Patent Publication Number: US-8982004-B1

Title: Integrated ODU controller for antenna pointing

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/953,959, filed on Aug. 3, 2007, by Joseph Santoru et al., entitled “INTEGRATED ODU CONTROLLER FOR ANTENNA POINTING,” 
     which application is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a satellite receiver system, and in particular, to an alignment method for multi-band consumer receiver antennas. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Satellite broadcasting of communications signals has become commonplace. Satellite distribution of commercial signals for use in television programming currently utilizes multiple feedhorns on a single Outdoor Unit (ODU) which supply signals to up to eight IRDs on separate cables from a multiswitch. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a typical satellite television installation of the related art. 
     System  100  shows an embodiment of a system using signals sent from Satellite A (SatA)  102 , Satellite B (SatB)  104 , and Satellite C (SatC)  106  (with transponders  28 ,  30 , and  32  converted to transponders  8 ,  10 , and  12 , respectively) as well as other satellites using Ka-band signals that are typically located at the  99  and  103  orbital slots, that are directly broadcast to an Outdoor Unit (ODU)  108  that is typically attached to the outside of a house  110 . ODU  108  receives these signals and sends the received signals to IRD  112 , which decodes the signals and separates the signals into viewer channels, which are then passed to television  114  for viewing by a user. There can be more than one satellite transmitting from each orbital location. Orbital locations are also known as “orbital slots” and are referred to as both “orbital locations” and “orbital slots” herein. 
     Satellite uplink signals  116  are transmitted by one or more uplink facilities  118  to the satellites  102 - 106  that are typically in geosynchronous orbit. Satellites  102 - 106  amplify and rebroadcast the uplink signals  116 , through transponders located on the satellite, as downlink signals  120 . Depending on the satellite  102 - 106  antenna pattern, the downlink signals  120  are directed towards geographic areas for reception by the ODU  108 . 
     Each satellite  102 - 106  typically broadcasts downlink signals  120  in typically thirty-two (32) different sets of frequencies, often referred to as transponders, which are licensed to various users for broadcasting of programming, which can be audio, video, or data signals, or any combination. These signals have typically been located in the Ku-band Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS) bands of frequencies in the 10-13 GHz range and in the Ka-band FSS band of 18-21 GHz. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a typical ODU of the related art. 
     In another embodiment, ODU  108  typically uses reflector dish  122  and feedhorn assembly  124  to receive and direct downlink signals  120  onto feedhorn assembly  124 . Reflector dish  122  and feedhorn assembly  124  are typically mounted on bracket  126  and attached to a structure for stable mounting. Feedhorn assembly  124  typically comprises one or more Low Noise Block converters  128 , which are connected via wires or coaxial cables to a multiswitch, which can be located within feedhorn assembly  124 , elsewhere on the ODU  108 , or within house  110 . LNBs typically downconvert the FSS and/or BSS-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band downlink signals  120  into frequencies that are easily transmitted by wire or cable, which are typically in the L-band of frequencies, which typically ranges from 250 MHz to 2150 MHz. This downconversion makes it possible to distribute the signals within a home using standard coaxial cables. 
     The multiswitch enables system  100  to selectively switch the signals from SatA  102 , SatB  104 , and SatC  106 , and deliver these signals via cables  124  to each of the IRDs  112 A-D located within house  110 . Typically, the multiswitch is a four-input, four-output (4×4) multiswitch, where two inputs to the multiswitch are from SatA  102 , one input to the multiswitch is from SatB  104 , and one input to the multiswitch is a combined input from SatB  104  and SatC  106 . There can be other inputs for other purposes, e.g., off-air or other antenna inputs or for other LNBs receiving services from satellites at other orbital locations, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The multiswitch can be other sizes, such as a 6×8 multiswitch, if desired. SatB  104  typically delivers local programming to specified geographic areas, but can also deliver other programming as desired. 
     To maximize the available bandwidth in the Ku-band and Ka-band of downlink signals  120 , each broadcast frequency is further divided into polarizations. Each LNB  128  can receive both orthogonal polarizations at the same time with parallel sets of electronics, so with the use of either an integrated or external multiswitch, downlink signals  120  can be selectively filtered out from travelling through the system  100  to each IRD  112 A-D. 
