Ferrite Switch Networks
Overview
Commercial communication satellite operators face a difficult challenge. In the rapidly evolving global telecommunications industry, entire market segments can emerge, thrive, change and disappear during the 15-year on-orbit lifetime of a modern communication satellite.
To address these changing needs, it is desirable to have a communications payload that can reconfigure its antenna beam patterns after the spacecraft is placed on orbit. This capability has the added benefit of allowing satellite operators to use a single satellite design for multiple orbit slots, simplifying sparing and reducing the operator’s overall satellite acquisition cost.
This on-orbit flexibility, however, must be achieved within the stringent constraints of size, mass, cost, power consumption, reliability and technical risk. Ferrite switch networks, which Honeywell excels at producing, are the most efficient way to provide this capability.
The benefits of Honeywell ferrite switches include:
Honeywell Ferrite switches have lead the way for satellite applications in:
Flexibility to adapt service to the different traffic demands is a key requirement to maximize payload utilization and therefore commercial competitiveness. Among possible flexible payload and system architectures, beam hopping solutions provide a high level of flexibility in accommodating non-uniform and time–variant traffic.
Beam-hopped single feed per beam (SFPB) antenna designs using ferrite switches provide highly power efficient solutions with high levels of flexibility while avoiding the complexity/cost of array antennas (DRA). Ferrite switch networks, which Honeywell excels at producing, are the most efficient way to provide this capability.
To address these changing needs, it is desirable to have a communications payload that can reconfigure its antenna beam patterns after the spacecraft is placed on orbit. This capability has the added benefit of allowing satellite operators to use a single satellite design for multiple orbit slots, simplifying sparing and reducing the operator’s overall satellite acquisition cost.
This on-orbit flexibility, however, must be achieved within the stringent constraints of size, mass, cost, power consumption, reliability and technical risk. Ferrite switch networks, which Honeywell excels at producing, are the most efficient way to provide this capability.
The benefits of Honeywell ferrite switches include:
- Reliable Solid State Technology
- Fast Switching / No moving parts
- Hot Switching / Switching with RF power present
- Latching / No holding current
- Low Power Consumption
Honeywell Ferrite switches have lead the way for satellite applications in:
- Beam Hopping Networks
- Tx / Rx switches (Duplexers)
- Switch Matrices
- Radiometer Calibration
- Autotrack Modulators
- Rx Protectors
- Beam Hopping
Flexibility to adapt service to the different traffic demands is a key requirement to maximize payload utilization and therefore commercial competitiveness. Among possible flexible payload and system architectures, beam hopping solutions provide a high level of flexibility in accommodating non-uniform and time–variant traffic.
Beam-hopped single feed per beam (SFPB) antenna designs using ferrite switches provide highly power efficient solutions with high levels of flexibility while avoiding the complexity/cost of array antennas (DRA). Ferrite switch networks, which Honeywell excels at producing, are the most efficient way to provide this capability.
