Identical surface shaped reflectors in semi-tandem arrangement

A dual-gridded shaped reflector arrangement for reflecting orthogonally polarized energy, said reflector arrangement comprising:

• a first reflector body;
• a second reflector body different in shape from said first reflector body and arranged directly behind said first reflector body and spaced therefrom in a tandem arrangement;
• a first shaped reflective surface formed on only a portion of said first reflector body and having a first shaped beam coverage and a first focal point;
• and
• a second shaped reflective surface formed on only a portion of said second reflector body and having a second shaped beam coverage and a second focal point,
• wherein said first and second shaped reflective surfaces have substantially identical non-parabolic surface contours with orthogonal reflective arrays and are arranged tandem and offset from each other so that said first and second beam coverages provide substantially identical beam coverage while said first and second focal points are separate one from the other.

A method for forming a dual-gridded shaped reflector arrangement with a single mandrel, said method comprising:

• forming a first shaped reflective surface with a first array of grid line strips on a portion of said single mandrel;
• forming a first reflector body surface with said first shaped reflective surface located on only a portion thereof;
• forming a second shaped reflective surface with a second array of grid line strips on said portion of said single mandrel, said first and second shaped reflective surfaces having substantially identical shapes and further having said first and second arrays of grid line strips arranged orthogonal to each other;
• forming a second reflector body surface different in shape from said first reflector body surface on said single mandrel with said second shaped reflective surface located on only a portion thereof;
• and
• arranging said first and second reflector body surfaces so that said first and second reflective surfaces are in an offset and tandem arrangement such that said first and second shaped reflective surfaces provide substantially identical beam coverage and separate focal points.

A shaped reflector system for reflecting orthogonally polarized energy, said reflector system comprising:

• a first shaped reflective surface having a first reflective array formed on only a portion of a first specially shaped non-parabolic surface contour for providing a first shaped beam coverage;
• a second shaped reflective surface having a second reflective array formed on only a portion of a specially shaped non-parabolic surface contour different in shape from the first surface contour, the second shaped reflective surface providing a second shaped beam coverage substantially identical to the first shaped beam coverage, the second reflective array of the second shaped reflective surface arranged orthogonal to the first reflective array of the first shaped reflective surface;
• a first feed horn located substantially near a first focal point of said first shaped reflective surface;
• and
• a second feed horn located substantially near a second focal point of said second shaped reflective surface,
• wherein said first and second shaped reflective surfaces are arranged tandem and offset from each other so that said first and second beam coverages provide substantially identical beam coverage while said first and second focal points are separate one from the other.