     IRDs  112 A-D currently typically use a one-way communications system to control the multiswitch. Each IRD  112 A-D has a dedicated cable  124  connected directly to the multiswitch, and each IRD independently places a voltage and signal combination on the dedicated cable to program the multiswitch. For example, IRD  112 A may wish to view a signal that is provided by SatA  102 . To receive that signal, IRD  112 A sends a voltage/tone signal on the dedicated cable back to the multiswitch, and the multiswitch delivers the satA  102  signal to IRD  112 A on dedicated cable  124 . IRD  112 B independently controls the output port that IRD  112 B is coupled to, and thus may deliver a different voltage/tone signal to the multiswitch. The voltage/tone signal typically comprises a 13 Volts DC (VDC) or 18 VDC signal, with or without a 22 kHz tone superimposed on the DC signal. 13 VDC without the 22 kHz tone would select one port, 13 VDC with the 22 kHz tone would select another port of the multiswitch, etc. There can also be a modulated tone, typically a 22 kHz tone, where the modulation schema can select one of any number of inputs based on the modulation scheme. For simplicity and cost savings, this control system has been used with the constraint of 4 cables coming for a single feedhorn assembly  124 , which therefore only requires the 4 possible state combinations of tone/no-tone and hi/low voltage. 
     To reduce the cost of the ODU  108 , outputs of the LNBs  128  present in the ODU  108  can be combined, or “stacked,” depending on the ODU  108  design. The stacking of the LNB  128  outputs occurs after the LNB has received and downconverted the input signal. This allows for multiple polarizations, one from each satellite  102 - 106 , to pass through each LNB  128 . So one LNB  128  can, for example, receive the Left Hand Circular Polarization (LHCP) signals from SatC  102  and SatB  104 , while another LNB receives the Right Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP) signals from SatB  104 , which allows for fewer wires or cables between the feedhorn assembly  124  and the multiswitch. 
     The Ka-band of downlink signals  120  will be further divided into two bands, an upper band of frequencies called the “A” band and a lower band of frequencies called the “B” band. Once satellites are deployed within system  100  to broadcast these frequencies, the various LNBs  128  in the feedhorn assembly  124  can deliver the signals from the Ku-band, the A band Ka-band, and the B band Ka-band signals for a given polarization to the multiswitch. However, current IRD  112  and system  100  designs cannot tune across this entire resulting frequency band without the use of more than 4 cables, which limits the usefulness of this frequency combining feature. 
     By stacking the LNB  128  inputs as described above, each LNB  128  typically delivers  48  transponders of information to the multiswitch, but some LNBs  128  can deliver more or less in blocks of various size. The multiswitch allows each output of the multiswitch to receive every LNB  128  signal (which is an input to the multiswitch) without filtering or modifying that information, which allows for each IRD  112  to receive more data. However, as mentioned above, current IRDs  112  cannot use the information in some of the proposed frequencies used for downlink signals  120 , thus rendering useless the information transmitted in those downlink signals  120 . Typically, an antenna reflector  122  is pointed toward the southern sky, and roughly aligned with the satellite downlink  120  beam, and then fine-tuned using a power meter or other alignment tools. The precision of such an alignment is usually not critical. However, additional satellites have been deployed that require more exacting alignment methods, and, without exacting alignment of the antenna reflector  122 , the signals from the additional satellites will not be properly received, rendering these signals useless for data and video transmission. 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates another embodiment of an ODU of the related art. 
     Another embodiment of ODU  108  uses a Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) ODU system  130 . Rather than having a dedicated cables from ODU  108  for each IRD  112 A-D, e.g., one cable per IRD  108 , system  130  uses a single cable  132  from ODU  108  to a splitter  134 , and then directs individual cables  136 - 142  from splitter  134  to various types of IRDs  112 A-D. Splitter  134  is typically located within the home, so only one cable  132  needs to enter the home to provide the signals from SWM ODU  108  for all IRDs  112 A-D present in a given residence. For example, in one embodiment, IRD  112 A can be a single tuner Standard Definition (SD) IRD, while IRD  112 B can be a two-tuner SD Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Further, both SD and High Definition (HD) signals can be sent in system  130 , such that both SD and HD signals can be sent through splitter  134  to various IRDs  112 A-D. In the same embodiment as described above, IRD  112 C can be a single tuner HD IRD, and IRD  112 D can be a two-tuner HD DVR. Other combinations of IRDs  112 A-D, with SD, HD, or combinations of SD and HD signals, can be accommodated by system  130 . 
