Abstract: A system and method for beamforming includes providing an antenna including feeds, a coverage area including service areas and data streams for each of the service areas; selecting a cluster of M feeds from the feeds; computing, with a GBBF processor (ground based beam former), M×N weights; generating M feed excitations by distributing the N data streams per the M×N weights; switching an array to transfer a respective one of the M feed excitations to a respective one of the M feeds; and beamforming, with the M feeds of the antenna, N beams. In the method, the N beams are each focused on a respective service area of each of the N data streams, the M×N weights improve the transmitting into the respective service area of each of the N data streams, and at least one of the N beams includes a portion of a plurality of the M feed excitations.

Abstract: A system and method for beamforming includes providing an antenna including feeds, a coverage area including service areas and data streams for each of the service areas; selecting a cluster of M feeds from the feeds; computing, with a GBBF processor (ground based beam former), M×N weights; generating M feed excitations by distributing the N data streams per the M×N weights; switching an array to transfer a respective one of the M feed excitations to a respective one of the M feeds; and beamforming, with the M feeds of the antenna, N beams. In the method, the N beams are each focused on a respective service area of each of the N data streams, the M×N weights improve the transmitting into the respective service area of each of the N data streams, and at least one of the N beams includes a portion of a plurality of the M feed excitations.

Abstract: A system and method for beamforming includes providing an antenna including feeds, a coverage area including service areas and data streams for each of the service areas; scheduling N data streams of the data streams, selecting a cluster of M feeds from the feeds; computing, with a GBBF processor (ground based beam former), M×N weights; generating M feed excitations by distributing the N data streams per the M×N weights; switching an array to transfer a respective one of the M feed excitations to a respective one of the M feeds; and beamforming, with the M feeds of the antenna, N beams. In the method, the N beams are each focused on a respective service area of each of the N data streams, the M×N weights improve the transmitting into the respective service area of each of the N data streams, and at least one of the N beams includes a portion of a plurality of the M feed excitations.

Abstract: A receive planar phased array antenna on a communications platform is used to estimate a pointing error of the antenna and to orient the antenna boresight towards the transmitter.

Abstract: A system and method for orienting a communications antenna are disclosed.

Abstract: A receive planar phased array antenna on a communications platform is used to estimate a pointing error of the antenna and to orient the antenna boresight towards the transmitter.

Abstract: A receive planar phased array antenna on a communications platform is used to estimate a pointing error of the antenna and to orient the antenna boresight towards the transmitter.

Abstract: Methods and devices are provided. Devices asynchronously transmit, without diversity, bursts including information encoded using a low rate FEC code having a code rate no higher than ½. A terminal receives transmitted multiple overlapping bursts. The terminal detects and decodes bursts in a window of burst times, performs an iteration of an iterative interference cancellation process, and when at least one burst of at least a portion of the window remains incorrectly decoded, another iteration of the iterative cancellation process is performed as long as a maximum number of repeated iterations has not yet been performed. When all of the bursts in at least the portion of the window are correctly decoded, the window is advanced by an amount of burst time, at least the portion of the window is updated, and the iterations may be repeated. Correctly decoded bursts may be passed to a next process or device.

Abstract: A high capacity communication system and method, and a high capacity communications configuration system are provided. The high capacity communication system includes a transmitter. The transmitter includes a signal generator to generate a signal including, wherein for a first frame portion extending from zero to ? time the signal is generated per a first color reuse plan of a frequency spectrum and one or more polarizations, and for a second frame portion extending from ? to T the signal is generated per a second color reuse plan of the frequency spectrum and the one or more polarizations; and an RF system to beam the signal concurrently to a first geographic area and a second geographic area.

Abstract: A high capacity communication system and method, and a high capacity communications configuration system are provided. The high capacity communication system includes a transmitter. The transmitter includes a signal generator to generate a signal including, wherein for a first frame portion extending from zero to ? time the signal is generated per a first color reuse plan of a frequency spectrum and one or more polarizations, and for a second frame portion extending from ? to T the signal is generated per a second color reuse plan of the frequency spectrum and the one or more polarizations; and an RF system to beam the signal concurrently to a first geographic area and a second geographic area.

Abstract: Methods and devices are provided. Devices asynchronously transmit, without diversity, bursts including information encoded using a low rate FEC code having a code rate no higher than ½. A terminal receives transmitted multiple overlapping bursts. The terminal detects and decodes bursts in a window of burst times, performs an iteration of an iterative interference cancellation process, and when at least one burst of at least a portion of the window remains incorrectly decoded, another iteration of the iterative cancellation process is performed as long as a maximum number of repeated iterations has not yet been performed. When all of the bursts in at least the portion of the window are correctly decoded, the window is advanced by an amount of burst time, at least the portion of the window is updated, and the iterations may be repeated. Correctly decoded bursts may be passed to a next process or device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for interference cancellation for high spectral efficiency satellite communications enabling efficient utilization of available bandwidth through overlapping adjacent channels. Data information is received along with noise information, and a filter bank is adapted to receive and filter the waveform and output channel information including a combination of data signals and adjacent channel interference signals. The filter bank is further adapted to provide estimated data signals and to calculate estimated interference signals. One or more interference generating processors are adapted to receive the calculated estimated interference signals to enable the interference generating processor to generate interference signals corresponding to the calculated estimated interference signals. The interference generating processor subtracts the interference signals from the estimated data signals in order to output relatively more accurate estimated data signals.

