Enhanced performance and increased EIRP in communications satellites using contiguous multiplexers

This paper describes performance tradeoffs that show the available EIRP in a communications satellite enhanced 1 dB or more by employing contiguous multiplexers in conjunction with single-mode antennas relative to the conventional designs that use non-contiguous multiplexers requiring dual-mode antennas. The overall channel performance is not affected by either multiplexing scheme owing to the presence of multipath effects in an operating satellite. Measured data on a 6- and 9-channel contiguous multiplexer and multipath effects at 12 GHz correlates well with theory and confirms these system tradeoffs. It is, therefore, concluded that contiguous multiplexing scheme in conjunction with single-mode antennas would likely be used on all future satellite payloads.