Microdyne Corporation

Darrell R Marshall

Farid Mahani

Douglas O'Cull

Robert C Knowles

The invention provides a master controller to store and call up on command a plurality of setups for numerous satellites. An antenna is directed to a desired satellite, the polarization of the feed horn is changed to that of the signal to be received and a receiver or receivers are switched to the proper band, C or Ku. A transponder is selected as are audio and/or video frequencies, half or full transponder modes in the Ku band, and video reverse. The setup is recalled by an operator or by a timer which can call or set up at prescribed periodic intervals or on a one-time basis. An operator can change one or more parameters of a specific setup. The controller can institute an antenna search routine for developing a new setup to maximize the signal strength by looking at a narrow band AGC signal whereby to permit an operator to acquire a new satellite and store all of the necessary parameters for the setup or to use a frequency controller of the receiver to define the audio and video frequencies to be employed while using the antenna control to acquire the satellite and peak the signals and then store a setup from the information generated by the two controlling elements.

Satellite receiver and acquisiton system

A system in which automatic gain control is not applied to modify an incoming carrier signal over the first 40 dB of signal level, employs an AGC system in which a further signal is generated for further modification of the modified carrier signal to obtain the original carrier signal modified by a linear logarithmic response to the AGC signal over the entire signal range of the apparatus. In addition, automatic gain control signals derived from both an envelope AM detector and a synchronous AM detector are added together whereby a continuous AGC signal is generated regardless of the source of the signal.

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Ocala, FL, United States of America

Darrell R Marshall