     System  130  allows for reduced installation complexity and lowers cost. Downlink signals  120  from satellites  102 - 106  are received at the SWM ODU  108  in the same manner as described with respect to  FIG. 2 . However, system  130  typically uses Frequency Shift Keyed (FSK) commands with a signal splitter  134  to allow for two-way communications between the ODU  108  and the various IRDs  112 A-D. Other types of command structures can be used in different embodiments of system  130  if desired. The system  130  allocates a transponder channel for each connected IRD  112 A-D. There are typically eight distinct programming channels available for use by the various IRDs  112 A-D, however, a larger or smaller number of channels can be made available if desired. The SWM system  130  allocates one channel to single tuner IRDs  112 A-D and two channels for two-channel (DVR)-based IRDs  112 A-D. Each IRD  112 A-D sends messages to the SWM ODU  108  requesting a desired transponder for viewing, and the SWM ODU  108  circuit receives similar requests from all connected and active IRDs  112 A-D. The SWM ODU  108  then selects or “plucks” the receiver requested transponder from the received downlink signals  120 , locates the selected transponder signal in the allocated channel for the requesting IRD  112 -A-D, and aggregates all of the selected transponder channels for active IRDs  112 A-D for transmission using single cable  132 . 
     It can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art for an alignment method for a satellite broadcast system that can be expanded to include new satellites and new transmission frequencies. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To minimize the limitations in the prior art, and to minimize other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses a method and system for aligning a multi-satellite receiver antenna with satellites in a satellite configuration. A method in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention comprises pointing the reflector to a position along an orbital arc used in the satellite configuration, commanding a Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) which is coupled to the reflector of the antenna to output a signal from at least one satellite at the orbital slot, and adjusting the reflector to maximize reception of the signal from the orbital slot. 
     Such a method may further optionally comprise the SWM being commanded to output a single transponder from the satellite at the orbital slot using Frequency Shift Keyed (FSK) commands, the reception being maximized by reading a meter which measures a received power of the signal from the orbital slot, commanding the SWM to output a second signal from a second orbital slot and adjusting the reflector to maximize reception of the second signal from the second orbital slot, and the satellite in the orbital slot transmits in a Ku-band and/or Ka-band of frequencies. 
     A system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention comprises a reflector, a SWM coupled to the reflector, a power meter coupled to the SWM, wherein the power meter and reflector are tuned to receive a signal from a satellite in the satellite configuration, an alignment mechanism, coupled to the reflector, wherein the alignment mechanism is manipulated to point the reflector at a point along an orbital arc, and a controller, coupled to the power meter and commanding the SWM, to output signals from at least one satellite at a first orbital slot, wherein the reflector is aligned by maximizing a signal strength of the signal being measured on the power meter. 
     Such a system may further optionally include the SWM being commanded to output a single transponder from the satellite in the satellite configuration, the SWM being commanded using frequency shift keyed commands, the power meter being an analog power meter, or a digital power meter that demodulates at least one transponder signal and reports a carrier-to-noise ratio of the demodulated transponder signal, the controller further commanding the SWM to output a second signal from a second orbital slot and the reflector is aligned by maximizing a signal strength of the second signal from the second orbital slot, and the satellite in the orbital slot transmits in a Ku-band and/or Ka-band of frequencies. 
     Other features and advantages are inherent in the system and method claimed and disclosed or will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and its accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a typical satellite television installation of the related art; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a typical ODU of the related art: 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates an ODU of the related art; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a typical orbital slot as used in conjunction with one or more embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a process chart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, several embodiments of the present invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Overview 
     System  100  uses signals sent from Satellite A (SatA)  102 , Satellite B (SatB)  104 , and Satellite C (SatC)  106  that are directly broadcast to an Outdoor Unit (ODU)  108  that is typically attached to the outside of a house  110 . Additionally, system  100  uses signals sent from satellites  102 - 106 , as well as other satellites, which can be broadcast at a different frequency band than the signals sent by satellites  102 - 106  for use in system  100 . 