Abstract: A radio, and related methods of radio communication, consisting of a multi-modulation modem, wherein the multi-modulation modem that modulates and demodulates signals using a plurality of modulations. The radio also comprises a frequency converter coupled to the multi-modulation modem for converting the signals to a radio frequency and a transceiver unit including an antenna coupled to the frequency converter for transmitting the signals over a radio communications link. The multi-modulation modem includes a modulator that includes a modulation selector unit that selects respective ones of the plurality of modulations to modulate the signals. The multi-modulation modem also includes a demodulator for demodulating the signals having been modulated using the plurality of modulations.

Abstract: A multi-modulation mode air interface frame format, and related methods for carrying traffic on the multi-modulation mode air frame format, including an overhead portion including a first plurality of time slots and a plurality of overhead bursts located within respective ones of the first plurality of time slots. The frame format also includes a traffic portion including a second plurality of time slots following the first plurality of time slots and a plurality of traffic bursts, wherein respective ones of the plurality of traffic bursts are located within one or more of the second plurality of time slots. And each of the plurality of traffic bursts are modulated using a respective one of a plurality of modulation modes.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for multicasting data in a cellular personal access communication system is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of allocating a multicast packet terminal identifier to a multicast group when a subscriber unit in a cell requests membership in the multicast group, receiving a multicast packet having a global multicast address, determining a cell identifier from a mapping of the global multicast address to at least one local multicast identifier and a cell identifier, and forwarding the multicast packet to the cell according to the cell identifier. The apparatus comprises a radio port controller unit having a packet data control unit coupled to a radio port configured to receive a multicast packet and a packet forwarding module. The packet data control unit includes an allocation module configured to allocate a local multicast identifier to a multicast group when a subscriber unit in a cell requests membership in the multicast group.

Abstract: A radio, and related methods of radio communication, consisting of one or more signal formatters, wherein the one or more signal formatters format signals for transmission through the radio and the signals comprise a plurality of transport mode signals. The radio also includes a modem coupled to the one or more signal formatters for modulating the signals, a frequency converter coupled to the modem for upconverting the signals having been modulated to a radio frequency, and a transceiver unit coupled to the frequency converter for transmitting the signals having been upconverted over a radio communications link.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for generating short, non-systematic, non-linear (6,4) codes that may be implemented in a 4-ARY quadrature-quadrature phase shift keying (QQPSK or Q2PSK) system over GF(16). The codewords are non-systematic in that they do not directly contain the information that is to be transmitted and six symbols are sent to represent four symbols. The present invention uses a code construction method that generates two small, hand-optimized codeword sets and combines those two codeword sets to create two larger codeword sets. The two larger codeword sets are then combined to create a codeword set that is stored in a look-up table for use at a transmission station.

Abstract: An approach for electronically performing beam steering is disclosed. For electronic scanning, an n-bit quantized phase shifting approach is employed at each array element of a phased array antenna. By applying an initial phase bias, either deterministically or randomly, in each of the array elements, the performance of a phased array with n-bit quantization (even with n=2) approaches the performance of a system with no quantization. This approach can be used with linearly polarized or circularly polarized waves. For circularly polarized waves, the 2n phase shifts required of n-bit quantization are achieved in a manner that provides a simple, low-loss construction, which allows production of a low-cost reflectarray or a flat-plate lens.

Abstract: A novel code and method of code construction is disclosed. The disclosed code is a half rate block code designed to function optimally in a Raleigh fading channel. The disclosed code and method may be implemented in an 8-ARY QPSK modulation system. An alternative embodiment is a code and method of code construction for use in a 16-ARY QPSK modulation system. Both codes are systematic and use four symbols to represent two symbols. The first two symbols of the code are the information symbols. The second two symbols are parity symbols. The parity symbols are selected to provide maximum Euclidean distance between code words.

Abstract: Multiple diversity used in a fading or shadowed error prone, framed, random access channel enhances the probability of successful transmission and reduces delays. This is important, for example, in mobile telephone service, in which traffic channels are only assigned on a speech spurt basis. Selected control messages (such as reverse allocation requests and deallocation requests) are transmitted with multiple diversity. More particularly, an identical control message is transmitted at multiple instants in time (such as three), each transmission occurring on a different carrier frequency, and each transmission occurring at a randomly selected power level.