The diagram below shows the architecture of a antenna control system using third party components. The 'Antenna Positioner' device solely controls the antenna pointing, it does not perform any satellite tracking. The 'Beacon Receiver' measures the satellite beacon level. Both devices are controlled by the IDU using arbitrary M&C interfaces (serial, TCP/IP). Any tracking functions are performed by a software module in the sat-nms ACU IDU.
The indoor unit's main task is to perform the satellite tracking in this configuration. The IDU reads the beacon level thru the receiver's M&C interface and directs the antenna to to tracking steps. The tracking algorithms used by the IDU are similar to those used by the ODM, but not exactly the same. This is mainly because there is a longer time between moving the antenna for a test step anf reading out the beacon level.
The main advantage of this configuration is it's flexibility. The IDU is capable to do all tracking modes with any antenna controller which can be remote controlled by the sat-nms M&C system, the same applies for the beacon receiver. The sat-nms ACU indoor unit is a cost effective solution to upgrade existing antenna systems with a modern, network based user interface and a powerful satellite tracing engine.