     Satellites  102 ,  104 , and  106  broadcasts downlink signals  120  in typically thirty-two (32) different frequencies for Ku-band, and other assignments for the Ka-band downlink signals  120 , which are licensed to various users for broadcasting of programming, which can be audio, video, or data signals, or any combination. These signals are typically located in the Ku-band of frequencies, i.e., 11-18 GHz. Other satellites typically broadcast in the Ka-band of frequencies, i.e., 18-40 GHz, but typically 20-30 GHz with 16 transponder assignments within a 500 MHz band. Satellites  102 - 106  can broadcast in multiple frequency bands if desired. 
     The orbital locations of satellites  102 - 106  are fixed by regulation, so, for example, there are one or more satellites at 101 degrees West Longitude (WL), represented by SatA  102 ; other satellites at 110 degrees WL, represented by SatC  106 ; and still other satellites at 119 degrees WL, represented by SatB  104 . Other groups of satellites are located at other orbital slots, such as 102.8 degrees WL, and still other satellites are located at the orbital slot at 99.2 degrees WL. Other satellites may be at other orbital slots, e.g., 72.5 degrees, 95 degrees, and other orbital slots, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The satellites are typically referred to by their orbital location, e.g., SatA  102 , the satellite at 101 WL, is typically referred to as “ 101 .” 
     Dish Alignment 
     Requirements for consumer receiver dish (ODU  108 ) alignment are less stringent than with a larger fleet of satellites or when the receiving beam width of the ODU is reduced, as could be the case for Ka-band operations. The more rigorous alignment specs are in large part due to the relatively new art of broadcasting Direct-To-Home (DTH) signals in the Ka-band of frequencies. 
     Ka-band ODU receiving antenna beams are more narrow than the traditional Ku-band beams. As such, the ODU  108  must be pointed to the transmitting satellite(s) more accurately. If the ODU  108  alignment is not accurate enough, a sharp roll-off in signal strength will result, which may not allow IRD  112  to properly decode the transmitted signals. 
     Another fact that necessitates accurate alignment of the ODU  108  in the FSS Ka-frequency band is that Ka-band satellites are separated by only 2 degrees (nominally) along the orbital arc, as opposed to the relatively large satellite spacing of 9 degrees used for the satellites transmitting in the BSS Ku-band of frequencies. If the ODU  108  is not accurately pointed to the Ka-band source, then it can be subject to co-frequency interference from adjacent Ka-band satellites. 
     The present invention uses satellites placed at a particular locations in orbit, and those satellites&#39; position relative to the center of a plurality of orbital slots, in order to make possible very accurate pointing of a consumer receive antenna (ODU). 
     Description of Orbital Slot Alignment 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a typical orbital slot as used in conjunction with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
     Orbital slot  300  is shown, comprising satellites  304 - 310 . Orbital slot  300  can be any orbital slot, e.g.,  99 ,  101 ,  75 ,  119 ,  103 , etc., without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the ODU  108 , to be properly aligned to all of the satellites  304 - 310  in the orbital slot  300 , should point to the alignment point  302  of the orbital slot  300 , which aligns the boresight of ODU  108  to orbital slot  300 . However, if a given orbital slot  300  has two satellites, say  304  and  306 , on one side of the alignment point  302 , and only one satellite  308  on the other side of the alignment point  302 , another alignment point  302  can be chosen for ODU  108 . Such an alignment point  302  can be chosen through the use of offsets from a maximum signal strength, design of the ODU  108 , or other methods. 
     Typically, the ODU  108  is aligned using a power meter  312  that measures the power for a broad signal spectrum for signals originating from a particular orbital slot at a particular polarization. As such, ODU  108  is aligned to a point in azimuth and elevation that maximizes the average power for the orbital slot selected. Repeating this process for signals originating from another orbital slot should provide optimal pointing of the ODU in the tilt direction. 
