Automatic Tracking Satellite Dishes are
satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive or transmit information by radio waves to or from a communication satellite. The term most commonly means a dish which receives direct-broadcast satellite televisio ...
es used while a vehicle, boat or ship is in motion. Automatic tracking satellite dishes utilize
gyroscopes
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...
,
GPS position sensors, and uses unique satellite identification data and an integrated
DVB decoder to aid in identification of the satellite that it is pointing at.
The dishes consist usually of
stepper motor
A stepper motor, also known as step motor or stepping motor,Clarence W. de Silva. Mechatronics: An Integrated Approach (2005). CRC Press. p. 675. "The terms ''stepper motor'', ''stepping motor'', and ''step motor'' are synonymous and are often u ...
s to drive and aim the dish,
gyroscopes
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...
to detect changes in position while the vehicle is in motion, a
parabolic reflector
A parabolic (or paraboloid or paraboloidal) reflector (or dish or mirror) is a Mirror, reflective surface used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is part of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface ge ...
,
low-noise block converter
A low-noise block downconverter (LNB) is the receiving device mounted on satellite dishes used for satellite TV reception, which collects the radio waves from the dish and converts them to a signal which is sent through a Coaxial cable, cable t ...
, and control unit.
They can use also shifted
Phased array
In antenna (radio), antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled Antenna array, array of antennas which creates a radio beam, beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point ...
s. (example:
Starlink Dish).
Manufacturers
* Winegard Company
* KVH Industries
* Sea Tel
* Orbit Technology Group
* Ten-Haaft
Aerial Solutions Ivybridge
/ref>
* SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
: Starlink Dish
See also
* USALS = Universal Satellites Automatic Location System
* DiSEqC = Digital Satellite Equipment Control
* SAT>IP end user consumer equipment that can switch different ip streams from different SAT>IP servers and facilitates selection of reception from different satellites
* Duo LNB
* Monoblock LNB
* DiSEqC
* Motor-driven Satellite dish
* Starlink Dish
* 6°oF
* Phased array
In antenna (radio), antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled Antenna array, array of antennas which creates a radio beam, beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point ...
References
{{technology-stub
Radio frequency antenna types
Satellite broadcasting
Antennas (radio)