EiT-M

SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Electronics and Communication Stream
SEMESTER PROJECT
Title: Design and Modeling of Parabolic Reflector Antenna for
Home Application
Submitted By: Group Members
Name Id No.
1. Muse Tuoum …………………………..............82899/07
2. Meron Haile…………………………...............82809/07
3. Kassa Chekole …………………………...........82582/07
4. W/mikel H/slase……………………….............83337/07
5. Temesgen Amanuel…………………………....83245/07

Advisor: INS Berihu G.

Submission date: 29/09/2010 E.C

0
 Acknowledgment

Firstly, we would like to thank God and his mother virgin saints marry for giving us the
knowledge and strength to finalize this project.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our advisor Berihu G. for his continuous
support, patience, motivation and immense knowledge. His guidance helped us in all the time
of research and writing of this project.

We also thank to our instructor Dr Mohammed I. for his valuable advice and comments. He
always motivated us to strive to do our best and who has always been our sources of
encouragement.

We would also thank to our parents for supporting and carrying us through their prayer
throughout the year.

i
Abstract
A parabolic antenna is an antenna that uses a parabolic reflector, a curved surface with the
cross-sectional shape of a parabola, to direct the radio waves. The most common form is shaped
like a dish and is popularly called a dish antenna or parabolic dish. The main advantage of a
parabolic antenna is that it is highly directive; it functions similarly to a searchlight or flashlight
reflector to direct the radio waves in a narrow beam, or receive radio waves from one particular
direction only. Parabolic antennas have some of the highest gain that is they can produce the
narrowest beam width angles, of any antenna type. In order to achieve narrow beam widths, the
parabolic reflector must be much larger than the wavelength of the radio waves used, so
parabolic antennas are used in the high frequency part of the radio spectrum, at UHF and
microwave (SHF) frequencies, at which wavelengths are small enough that conveniently sized
dishes can be used.

Parabolic antennas are used as high-gain antennas for point-to-point communication, in

applications such as microwave relay links that carry telephone and television signals between
nearby cities, wireless WAN/LAN links for data communications, satellite and spacecraft
communication antennas, and radio telescopes. Their other large use is in radar antennas, which
need to emit a narrow beam of radio waves to locate objects like ships and airplanes. With the
advent of home satellite television dishes, parabolic antennas have become a ubiquitous feature
of the modern landscape.

This work therefore, presents the design and modeling of parabolic antenna for home resident
with applying an electronic technique to control the dimensions of the parabolic reflector .The
Control of the parabolic reflector diameter leads to the control of the antenna gain, and
minimize cost.

ii
Contents
Acknowledgment ........................................................................................................................................ i
Abstract...................................................................................................................................................... ii
CHAPTER ONE ....................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Literature Review ............................................................................................................................. 3
1.3 Statement of the problem .................................................................................................................. 4
1.4 Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 4
1.4.1 General Objective ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.4.2 Specific Objective ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................................... 6
ANTENNA AND PARAMETERS OF ANTENNA ............................................................................... 6
2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Types of Antennas ............................................................................................................................ 7
2.3 Fundamental Parameters of Antenna ................................................................................................ 7
2.3.1 Radiation Pattern........................................................................................................................ 7
2.3.2 Beam Width ............................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.3 Directivity .................................................................................................................................. 8
2.3.4 Gain ............................................................................................................................................ 8
2.3.5 Bandwidth .................................................................................................................................. 9
2. 4 Parabolic Reflector Antennas .......................................................................................................... 9
2.4.1Working Principle of Parabolic Reflector Antenna .................................................................. 10
2.4.2 Advantages............................................................................................................................... 11
2.4.3 Disadvantages .......................................................................................................................... 12
2.5 Applications of parabolic reflector antenna .................................................................................... 12
CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................................ 14
SYSTEM MODEL AND METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 14
3.1 System model And Analysis ........................................................................................................... 14
3.2 Design Parameters of Parabolic Reflector Antenna ........................................................................ 15
CHAPTER- FOUR ................................................................................................................................. 19

iii
SIMULATION RESULTS AND DISCUSION .................................................................................... 19
4.1 Simulation results and discussion ................................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................................................... 22
CONCLUSSION AND FUTURE SCOPE ............................................................................................ 22
Reference .................................................................................................................................................. 23

