The Antenna Technology in Gogo's 2Ku

A recent article, posted at Microwaves & RF, describes ThinKom's VICTS antenna technology used in Gogo's 2Ku product. It gives a nice short overview of the technology and what makes it ideally suited for commercial air transport and beyond. James Morra writes, "The new technology is significant because it accounts for the disadvantages of electronically and mechanically steered antennas that have been traditionally used to provide broadband service to airlines. Gogo’s technology, 2Ku, is built around two beam-forming antennas: one designated for transmitting data, and another for receiving signals from more than 180 compatible Ku-band satellites. The company says that that the dual antennas are symmetrical in design and, because of their large aperture area, have significantly higher spectral efficiency than other in-flight broadband antennas. The antennas were designed by ThinKom, an antenna design company based in [Hawthorne], Calif. that provides technology for aerospace and other mobile communications. The antennas are unique in that they create beams by mechanically rotating a series of internal plates with precise resonance characteristics...What separates the 2Ku system from more conventional aerospace antennas is that it combines technical benefits from both electronic phased arrays and mechanically steered antennas (including reflectors and flat panels)."

Read the full article here.