Patent ID: 7317916

Claim:
A communications system, comprising: a ground station having; a beam generator for generating a plurality of beam control signals, a digital beam former circuit receiving the beam control signals and generating a plurality of first element control signals for generating communication beams and a plurality of auxiliary element control signals for canceling interference from the side lobes of the communication beams, a multiplexer multiplexing the first element control signals, and an RF subsystem for communicating an RF signal corresponding to the first element control signals and the auxiliary element control signals; a stratospheric platform having; a payload receiver for receiving the RF signals, a demultiplexer demultiplexing the RF signals into a second plurality of element control signals corresponding to the first element control signals and a second plurality of auxiliary element control signals and generating a plurality of communication beams in response to the second plurality of element control signals and a plurality of auxiliary element outputs in response to the second plurality of auxiliary element control signals.