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 List figures
Figure1 2.1: Geometrical configuration of parabolic reflector antenna ..................................................... 9
Figure 2 2.2: geometry of parabolic reflector ............................................................................................ 11
Figure 3 3.1: Flowchart for the system model of parabolic reflector ........................................................ 14
Figure 4 3.2: Mathematical diagram of parabolic reflector ...................................................................... 15
Figure 5 4.1: Input values of reflector....................................................................................................... 19
Figure6 4.2: Normalized radiation pattern of E-plane and H-plane ......................................................... 20
Figure7 4.3 E- plane normalized radiation pattern.................................................................................... 20
Figure 8 4.4: H-plane normalized radiation pattern .................................................................................. 21

v
List of table

vi
List of Abbreviations

vii
 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

An antenna is a basic component of any communication device required for both transmitting
as well as receiving of the signal. In military and commercial applications like wireless
communication, high performance aircrafts, satellites and missile applications, where size, cost,
weight, performance, etc. parabolic reflector antenna is best choice [1]. High gain parabolic
reflector antennas come in a variety of sizes. The most commonly seen are those used for
satellite television reception. However parabolic antennas are used in many other applications.
Parabolic reflector antennas are also often seen on microwave towers for communications.
Larger ones still can often be seen on TV broadcast stations where signals need to be
transmitted up to a broadcast satellite and where performance is paramount. Even larger
antennas may also be used for other communications or even space research applications. Some
these parabolic antennas are many tens of meters across.[2]
The idea of using parabolic reflectors for radio antennas was taken from optics, where the
power of a parabolic mirror to focus light into a beam has been known since classical antiquity.
The physicist Hertz constructed the world's first parabolic reflector antenna in 1888.[3] The
antenna was a cylindrical parabolic reflector made of zinc sheet metal supported by a wooden
frame, and had a spark-gap excited dipole along the focal line. Its aperture was 2 meters high by
1.2 meters wide, with a focal length of 0.12 meters, and was used at an operating frequency of
about 450 MHz With two such antennas, one used for transmitting and the other for receiving,
Hertz demonstrated the existence of radio waves which had been predicted by Maxwell years
earlier. Further developments have been made later on. The first parabolic antenna used for
satellite communications was constructed in early sixties, to communicate with the satellite.
The advent in the seventies of computer programs capable of calculating the radiation pattern of
parabolic antennas has led to the development of sophisticated asymmetric, multi reflector and
multi feed designs in recent years.[4] In order to simplify analysis and performance prediction,

1
parabolic reflector is a curved surface with the cross-sectional shape of a parabola, to direct the
radio waves.
The reflector can be of sheet metal, metal screen, or wire grill construction, and it can be either
a circular "dish" or various other shapes to create different beam shapes. The parabolic reflector
antenna is ideal for high gain applications. At microwave frequencies where these antennas are
normally used, they are able to produce very high levels of gain, and they offer a very
convenient and robust structure that is able to withstand the rigors of external use, while still
being able to perform well.
This paper deals with applying an electronic technique to control the dimensions of the
parabolic reflector .The control of the parabolic reflector diameter leads to the control of the
antenna gain The parabolic shape of the reflector surface of the antenna enables a very accurate
beam to be obtained .we will design domestic systems like those used for satellite television
reception, a small reflector combined with a focal point feed are used, providing the simplest
and most economical form of construction. Our design of antennas may not always look exactly
like the traditional full dish antenna. For mechanical and production reasons the feed is often
offset from the center and a portion of the parabolic used, again offset from the center as this
provides mechanical advantage.

2
1.2 Literature Review
Now a day most of wireless communication and commercial applications, especially military
applications require an antenna that operate at wide band, that radiate broad sided, require low
cost of fabrication, low in size and weight and needs to have a high gain and covers a large
distance of communication.

