Hardware
1.25m parabolic dish antenna
Integrated feed/downconverter
Dartcom USB receiver for GK-2A LRIT and GOES HRIT
Antenna
- Powder-coated solid aluminium 1.25m parabolic reflector.
- Powder-coated steel azimuth/elevation mount and pedestal.
- Integrated feed/downconverter with weatherproof O-ring sealed machined case.
- Up to 100m of RG213 50Ω co-axial cable.
Receiver
- High-quality, low-cost receiver supporting GEO-KOMPSAT-2A (GK-2A) LRIT and GOES HRIT transmissions.
- Housed in a sleek, compact, durable extruded aluminium case.
- USB interface for fast, reliable data transfer to the host computer.
- Fully software controlled, with detailed status reports available.
- Built-in time-stamped fault logging.
- 20-LED real-time signal level display for easy dish alignment and operational signal monitoring.
- Status LEDs for LNB power, signal lock, USB ready, control communications, data buffer status and frame synchronisation.
- Adjustable RF attenuator to accommodate LNB signal inputs between –15dBm and –75dBm.
- Supports QPSK and BPSK demodulation.
- Built-in hardware Viterbi decoding.
- Supplies power to the downconverter via the RF input.
- Supplied with external 100–240V AC switch mode PSU.
- DC–DC converter PSU also available for battery or portable operation (input 10.6–15V DC).
Parabolic reflector specifications
| Reflector type | Prime focus parabolic |
|---|---|
| Reflective material | Solid aluminium, powder-coated |
| Reflector diameter | 1.25m |
| F/D ratio | 0.38 |
| Gain | 24.0dBi |
| Polarisation | Linear |
| G/T @ 5° elevation | 2.2dB/K |
| Wind speeds | 112km/h (60kt) operational 201km/h (109kt) survival |
Feed and downconverter specifications
| Feed type | PCB patch IFD |
|---|---|
| Polarisation | Linear |
| RF input | 1691MHz ±25MHz |
| LNA noise figure | 1.2dB typical |
| Pre-LNA filter | 3-pole, –3dB ±60MHz |
| Total gain | >50dB |
| LO frequency | 1553.5MHz |
| RF output | 137.5MHz ±25MHz |
Receiver specifications
| RF input frequency | 135–144MHz (1688.5–1697.5MHz from a 1691MHz to 137.5MHz LNB) |
|---|---|
| Frequency resolution | 5kHz |
| RF input connector | 50Ω BNC |
| RF input level | –15dBm to –75dBm |
| Symbol rates | 64ksps to 1024ksps |
| Viterbi decoding | ½, K=7, G1=171, G2=133 |
| Demodulator modes | QPSK, BPSK |
| Data encodings | NRZ-S, NRZ-M, NRZ-L |
| Digital interface | USB port |
| Power requirements | 15V DC @ 2A |
| LNB power | 14–15V DC nominal @ 0.75A via RF input |
| PSU | External switch mode, input 100–240V AC 47–63Hz @ 1.2A |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 175×60×240mm |
| Weight | 1.7kg (including PSU) |