Design of a Low-Profile Polarization Tracking Active Phased Array Antenna for Satcom On the Move

Design method and key technologies of a Ku band low profile Active Phased Array Antenna (APAA) with polarization tracking for satcom on the move (SOTM) system are given. The approach presented here realizes polarization tracking and wide-angle beam tracking simultaneously comparing with traditional antennas. To be adequate for wide-angle beam scanning, the microstrip patch array antennas are presented. The choke groove is also adopted to improve the isolation between the transmitting and receiving antenna under the condition of limited size. Finally, a low profile active phased array antenna has been developed successfully. The test result shows arbitrary linear polarization and wide-angle beam tracking can be obtained from different phase setting. There is enough isolation between transmitting and receiving antennas to ensure that the performance of receiving antenna will not deteriorate.