Reflector antennas, in one form or another, have been in use since the discovery of
electromagnetic wave propagation in 1888 by Hertz. However the fine art of analyzing
and designing reflectors of many various geometrical shapes did not forge ahead until the days
of World War II when numerous radar applications evolved Subsequent
demands of reflectors for use in radio astronomy, microwave communication, and
satellite tracking resulted in spectacular progress in the development of sophisticated
analytical and experimental techniques in shaping the reflector surfaces and optimizing
illumination over their apertures so as to maximize the gain. The use of reflector
antennas for deep-space communication, such as in the space program and especially
their deployment on the surface of the moon, resulted in establishing the reflector
antenna almost as a household word during the 1960s. Although reflector antennas
take many geometrical configurations, some of the most popular shapes are the plane,
corner, and curved reflectors.

The parabolic reflector antenna or dish antenna has been used far more widely in recent years
the parabolic reflector or dish antenna is the form of antenna which finds many uses in
domestic satellite television reception, terrestrial microwave data links, general satellite
communications and many more. Its size means that it is generally limited to use above 1GHz,
although larger antennas may be used for frequencies down to about 100MHz.The parabolic
reflector antenna or dish antenna is known for its distinctive shape, its high gain, and narrow
beam widths.

There are a lot of projects about parabolic reflector antenna but cost and the bad weather
conditions effect are high this is main issue. So in this project we use cheaper and some
wastage material, small size with good quality of parabolic reflector antenna with precise
parabolic shape of a dish reflects the signal to the dish's focal point.

3
1.3 Statement of the problem
The main aim of this paper is to improve the efficiency of the parabolic dish antenna in improve
the efficiency of the parabolic dish antenna the bad weather conditions. A satellite dish is a dish
shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications
satellites, which transmit data transmission or broadcasts, such as satellite television. The
parabolic shape of a dish reflects the signal to the dish's focal point called LNB which converts
the signals from electromagnetic or radio waves to electric signals. In extreme cases, the
reception can be effectively disrupted and also adverse weather can affect quality of the satellite
TV signal reception. The possibility of signal degradation/loss depends on regional yearly
rainfall figure, location in the satellite footprint and height of the above horizon. Signal
attenuation is mainly wave absorption by the rain drops. There is also some signal scattering,
due to refraction and diffraction of electromagnetic waves in and around rain drops. To solve
this, to improve the efficiency of the parabolic dish antenna the bad weather conditions and to
achieve the maximum gain, it is necessary that the shape of the dish be accurate within a small
fraction of a wavelength, to ensure the waves from different parts of the antenna arrive at the
focus in phase and another solution could be spraying dish surface over with a non-stick spray.

1.4 Objectives

1.4.1 General Objective

 To design and modeling of parabolic antenna for home resident.

1.4.2 Specific Objective

 To analysis gain, focal length, efficiency and beam width.

 To design and modelling by controlling the dimension of parabolic reflector
antenna
 To compare the performance of parabolic reflector antenna against the previous
efficiency of the parabolic dish antenna the bad weather conditions.

4
1.5 Methodology
The way that we follow the procedure to become successful of our project is first we gathering
different information that used for our project and we calculate the parameters. When we finish
our calculation on the parameters then goes to the next step that will design of our project in
this section we decide what look and the view of our project. After then we will go to practical
part. Then implement of it. Finally we will test whether our project is working good or figure
out the difficulty.

Start

Data collection

Analysis data and mathematical

modeling and learning soft ware

Simulation

Result and discussion

Data collection
Conclusion

5
 CHAPTER TWO

ANTENNA AND PARAMETERS OF ANTENNA

2.1 Introduction
An antenna is a transducer that converts an electric current into electromagnetic waves which
are then radiated into space. Electric charges are the sources of EM fields. If the sources are
time varying, EM waves propagate away from the sources and radiation is said to have taken
place. Radiation may be thought of as the process of transmitting electric energy. The radiation
or launching of the waves into space is efficiently accomplished with the aid of conducting or
dielectric structures called antennas. Theoretically, any structure can radiate EM waves but not
all structures can serve as efficient radiation mechanisms. An antenna may also be viewed as a
transducer used in matching the transmission line or waveguide (used in guiding the wave to be
launched) to the surrounding medium or vice versa. The antenna is needed for two main
reasons: efficient radiation and matching wave impedances in order to minimize reflection. The
antenna uses voltage and current from the transmission line (or the EM fields from the
waveguide) to launch an EM wave into the medium. An antenna may be used for either
transmitting or receiving EM energy.