     The problem with using power meter  312  is that a power meter measures the broad power from all of the transponders located at satellites  304 - 310 , which may or may not result in having ODU  108  point to the center of the orbit slot along arc  314 . The present invention uses signals of a specific polarization, e.g., Left-Hand Circularly Polarized (LHCP) signals, transmitted from only one of the satellites, e.g., satellite  306 , and the phenomenon of beam squint  316 , to properly align the ODU  108  directly to the center of the orbit slot along the orbital arc  314 . 
     Since the locations of each of the satellites  304 - 310  is precisely known, the present invention utilizes that knowledge, and programs the electronics connected to the ODU  108  (also referred to as the Frequency Translation Module (FTM) or Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) or, when coupled to ODU  108 , the Integrated-ODU (I-ODU) or (SWM-ODU) to command the Low-Noise Block Amplifier (LNB) to output signals of a given polarization, which is known to be transmitted only from a given satellite, e.g, LHCP from satellite  306 . This, coupled with the known beam squint  316  of satellite  306  for the LHCP transponders, will boresight the ODU  108  directly at the center of the orbit slot along arc  314 . So by only accepting power input from a single satellite through the use of polarization “filtering”, the alignment procedure of the present invention is achieved to point the ODU directly at the center of the orbital slot, rather than the spot where the average power peak is located. 
     In the case of a SWM ODU  108  described in  FIG. 2A , the SWM electronics accepts all the transponders the SWM ODU  108  receives, and the commands issued by a controller in the SWM ODU  108  changes the specific transponders output on each of the SWM ODU  108  output frequencies. 
     To facilitate SWM ODU  108  alignment, when power is applied to the SWM ODU  108  without connecting IRDs  112 A-D, a circuit in power meter  312  activates an ODU alignment mode in the SWM ODU  108 . In this particular embodiment, the SWM ODU  108  circuitry can place a number, typically four, default selected transponders from satellite(s) located at various orbital slots, typically the  101  orbital slot in four channels and another four transponders from the  119  WL orbital slot, but other orbital slots and satellites can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. This facilitates the alignment of SWM ODU  108  in a similar manner to other embodiments of the ODU  108 . 
     Beam squint occurs when a circularly polarized feed (the transmitter) illuminates any offset-feed reflector system. Beam squint is a bias, in terms of degrees, of the peak power from a true boresight of the transmitter&#39;s reflector. It is, in essence, a shifting of the power density output of the transmitter from directly on boresight to slightly off-boresight, where the shift is based on the offset of the feed horn from the center of the reflector. 
     Here, beam squint  316  is designed on satellite  306  such that the physics of the beam squint  316  is identical to the bias of satellite  306  from the center of the orbital slot. As such, the combination of this beam squint  316  (offset of the power density transmitted from satellite  306 ) and the peak power from only satellite  306  as measured by power meter  312  combine to align ODU to the center of the orbit slot  302 , rather than directly to satellite  306 . If satellite  306  moves along arc  314 , that knowledge can be used to align the ODU as well, since now the combination of the beam squint  316  will not be exactly the same as the difference between satellite  306  and center  302 , so an offset, in terms of degrees, can be applied to the alignment procedure of the present invention. 
     This can be accomplished using the present invention in several ways. For example, the present invention can command the electronics coupled to ODU  108  to output specific transponders from satellite  306  that transmit LHCP signals (e.g., for “Slimline ODU”  108  installations), where the broadband power meter  312  now measures several signals  120  from several transponders on satellite  306  that transmit in LHCP. Thus, power meter  312  is measuring the broad spectrum of LHCP signals that are transmitted from satellite  306 , and that broad power, combined with the beam squint  316  offset, aligns ODU  108  to center  302 . 
     However, the present invention can also program the FTM/I-ODU (SWM-ODU)  108  to output signals from only one transponder or one group of transponders from one satellite, e.g., satellite  306 , at a single polarization, and only passes these signals to the power meter  316 . Rather than receiving several signals, a specific signal, which may carry with it additional knowledge, e.g., the beam squint  316  for that signal or group of signals is more precisely known than the beam squint  316  for all LHCP signals from satellite  306 , and, as above, the alignment of ODU  108  is performed. 
