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Circular or Linear Polorization ?

By Peter Miller
Tele-Sat International Magazine November, 2006
 

If you studied the satellite charts, you probably noticed that the majority of Ku-band transponders operate
with linear polarization
(vertical or horizontal) while the majority of C-band transponders - with circular polarization.
Is there any reason for that or simply someone has started this way and all the other followed?
Yes, there is. But before we try to explain that, let’s tell first a few words about the polarization in general.

Electromagnetic wave is a combination of electric and magnetic fields. They always appear
simultaneously.
The electric field vector is perpendicular to magnetic field vector and they are both perpendicular to the
direction of wave travel.

                                               Figure. 1. Linear vs. circular polarization.

In figure 1 the electromagnetic wave is traveling upwards. Now if there is no phase shift between electric
vector and magnetic vector,
we have linear polarization. We call the polarization vertical or horizontal depending on the orientation of
the electric vector
with respect to the equator plane.. If there is a 90 degree shift, we have circular polarization.
90 degree shift (positive or negative) means that when electric field reaches its maximum, the magnetic
field is equal zero and vice versa.
You can see this in figure 1.  Theoretically, if we have other values of phase shift (neither 0/180 degrees
nor 90 degrees), we have elliptical polarization, but this is not used in satellite transmission so we do not
want to discuss it here.

Depending on the sign before 90 degree, we have either right hand circular polarization (RHCP) or left
hand circular polarization (LHCP).
Now, it is generally easier to manufacture a good performance LNBF for the linear polarization signals
than for the circular.
That’s why the majority of Ku-band LNBF use linear polarization. One of the well known disadvantages of
linear polarization
is the necessity to adjust the skew of LNBF depending on your geo-graphical location.

This is not needed for the circularly polarized signals – you just install such LNBF in your dish focal point
and that’s it.
Another less known but probably more important factor is the sensitivity of linearly polarized signals to the
Farraday’s rotation
caused by earth’s magnetic field. Rotation of EM vectors has no effect on circularly polarized signals.
The Faraday’s effect decreases rapidly with frequency and is practically negligent for Ku-band but not for
C-band!
That’s why, using linear polarization in C-band is rather risky.
This may be even more important when we need to cover the areas close to the earth magnetic poles.
The providers decide what area they want to cover.

If the area of interest has a big chance of having bad weather condition (rain, snow) or is located at high
latitudes
(what means longer paths through clouds), they would rather choose C-band. As you probably know, C-
band is less sensitive to bad
weather conditions than Ku-band.

And because the C-band is sensitive to the Faraday’s effect, the circular polarization is a better choice.
But if the area is located in medium latitudes and the dish dimension is of major concern (like in big
European cities),
Ku-band would probably be the choice. Since we do not have to worry about the Faraday’s effect here,
linear polarization will
make it easier to provide the end users with high performance LNBF’s. So, as you can see, there is a
reason behind this or that polarization choice.
This is always about ensuring the highest reliability of reception.

Schematic Diagram of Faraday Effect

Satellite TV  -  Scientific Analysis
2  Dish & Rotor Settings

Ignoring practical complications, installation involves setting (all angles in degrees) …

 Fixed dish:
1. Azimuth, measured clockwise from True North, which aligns the dish horizontally to the
satellite;
2. Elevation, measured upwards from horizontal, which aligns the dish vertically to the
satellite;
3. Skew, measured from vertical clockwise viewed from behind the dish, which aligns the
receiving component to the polarisation angle of the incoming signal.
 Rotor and dish assembly:
1. Azimuth to align the assembly along the meridian True North or South, whichever is
towards the equator;
2. Tilt to align the rotor axis (the line of its bearings) parallel to Earth's poles, perpendicular
to its equatorial plane;
3. Elevation to point the dish directly, or nearly so, at the satellite above the meridian;
4. Setting zero skew by ensuring the receiving component is vertical.

Although calculating values for these settings, which is covered later, involves 3-dimensional
geometry that can be hard to visualise, given the right ones, normally they are easily applied. 
The exception might be elevation, because not all dishes have scales, and because it may have
more than one component, though the latter case can be simplified with a scientific rule …

The Pivot Rule

Where a system consists of two rigid structures connected by a pivot, any rotation about the pivot rotates an entire
structure on one or other side of it through the same angle.

Further, where there are N rigid structures connected by N−1 parallel pivots, by considering what happens when
only one pivot is free to rotate at a time, the rule can be applied successively to each in turn, giving the result that the
total angular movement is the sum of the component movements, allowing for the direction of each by assigning its
angle a positive or negative sign according to some agreed convention.