(Matthew O. Sadiku, 1990) The I EEE Standard Definitions of Terms for Antennas defines the
antenna as a means for radiating or receiving radio waves.” In other words, the antenna is the
transitional structure between free-space and a guiding device. The guiding device or
transmission line may take the form of a coaxial line or a hollow pipe (waveguide), and it is
used to transport electromagnetic energy from the transmitting source to the antenna or from the
antenna to the receiver. Antennas transmit radio signals by converting electrical currents into
electromagnetic waves. Antennas receive the signals by converting the electromagnetic waves
back into radio frequency electrical currents. Antennas can function in air, space, under water
or other liquid, and even through solid matter for limited distances.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, antenna designers have investigated different
antenna architectures to meet the requirements of communication systems. A large variety of
antennas have been developed to date; The idea of using parabolic reflectors for radio antennas
was taken from optics, where the power of a parabolic mirror to focus light into a beam has

6
been known since classical antiquity. The physicist Hertz constructed the world's first parabolic
reflector antenna in 1888.[3] The antenna was a cylindrical parabolic reflector made of zinc
sheet metal supported by a wooden frame, and had a spark-gap excited dipole along the focal
line. Its aperture was 2 meters high by 1.2 meters wide, with a focal length of 0.12 meters, and
was used at an operating frequency of about 450 MHz With two such antennas, one used for
transmitting and the other for receiving, Hertz demonstrated the existence of radio waves which
had been predicted by Maxwell years earlier. Further developments have been made later on.
The first parabolic antenna used for satellite communications was constructed in early sixties,
to communicate with the satellite. The advent in the seventies of computer programs capable of
calculating the radiation pattern of parabolic antennas has led to the development of
sophisticated asymmetric, multi reflector and multi feed designs in recent years.[4].

2.2 Types of Antennas

Antennas are mainly classified into different categories: wire, aperture, loop, Micro strip, array,
reflector, helix, smart antennas. Wire antennas are the most common type of antennas. They can
be seen on automobiles, buildings, ships, aircraft, spacecraft and many other places. Aperture
antennas are mainly used in aircraft and spacecraft applications. Some examples of aperture
antennas are the pyramidal horn, the conical horn and the rectangular waveguide antennas.
Micro strip patch antennas are mainly used for government and commercial applications. Array
antennas are assembly of elements (wire, aperture, rectangular).Rectangular and circular micro
strip patch antennas are the most used antennas because of their low cross polarization.
Parabolic antenna is used to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which
transmit data transmission or broadcasts, such as satellite television.

2.3 Fundamental Parameters of Antenna

To describe the performance of an antenna, definitions of various parameters are necessary.
Some of the parameters are interrelated and not all of them need be specified for complete
description of the antenna performance.

2.3.1 Radiation Pattern

An antenna radiation pattern or antenna pattern is defined as “a mathematical function or a
graphical representation of the radiation properties of the antenna as a function of space

7
coordinates. In most cases, the radiation pattern is determined in the far field region and is
represented as a function of the directional coordinates.

A trace of the received electric (magnetic) field at a constant radius is called the amplitude field
pattern. On the other hand, a graph of the spatial variation of the power density along a constant
radius is called an amplitude power pattern.

For an antenna,

a) The field pattern (in linear scale) typically represents a plot of the magnitude of the electric
or magnetic field as a function of the angular space.

b) The power pattern (in linear scale) typically represents a plot of the square of the magnitude
of the electric or magnetic field as a function of the angular space.

c) The power pattern (in dB) represents the magnitude of the electric or magnetic field, in
Decibels, as a function of the angular space.

2.3.2 Beam Width

The beam width of a pattern is defined as the angular separation between two identical points
on opposite side of the pattern maximum. In an antenna pattern, there are a number of beam
widths.

2.3.3 Directivity
Directivity of an antenna defined as “the ratio of the radiation intensity in a given direction
from the antenna to the radiation intensity averaged over all directions. The average radiation
intensity is equal to the total power radiated by the antenna divided by 4π.

