
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For further information on how to future-proof your satcom solution, contact us here