Satellite acquisition using an automated technique

Automated acquisition of a satellite's downlink signal by the main beam of a ground station's tracking antenna is complicated by the presence of antenna pattern sidelobes and potential large uncertainties in the spatial and/or frequency location of the signal. Sidelobe acquisition prevents autotracking and telemetry reception, and large uncertainties require time for coordinated antenna and receiver search. Use of an auxiliary antenna assists in resolving the sidelobe intercept problem, and a high speed digital receiver alleviates the problems associated with spatial and frequency uncertainty. The antenna and receiver, under processor control, constitute a fully automated system. The associated processor software controls the antenna motion during the search phase, selects the proper receiver configuration for the expected signal environment, makes the main beam versus sidelobe intercept decision and switches to autotrack mode upon successful signal acquisition.