2.3.4 Gain
Another useful measure describing the performance of an antenna is the gain. Although the
gain of the antenna is closely related to the directivity, it is a measure that takes into account the
efficiency of the antenna as well as its directional capabilities.

8
2.3.5 Bandwidth
The bandwidth of an antenna is defined as “the range of frequencies within which the
performance of the antenna, with respect to some characteristic, conforms to a specified
standard.”

2. 4 Parabolic Reflector Antennas

The overall radiation characteristics (antenna pattern, antenna efficiency, polarization
discrimination, etc.) of a reflector can be improved if the structural configuration of
its surface is upgraded. It has been shown by geometrical optics that if a beam of
parallel rays is incident upon a reflector whose geometrical shape is a parabola, the
radiation will converge (focus) at a spot which is known as the focal point. In the
same manner, if a point source is placed at the focal point, the rays reflected by a
parabolic reflector will emerge as a parallel beam. This is one form of the principle of
reciprocity, and it is demonstrated geometrically in Figure 2.1. The symmetrical
point on the parabolic surface is known as the vertex. Rays that emerge in a parallel
formations are usually said to be collimated. In practice, collimation is often used to
describe the highly directional characteristics of an antenna even though the emanating
rays are not exactly parallel. Since the transmitter (receiver) is placed at the focal point
of the parabola, the configuration is usually known as front fed.

Figure1 2.1: Geometrical configuration of parabolic reflector antenna

9
When looking at parabolic reflector antenna systems there are a number of parameters and
terms that are of importance:

 Focus: The focus or focal point of the parabolic reflector is the point at which any
incoming signals are concentrated. When radiating from this point the signals will be
reflected by the reflecting surface and travel in a parallel beam and to provide the
required gain and beam width.
 Vertex: This is the innermost point at the center of the parabolic reflector.
 Focal length: The focal length of a parabolic antenna is the distance from its focus to
its vertex.

Frequency range

The frequency range used for the application of parabolic reflector antennas is
1GHz up to 10 GHz. These antennas are widely used for radio and wireless applications.

2.4.1Working Principle of Parabolic Reflector Antenna

The standard definition of a parabola is - Locus of a point, which moves in such a way that
it’s distance from the fixed point (called focus) plus its distance from a straight line (called
directrix) is constant. The following figure 2.2 shows the geometry of parabolic reflector. The
point F is the focus (feed is given) and V is the vertex. The line joining F and V is the axis of
symmetry. PQ are the reflected rays where L represents the line directrix on which the reflected
points lie (to say that they are being collinear). Hence, as per the above definition, the distance
between F and L lie constant with respect to the waves being focused.

10
 Figure 2 2.2: geometry of parabolic reflector
The reflected wave forms a collimated wave front, out of the parabolic shape. The ratio of
focal length to aperture size (i.e., f/D) known as “f over D ratio” is an important parameter of
parabolic reflector. Its value varies from 0.25 to 0.50.

The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are
equal. This law when used along with a parabola, helps the beam focus. The shape of the
parabola when used for the purpose of reflection of waves, exhibits some properties of the
parabola, which are helpful for building an antenna, using the waves reflected.

Properties of Parabolic reflector

 All the waves originating from focus, reflects back to the parabolic axis. Hence, all
the waves reaching the aperture are in phase.
 As the waves are in phase, the beam of radiation along the parabolic axis will be
strong and concentrated.
Following these points, the parabolic reflectors help in producing high directivity with
narrower beam width.

2.4.2 Advantages
 High gain: Parabolic reflector antennas are able to provide very high levels of gain. The
larger the 'dish' in terms of wavelengths, the higher the gain.

 High directivity: As with the gain, so too the parabolic reflector or dish antenna is able to
provide high levels of directivity. The higher the gain, the narrower the beam width. This
can be a significant advantage in applications where the power is only required to be

11
 directed over a small area. This can prevent it, for example causing interference to other
users, and this is important when communicating with satellites because it enables satellites
using the same frequency bands to be separated by distance or more particularly by angle at
the antenna.

