...SDC-120 and SDC-150 auto pointing antennas. These two products have now been added into Eutelsat's guide to the selection of the most appropriate Earth station equipment to access Eutelsat capacity. The antenna systems have been thoroughly tested by Eutelsat for RF performance and their ability to auto-point and peak to the Eutelsat satellites without the need of expert operators and tools. The antennas have successfully passed the new Eutelsat Autpointing Verification Tests procedures. The results achieved during the recent tests superseded any other tested antenna systems. SVS Telekom and its partner ProSat have now placed the successful 1,2 and 1,5 meter SNG antenna systems at the forefront of development.
Interference caused by low quality reflectors and poor mechanics have historically been creating interference problems, forcing satellite operators to set minimum standards and type approvals procedures to be applied to ground stations accessing their space segment. Currently the entire industry is striving towards simplifying the procedures of finding the satellite and the lineup procedures by implementing various methods of autopointing. Poor pointing software and inaccurate mechanical solutions have added yet another element of interference, not tolerable to the satellite operators.
To overcome this critical problem, Eutelsat has recently established a procedure for Autopointing Verification Test, the ESOG Vol. 1 Module 260. These tests and procedures aim at ensuring that autopointing systems will be yielding a high level of pointing accuracy and repeatability in any operational conditions. Once validated, systems are given adequate visibility on the Eutelsat website listing the Eutelsat approved equipment, namely the autopointing antennas whose RF performance have been characterized by Eutelsat. These systems will be capable of automatically pointing and peaking to the Eutelsat fleet without need for expert operators. Inclusion to the list is one achievement in itself, however the results of the tests also serve as the ultimate proof of overall quality since the autopointing characterization tests are witnessed and only performed on proven antenna systems.