Abstract: A switched-beam communication node (e.g., transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) has an antenna array, an (N×N) passive multibeamformer (e.g., Butler matrix (BM)), a phase network, a switch network, and a controller. The phase network has N phase shifters, one for each different beam port of the Butler matrix. The controller configures the node to support either (i) any one of N main beampatterns supported by the Butler matrix by controlling the switch network to select one of the phase shifters and its corresponding BM beam port or (ii) any one of up to at least (N?1) combined beampatterns by controlling the switch network to select two of the phase shifters and their two corresponding BM beam ports. Each combined beampattern is a combination of two phase-shifted main beampatterns. In some embodiments, the node can be configured to provide two concurrent beampatterns for transmit and/or receive operations, thereby supporting space-division multiple-access systems.

Abstract: A method includes transmitting, at a first time, a first transmission vector signal towards an antenna via a feeder cable connected to the antenna; receiving a first reflected vector signal, the first reflected vector signal being a reflection of the first transmission vector signal reflected from a point in the feeder cable; determining a first transformed transmission vector signal by performing a first vector forward transform on the first transmission vector signal; determining a first transformed reflected vector signal by performing a first vector forward transform on the first reflected vector signal; determining a first complex conjugate vector signal based on the first transmission vector signal and the first reflected vector signal; determining a first computed vector signal by performing a first vector inverse transform on the first complex conjugate vector signal; and determining a first sub-vector by performing a windowing function based on the first computed vector signal.

Abstract: A system and method for improving communications, wherein Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) modems are communicatively coupled over a bi-directional channel. Bandwidth is apportioned to satisfy a desired downstream-to-upstream data rate ratio by measuring upstream and downstream channel parameters and determining a data rate ratio. The determined ratio is compared to the desired ratio, and if the determined ratio is less than the desired ratio, the bandwidth is adjusted, and the process repeats until the desired ratio is obtained.

Abstract: A system and method for improving communications, wherein Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) modems are communicatively coupled over a bi-directional channel. Bandwidth is apportioned to satisfy a desired downstream-to-upstream data rate ratio by measuring upstream and downstream channel parameters and determining a data rate ratio. The determined ratio is compared to the desired ratio, and if the determined ratio is less than the desired ratio, the bandwidth is adjusted, and the process repeats until the desired ratio is obtained.