Antenna system having azimuth rotating directive beam with selectable polarization

A scanning antenna system for processing linearly polarized signals, the system providing a beam scannable through a predetermined scan angle, the system comprising:

• a fixed feed having a first port and a second port, the second port being disposed along an axis and fixed in position in relation thereto, teh fixed feed for receiving linearly polarized energy through the first port, the fixed feed comprising a first circular polarizer for circularly polarizing the linearly polarized energy received through the first port, the fixed feed feeding such circularly polarized energy out the second port along the axis;
• reflector means rotatable about the axis for receiving circularly polarized energy from along the axis, reflecting the circularly polarized energy into the beam, scanning the beam, and comprising a second circular polarizer for linearly polarizing the circularly polarized energy which is received from along the axis, the second circular polarizer having the same sense of polarization as the first circular polarizer;
• and
• the fixed feed being disposed such that it is non-rotating about the axis.

A scanning antenna system comprising:

• reflector means rotatable about an axis for forming a beam, for scanning the beam, for reflecting energy of the beam and for reflecting energy along the axis, and comprising a first circular polarizer for polarizing the energy processed by the reflector means;
• a fixed feed which is non-rotating about the axis and which has a first port disposed along the axis for feeding circularly polarized energy along the axis between the first port and the reflector means, and having a second port through which linearly polarized energy is fed;
• and
• a second circular polarizer coupled to the fixed feed for polarizing the energy traversing the first and second ports of the fixed feed, the second circular polarizer having the same sense of polarization as the first circular polarizer.