Description and Performance of the GPS Block I and II L-Band Antenna and Link Budget

Francis M. Czopek, Scott Shollenberger

Abstract:	In the quest for extracting the best performance from the Global Positioning System, a user interested in sub-meter accuracy must not only have a firm understanding of the Pseudo Random Noise sequences, clock performance and ionosphere effects, but also the L-Band antenna pattern and the associated link budget. The paper gives a short history of the different antenna concepts that were considered for the BLK I satellite, a detailed description of the GPS BLK I and II L-Band antenna, the gain and ellipticity of them, and a typical antenna pattern. A discussion follows of the L-Band link budget and spacecraft effects on the antenna pattern that causes minor power level variations at the receiver.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993) September 22 - 24, 1993 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	37 - 43
Cite this article:	Czopek, Francis M., Shollenberger, Scott, "Description and Performance of the GPS Block I and II L-Band Antenna and Link Budget," Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1993, pp. 37-43.
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