As I have not been able to find on the web a citation for this rule to state it more scientifically, hopefully my own
name for and manner of expressing it based on memory will be acceptable.  Anyway, it can be verified easily by
adding construction lines to diagrams and applying school level geometry.

A natural convention is that a rotation raising the incoming beam focused by a dish, clockwise in
the following diagrams, will be positive, any lowering it, anticlockwise in the diagrams, will be
negative.  Also, a mathematical 'rotation' needn't mean something free to turn in reality, for
example the offset in an asymmetric dish (a negative rotation of the receiving component's
mounting arm which the laws of reflection convert to a positive one for the incoming beam) and
the angle of a rotor crank can both be considered 'rotations' made during manufacture.
As a first example, applying the rule to a dish with its mounting as one rigid structure, the dish
itself the other, and the elevation mechanism the pivot, it becomes clear that elevating the dish
will tilt the line of focus, difficult to measure, through the same angle as the back of the dish,
easier.  Thus, in the diagram of an axi-symmetric dish below, these two angles can be marked
equal as shown.

Dishes focus the incoming electro-magnetic signal by means of a concave reflector, which is
aligned vertically by an elevation mechanism.  Most, but not all, elevation mechanisms have a
scale, the precise meaning of which depends on the type of dish.  There are two main types in
common use:

 Axi-symmetric, where the receiving component is mounted on the dish's central axis;
 Offset, or asymmetric, where the receiving component is mounted off, usually underneath, the
central axis.

 
Axi-Symmetric Dishes

Usually there's a scale on the adjuster representing actual elevation, and then …

Actual elevation = elevation setting

… but occasionally there's no scale and one of the two angles shown must be measured.

Offset Dishes

Scales on adjusters usually compensate for offset and read 20-30° when the dish is pointing
horizontally, then …

Actual elevation = elevation setting

… but a few have 'true', uncompensated scales that read zero at horizontal, and by the Pivot
Rule …

Actual elevation = elevation setting + offset

If there's no scale, both angles must somehow be measured, and …

Actual elevation = dish elevation + offset

 

Elevation Angle

See the General Introduction

Offset Angle

Preferably offset should come from the dish specifications, otherwise measure width and height
rim to rim, then …

Effectively parallel rays from a satellite S are focused by an offset dish in blue.  This being
vertical, by definition SCoH is the Offset (and the elevation of this satellite).  As the rays make
angle Offset with the horizontal, they must make 90 − Offset with any vertical, including ToB. 
In green the dish has been squashed vertically and tilted back into an axi-symmetric equivalent
that intercepts and focuses the same rays.  Since BToTs is 90 − Offset, and ToTsB is a right-
angled triangle …

  ToBTs = Offset

& Offset = ArcCos ( TsB / ToB )

… but, the squashed dish being round, TsB is the same as its width, and, the dish being squashed
only vertically, this is also the width of the offset dish, hence …

Offset = ArcCos ( width / height )
 
Rotors

Applying the Pivot Rule first to the rotor alone, the tilt and crank angles are positive and negative
respectively.

Applying the rule then to the whole assembly …

Actual elevation = tilt - crank + dish contribution

… if, as normal, the dish has a scale that compensates for the offset …
Actual elevation = tilt - crank + dish setting

… otherwise …

Actual elevation = tilt - crank + elevation + offset

Unfortunately, use of these formulae is hampered by the absence of the crank angle from most
rotor specifications, a sloppy omission.  However, the angle may often be deduced indirectly
from the dish elevation formula:

1. Some manufacturers give a formula like …

Dish elevation = x - declination

… where x is actually the crank angle and declination is read from a table.  So, for
example, the PowerTech DG-240 has a crank angle of 35°.

2. Some give a formula which can be used in combination with the above formulae to work
out the crank angle.

For example, STAB's dish elevation formula for their HH1x0 Rotors is …

Setting on rotor = setting off rotor - (60 - latitude)

… so, as the settings on and off the rotor must both result in the actual elevation, and the
tilt measured from vertical will normally be 90 - latitude, on these models the crank angle
is 30° …

  Actual elevation = tilt - crank + dish setting  

∴ Actual elevation = 90 - latitude - crank + actual elevation - (60 - latitude)  

∴ Actual elevation = 90 - latitude - crank + actual elevation - 60 + latitude  

∴ Crank = 90 - 60  

∴ Crank = 30