2.4.3 Disadvantages
 Requires reflector and drive element: the parabolic reflector itself is only part of the
antenna. It requires a feed system to be placed at the focus of the parabolic reflector.
 Cost: The antenna needs to be manufactured with care. A parabolic is needed to reflect the
radio signals which must be made carefully. In addition to this a feed system is also
required. This can add cost to the system
 Size: The antenna is not as small as some types of antenna, although many used for satellite
television reception are quite compact.

2.5 Applications of parabolic reflector antenna

There are many areas in which the parabolic dish antenna is used. In some areas it is the form of
antenna that is used virtually exclusively because of its characteristics.

 Direct broadcast television: Direct broadcast or satellite television has become a major
form of distribution for television content. The wide and controllable coverage areas
available combined with the much larger bandwidths enable more channels to be broadcast
and this makes satellite television very attractive. The drawback is that satellites cannot
broadcast very high power levels and combined with the path loss from geostationary orbit
the signal levels are low. This means that directive antennas must be used to provide
sufficient gain while being able to receive signals from only one satellite – several satellites
could be visible from one location and broadcasting on the same frequencies. The parabolic
reflector antenna is able to meet these requirements and has the added advantage that it
would not be as long as a Yagi for an equivalent level of gain and directivity.

12
 Microwave links: Terrestrial microwave links are used for many applications. Often they
are used for terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure links. One of the major areas where
they are used these days is to provide the backhaul for mobile telecommunications systems.
 Satellite communications: Many satellite uplinks, or those for communication satellites
require high levels of gain to ensure the optimum signal conditions and that transmitted
power from the ground does not affect other satellites in close angular proximity. Again the
ideal antenna for most applications is the parabolic reflector antenna.
 Radio astronomy: Radio astronomy is an area where very high levels of gain and
directivity are required. Accordingly the parabolic reflector antenna is an ideal choice.

13
 CHAPTER THREE

SYSTEM MODEL AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 System model And Analysis

Varying
frequency

Varying focal Test

If there is
length simulation
error

Varying
diameter If no error

Simulation Result

Figure 3 3.1: Flowchart for the system model of parabolic reflector

The design of parabolic antenna was based upon the antenna parameters. In order to find any of

14
the parameters, the following set of empirical formulae was considered.
𝐷²
Focal length, f = 16d ..............................................................................3.1

Where D: diameter and d: depth

𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ
Efficiency η= D =𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑠ℎ ……………………………………….3.2

70 λ
Beam width ψ = ……………………………………………………3.3
D

𝐷²
The aperture area of a parabolic reflector is A= π …………………..3.4
4

η4πA
Gain of a parabolic reflector 𝐺 = log10 ( ) ………………………...3.5
λ2

3.2 Design Parameters of Parabolic Reflector Antenna

The design of parabolic antenna was based upon the antenna parameters. We specified the following
parameters:

Diameter D=0.5m
Depth d=0.052m
Frequency =1.5GHZ
c=3*10^8 m/s

Figure 4 3.2: Mathematical diagram of parabolic reflector

15
 3∗10^8
Wavelength, λ= 𝑐/𝑓 = =0.2m
1.5∗10^9

𝐷² (0.5)²
Focal length, f = 16d =16∗0.052m =0.3m

𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 0.3𝑚
Efficiency η= D =𝐷𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑠ℎ = 0.5m =0.6*100% = 60%

70 λ 70∗0.2
Beam width ψ = = = 28
D 0.5

𝐷² 0.5²
Aperture area of a parabolic reflector is A= 𝛱 =π = 0.1963𝑚2
4 4

η4πA 0.6∗4π∗0.1963
Gain of a parabolic reflector 𝐺 = 10log10 ( ) = 10log10 ( ) = 15.68 dB
λ2 0.22

16
In this table frequencies are varied while the focal length and diameters are kept constant.
Frequency variation does not affect efficiency but give sharper beam width with varying
frequency to produce better beam width.

