BACKNANG, Germany—Hiltron Communications highlighted several new offerings at the recently completed IBC 2022 convention in Amsterdam, including its HMAM low-earth-orbiting (LEO) motorized satellite antenna mount, the HSACU4 antenna control unit and 3D laser-mounted satcom antenna scanning services.
"Low-earth-orbit satellites occupy the sharp edge of communications technology, as evidenced by the strong investment in satellite constellations offering low-latency internet access from practically any location," said Hiltron sales manager Jean-Luc George van Eeckhoutte.
"Our recently introduced HMAM LEO is a complete system combining the strength, precision, smoothness of operation and internal computing capabilities necessary to monitor low earth orbit satellites. LEO satellites typically have an orbiting period of 128 minutes or less, making at least 11.25 orbits per day. Precise tracking is essential."
HMEM LEO incorporates a stable ground pillar and offers the computing resources required to track satellites using the NORAD TLE (two-line element) data format that defines satellite locations based on location and velocity, the company said.
The new mount can accommodate parabolic antennas up to 2.4 meters in diameter. The mount can be oriented within more than 360 degrees of azimuth and 80 degrees of elevation at the required tracking speed, it said.
Locking onto a desired satellite takes about 10 minutes when a low-earth orbit satellite is in sight.
The Hiltron HSACU4 is a compact antenna control unit for use with flyaway antennas. It is based on the same modular architecture as the HACU antenna control unit used for antennas at hundreds of earth stations worldwide.
Elements such as a polarization driver, an integrated beacon receiver or power supply modules for the LNBs can be integrated. Control and monitoring are performed through an Ethernet link with an intuitive web interface or via a directly connected handheld unit. An auto-pointing function can be activated using the web interface, it said.
Hiltron’s ESA 3D laser-based satellite antenna evaluation for teleport antennas is a service developed by the company’s subsidiary partner ESA Microwave.
It allows reflectors of practically any size to be measured quickly and at very high resolution as part of a complete performance evaluation. This is especially important when teleport antennas are upgraded to higher frequencies such as the Ka-band.
More information is available on the Hiltron website.