     System Implementation 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
     System  400  illustrates controller  402 , which comprises microprocessor  404 , memory (Flash RAM)  406 , FSK modem  408 , and power supply  410 . The Single Wire Multiswitch ODU (SWM ODU) Controller  402  is designed to assist with pointing and aligning the SWM ODU  412  toward the correct satellite slots. The SWM ODU  412  combines a Slimline Ka/Ku LNB and horn antennas for  99 / 101 / 101 / 110 / 119  slots with a SWM circuits all integrated into one housing. 
     The main parts of the controller  402  are the FSK modem  408 , a microprocessor  404  with flash memory  406  to store the commands, an input Type-F connector which couples to SWM ODU  412  and an output Type-F connector which couples controller  402  to a power inserter  414 . The microprocessor  404  is used to generate the commands per the programming firmware stored in the flash memory  406  and the state of the two pushbutton switches. The flash memory is typically configured to be easily reprogrammed and/or replaced. DC power for the controller and I-ODU is provided by a power inserter  414  connected to the controller&#39;s output Type-F connector. Commands are issued using simple controls such as two pushbutton switches  416  and  418 . Switch #1  416  commands the controller  402  to send commands to the SWM ODU  412  to output all RHCP transponders at the  101  slot and switch #2  418  would command the controller  402  to send commands to the SWM ODU  412  to output all  119  transponders to allow for the skew adjustment using these transponders. Additional switches and command scenarios are also possible with the present invention. 
     The SWM in the SWM ODU  412  is commanded using a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modem (usually located in IRD  112 ) with a proprietary command list and syntax, although other types of communications commands can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. Since the SWM outputs a selected satellite transponder on each of the SWM output frequencies (SWM channels), up to a typical maximum of nine (although the number of FTM outputs can be any number) depending on the specific SWM design, when installing an SWM ODU  412  a device is needed to select which transponders are output on each frequency during the ODU pointing and alignment process. The SWM ODU controller  402  provides properly syntaxed FSK commands via FSK modem  408  to drive the SWM ODU  412  outputs and properly align the antenna dish of the SWM ODU  412 . 
     The SWM ODU controller  402  controls the new SWM ODU  412  in order to enable pointing the subscriber antenna dish  122  at the correct location in the orbital arc  314 . For example, the current process involves first maximizing the signal for a Right-Hand Circularly Polarized (RHCP) transponder transmitted from the  101  slot as described with respect to  FIG. 3 . The next step is to fine adjust the tilt of the reflector antenna by maximizing the signal from a transponder located at the  119  slot, also as described in  FIG. 3 . 
     Two different types of meters can be used to perform the alignment process for SWM ODUs  412 . One possibility is an analog meter, which measures the total integrated power in the 950-1450 MHz band. Use of an analog meter would require that the controller  402 , via the microprocessor  404  control of FSK modem  408 , assign a plurality of output SWM channels, typically at least 4 of the SWM channels in the SWM ODU  412  to the band of interest ( 101  RHCP,  119  RH/ 119 LH). The meter will then be able to read the average power that is being received from the selected transponders and provide feedback to the installer to maximize the received power. A greater or smaller number than 4 outputs can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     The second possibility is to use a portable digital meter that demodulates the selected transponder and reports the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR). In this case, only one of the nine SWM channel frequencies need be assigned to the band of interest, but the controller  402  will need to be programmed to demodulate that frequency, again, via microprocessor  404  control of FSK modem  408 . Reflector antenna alignment is accomplished by maximizing the integrated RF power, or the carrier-to-noise ratio, using the analog or digital meters respectively, first for one slot (e.g.,  101 ) and then the other (e.g.,  119 ). No measurements are made using transponders from the  99 ,  103 , or  110  slots, but can be made through additional commanding of FSK modem  408 . 
     As such, several sets of instructions, e.g., FSK commands with proper syntax, can be stored in memory  406 , and selected by the user of controller  402  depending on the desires and/or needs of the particular installation. For example, and not by way of limitation, one installation may just check the satellites that are on the ends of the orbital arc  314 , while other installations may wish to maximize the received power from specific satellites within the orbital arc  314 , e.g., those satellites that transmit in the Ka-band of frequencies (typically satellites at the  99  and  101  orbital slots). By storing different sets of commands in memory  406 , microprocessor  404  can be used to command FSK modem  408  to provide proper inputs to SWM ODU  412  to perform several different types of installations without undue training and/or supervision of installers of SWM ODUs  412 . 
