Performance comparison of the feed arrangements for satellite arrayfed reflector antennas

In order to decrease the volume and weight of satellite arrayfed reflector antennas, usually as less feeds as possible is preferred for the feed array of the antennas. Thus, the performance of beam shaping is analyzed and compared for two different types of feed arrangements, i.e. regular hexagonal and rectangular grid array. Based on the frequency domain principle of pattern multiplication it shows that the regular hexagonal grid array can drop its feed number by 13.4% than the regular rectangular grid array with equally accurate shaped beams, or equivalently improve the shaped beams accurately with unchanged feed numbers. The conclusion is verified to be correct and effective by the simulation results.