Patent ID: 6861994

Claim:
A method for mounting a rotatable reflector antenna having a main reflector with outermost side portions and an axial center, to reduce a radius of a swept arc of said main reflector as said main reflector is rotated about an azimuthal axis of rotation, said method comprising the steps of: supporting said main reflector on a platform; using a motor to rotate said platform about said azimuthal axis of rotation; using an encoder to track said azimuthal axis of rotation and provide feedback to said motor; and locating said main reflector on said platform such that said azimuthal axis of rotation is disposed forwardly of a plane extending perpendicularly through said axial center of said main reflector; wherein said main reflector is fixedly supported relative to said platform such that said main reflector rotates about said azimuthal axis of rotation; and wherein said azimuthal axis is maintained at a constant position at said outermost side portions of said main reflector at all times during azimuthal rotation of said main reflector.