Patent ID: 8379549

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a base station; a satellite located remote from said base station; a single signal line connected between said base station and said satellite allowing a first signal, to be transmitted in a first direction from the satellite to the base station, and a second signal, having a different frequency from said first signal, to be transmitted in a second direction from said base station to said satellite; said satellite comprising a first filter bank that spectrally separates a plurality of first signals at transmitted via said single signal line in said first direction from said satellite and a plurality of second signals transmitted via said single signal line in said second direction to said satellite; said base station comprising a second filter bank that spectrally separates the plurality of second signals transmitted via said single signal line in said second direction from said base station and the plurality of first signals transmitted via said single signal line in said first direction to said base station; and said single signal line being connected between said first filter bank and said second filter bank to cause the plurality of first and second signals transmitted via said single signal line between said base station and said satellite to be respectively spectrally separated in said first and second filter banks; and said first filter bank at said satellite comprising a high-pass/low-pass diplexer comprising a low-pass path and a high-pass path, said second signal being supplied by said diplexer to said low-pass path or said high-pass path; wherein said satellite comprising a plurality of modules respectively connected to said diplexer that mix said second signal with a third signal supplied to said satellite, to produce the first signal of said satellite.