Applications of Fiber Optics for MILSATCOM Earth Terminals

The military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) terminals normally have multiple users with extensive distribution requirements containing analog and digital information. An increasing number of terminals contain their own computer information processing and display facilities. Conventionally, large diameter (and often expensive) coaxial and multiconductor cables are used to interconnect users for computer processing and display facilities, antenna servo and antenna structures, and between antenna converters, baseband demodulators, and modems. Besides weight and size disadvantages, conventional methods of cabling are troubled by EMI, noise pickup, ground loops, lightning, and RF isolation problems.