Aspen to ship reliable rotary joints

Manufactured in the US by Diamond Antenna and Microwave, the range includes hundreds of designs, from single channel coax and waveguide rotary joints to multi-channel products.

Diamond rotary couplers are used in radar systems such as air traffic control shipboard and land-based installations as well as airborne, vehicle mount and shipboard satcom-on-the-move (SOTM) pedestals.

Rotary joints allow the directional antenna to rotate while passing microwave signals to and from the transceiver.

Lubricated bearings provide the mechanical interface for a long life of sector scan or full continuous rotation.

Consistent high-quality signals are passed during both rotation and fixed position transmission and reception.

A typical model in the Diamond range is the 2620 rotary joint, with six RF channels and 20 DC channels.

The six RF channels feature a combination of waveguide and coaxial connections, designed to handle transmit and receive power levels as applicable.

The 20 DC channels incorporate Diamond's Roll Ring technology, which when compared to conventional slip ring technology, gives long life, low noise and virtually friction-free performance, according to the company.

The devices are suitable for: communications systems including ground station uplinks and downlinks; satellite payloads and land-based, airborne and sea-based mobile platforms; air traffic control radar systems; navigation systems; industrial process control systems; medical scanners; and even satellite solar panels.