Abstract: A vehicle communication system includes a controller configured to be communicatively coupled to one or more antennas. The controller is also configured to adjust a beam during a period of time to be oriented at a plurality of pointing angles, and detect a plurality of sets of signal data for a received signal, where each set of signal data is detected at a different one of the pointing angles. The controller is further configured to identify a particular pointing angle based on the plurality of sets of signal data, reorient another beam from the given pointing angle to the particular pointing angle, and transmit or receive data, via the other beam while the other beam is oriented at the particular pointing angle, between a particular external node and at least one internal node.

Abstract: A first beam is implemented, from a set of vehicle-based antennas, for current or future communication with a ground-based or satellite-based network via an external antenna (e.g., of a base station or satellite). A second beam may be implemented to detect or determine a better pointing angle for the first beam, thereby “fine tuning” the pointing angle for the first beam. Specifically, the second beam may be “swept” through a range of pointing angles while a signal parameter representing signal quality or strength is measured, detected, or calculated at each pointing angle. The values for the signal parameter may be evaluated to identify a desired value and the pointing angle at which the desired value was obtained. The first beam may be reoriented or repointed at the desired pointing angle, and one or more nodes of vehicle-based communication system may communicate with an external network via the first beam.

Abstract: A first beam is implemented, from a set of vehicle-based antennas, for current or future communication with a ground-based or satellite-based network via an external antenna (e.g., of a base station or satellite). A second beam may be implemented to detect or determine a better pointing angle for the first beam, thereby “fine tuning” the pointing angle for the first beam. Specifically, the second beam may be “swept” through a range of pointing angles while a signal parameter representing signal quality or strength is measured, detected, or calculated at each pointing angle. The values for the signal parameter may be evaluated to identify a desired value and the pointing angle at which the desired value was obtained. The first beam may be reoriented or repointed at the desired pointing angle, and one or more nodes of vehicle-based communication system may communicate with an external network via the first beam.

Abstract: An aircraft-mounted mobile communicator for communicating with one or more satellites or base stations is disclosed. The aircraft-mounted mobile communicator includes a radome structure and one or more antenna elements embedded within or proximate to a shell of the radome structure that maximizes an aperture of the one or more antenna elements, wherein the one or more antenna elements are configured to operate over one or more frequency bands.