     Alignment Procedure 
     The alignment procedure envisioned in the present invention for use with the SWM ODU is as follows. For example, and not by way of limitation, the SWM ODU  412  could first be commanded by microprocessor  404  via FSK modem  408  to provide a single  101  RHCP transponder on each of the SWM output frequencies, or alternatively the controller could assign a different  101  RHCP transponder to each of the SWM output frequencies. 
     The output of the SWM ODU  412  is then measured by meter  420 , which can be a digital or analog meter. The automatic gain control in the SWM is subsequently commanded to turn OFF by the microprocessor  404  via FSK modem  408 , so that the output signal will then be roughly proportional to the input signal power. The signal peaking is then performed using the analog or digital meter  420  while an installer moves the reflector  122  to maximize the reading on meter  420 . 
     The second step is to command the SWM circuits in the SWM ODU  412  to output only transponders originating from the  119  slot, again via the microprocessor  404  and FSK modem  408 , and a similar signal peaking is performed by rotating the dish with respect to the aligned  101  slot to maximize the reading on meter  420 . This approach requires only two states for the controller  402 , other options could also be provided if desired. Meter  420  can be separate from controller  402  if desired. 
     Process Chart 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a process chart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
     Box  500  illustrates pointing the reflector in an azimuthal direction to a position along an orbital arc used in the satellite configuration. 
     Box  502  illustrates commanding a Single Wire Multiswitch circuit which is coupled to the reflector of the antenna to output a signal from at least one satellite at the orbital slot. 
     Box  504  illustrates adjusting the reflector in azimuth to maximize reception of the signal from the orbital slot. 
     Box  506  illustrates commanding the Single Wire Multiswitch circuits to output a second signal from a second satellite at a second orbital slot. 
     Box  508  illustrates adjusting the reflector in a tilt direction to maximize reception of the second signal from the second orbital slot. 
     CONCLUSION 
     In summary, the present invention comprises a method and system for aligning an antenna reflector with satellites in a satellite configuration. 
     A method in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention comprises pointing the reflector to a position along an orbital arc used in the satellite configuration, commanding a Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) which is coupled to the reflector of the antenna to output a signal from at least one satellite at the orbital slot, and adjusting the reflector to maximize reception of the signal from the orbital slot. 
     Such a method may further optionally comprise the SWM being commanded to output a single transponder from the satellite at the orbital slot using frequency shift keyed commands, the reception being maximized by reading a meter which measures a received power of the signal from the orbital slot, commanding the SWM to output a second signal from a second orbital slot and adjusting the reflector to maximize reception of the second signal from the second orbital slot, and the satellite in the orbital slot transmits in a Ku-band and/or Ka-band of frequencies. 
     A system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention comprises a reflector, a SWM, coupled to the reflector, a power meter coupled to the SWM, wherein the power meter and reflector are tuned to receive a signal from a satellite in the satellite configuration, an alignment mechanism, coupled to the reflector, wherein the alignment mechanism is manipulated to point the reflector at a point along an orbital arc, and a controller, coupled to the power meter and the SWM, for commanding to output signals from at least one satellite at a first orbital slot, wherein the reflector is aligned by maximizing a signal strength of the signal being measured on the power meter. 
     Such a system may further optionally include the SWM being commanded to output a single transponder from the satellite in the satellite configuration frequency shift keyed commands, the power meter being an analog power meter, or a digital power meter that demodulates at least one transponder signal and reports a carrier-to-noise ratio of the demodulated transponder signal, the controller further commanding the SWM to output a second signal from a second orbital slot and the reflector is aligned by maximizing a signal strength of the second signal from the second orbital slot, and the satellite in the orbital slot transmits in a Ku-band and/or Ka-band of frequencies. 
     It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto and the full range of equivalents thereof. The above specification, examples and data provide a description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended and the full range of the equivalents of the claims.