Beacon Tracking Receiver

Novella SatComs tracking receivers have been designed to track and measure pilots or beacons of all known commercial and military satellites.

Beacon Tracking Receiver Specifications

Model	Input band, MHz	Step size, kHz	Input level, dBm	PLL, Hz	Threshold, dBHz	Acquisition time, seconds
B350	940 to 1,750	10	-70	300	35dBHz	<90
B351	940 to 2,150	10	-70	300	35dBHz	<90
B355	940 to 1,750	10	-70	2,000	43dBHz	<1
B355A (1)	940 to 1,750	10	-70	2,000	43dBHz	<1
B355B (2)	940 to 1,750	10	-70	2,000	43dBHz	<1
B356	940 to 2,150	10	-70	2,000	43dBHz	<1
B356A (1)	940 to 2,150	10	-70	2,000	43dBHz	<1
B356B (2)	940 to 2,150	10	-70	2,000	43dBHz	<1

(1) Specially adapted for BPSK beacons of NATO, Skynet and DSCS satellites.
(2) Specially adapted for ASTRA 1A/1B beacons.
Receivers with 300Hz PLL have a threshold of 35dBHz or better and re-acquire lock within 90 seconds. They may be specially aligned for 33dBHz threshold and reacquisition in 120 seconds. They are recommended for antenna and propagation experiments. They are not well suited for tracking.
Receivers with 2kHz PLL have a threshold of 43dBHz and re-acquire lock within 1 second. They are the best choice for antenna tracking.
Receivers with 2kHz PLL may be also used for military applications, with beacons with BPSK low bit rate modulation (~1,000bit/sec). Add suffix A to the model number if this option is required.
Receivers with 2kHz PLL may be also used with beacons of the ASTRA 1A and 1B type where the beacons are phase-modulated (±0.5rad or ±1rad) by telemetry data, rate around 1,000bps. Add suffix B to model number if this option is required.
All L-band receivers may be supplied with DC feed facility and/or frequency display at C, X or Ku-band, or a combination of these.
Polarisation/channel switching is also available, with 2 our 4 inputs selectable via an internal coaxial switch.
LNB polarisation and/or band switching is also available through DC level change and/or 22kHz tone insertion.