Table 3.1: Constant focal length and diameter and variable frequency

Frequency Focal length (m) Diameter (m) Efficiency Beam width

(GHz)

1.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 28

1.75 0.3 0.5 0.6 24

2 0.3 0.5 0.6 21

2.25 0.3 0.5 0.6 18.67

2.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 16.8

In this table focal lengths are varied while the frequency and diameter are kept constant. Focal
length variation does not affect beam width but produce a better efficiency according to
requirement.
Table 3.2: Constant frequency and diameter and variable focal length

Frequency Focal length (m) Diameter (m) Efficiency Beam width

(GHz)

1.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 28

1.5 0.1 0.5 0.2 28

1.5 0.08 0.5 0.16 28

1.5 0.06 0.5 0.12 28

1.5 0.04 0.5 0.08 28

17
In this table diameters are varied while the frequency and focal length are kept constant.
Diameter decrement affects both the efficiency and beam width increase but produce a poor
result according to requirement.
Table 3.3: Constant frequency and focal length and variable diameter

Frequency Focal length (m) Diameter Efficiency Beam width

(GHz) (m)

1.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 28

1.5 0.3 0.45 0.667 31

1.5 0.3 0.4 0.75 35

1.5 0.3 0.35 0.857 40

1.5 0.3 0.3 1 46.67

18
 CHAPTER- FOUR

SIMULATION RESULTS AND DISCUSION

4.1 Simulation results and discussion

The antenna radiation pattern is the display of the radiation properties of the antenna as a
function of the (θ, φ) spherical coordinates. In most cases, the radiation pattern is determined in
the Far-Field region for constant radial distance and frequency .The antenna performance is
frequently described in terms of its principal E-plane and H-plane patterns. For a polarized
antenna, the E-plane and H-planes are defined as the planes containing the direction of
maximum radiation and the electric and magnetic field vectors, accordingly.

Figure 5 4.1: Input values of reflector

19
Figure6 4.2: Normalized radiation pattern of E-plane and H-plane
This is a normalized antenna and produces a pointed beam. The reflector has an elliptical shape.
It will produce a beam .Radars use two different curvatures in the horizontal and vertical planes
to achieve the required pencil beam in azimuth and the classical beam in elevation.
This ideal case shown in the figure 4.3 doesn't happen in the practice. The practical parabolic
antennas pattern has a conical form because of irregularities in the production. Main lobe may
vary in angular width from one or two degree in some radar to 15 to 20 degrees in other radars.

Figure7 4.3 E- plane normalized radiation pattern

20
 Figure 8 4.4: H-plane normalized radiation pattern
This shift in operating frequency may be attributed to the gain enhancing feature of such
antenna with air or any other low dielectric constant substrate. The next step is to examine the
radiation pattern for two identical antennas; one with conventional substrate and the other with
air substrate. Therefore, the radiation patterns are compared between the antennas separately at
E and H plane as shown in Figure 4.3 and Figure 4.4 .It is evident from the figure that, E plane
3 dB beam width is doubled than H plane beam width for conventional antenna with substrate
while, those for same antenna with air substrate show no changes in beam widths between its E
and H planes. Along with this the gain of this present antenna with air substrate is greater than
conventional structure as expected.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

The fundamental antenna concepts and a brief introduction to the types of feeds have been
discussed. Analysis of the parabolic reflector typically like f/D, gain, radiation patterns has
been done and the corresponding results were plotted. The E-plane and H-plane normalized
radiation pattern in dB of parabolic reflector were calculated and then the beam width and
efficiency was calculated by using general formula. By calculating these different values of
beam width and efficiency this paper is conclude that center frequency is 1.5GHz, focal length
is 0.3m and diameter of the parabolic dish is 0.5m gives the better response of this reflector.

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Reference

[1] “R. S. Elliot, Antenna theory and design”, revised edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
&Sons, 2003.
[2] T. A. Milligan, Modern Antenna Design. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.

[3] Manuel Arrebola 1, Leandro de Haro2, and Jose A. Encina3 ,“Analysis of Dual-Reflector Antennas
with a Reflect array as Subreflector” in IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, Vol. 50, No.6,
December 2008.
[4] ShenhengXu, YahyaRahmat-Samii, Fellow,IEEE, and William A. Imbriale, Life Fellow, IEEE
“Subreflectarrays for Reflector Surface Distortion Compensation”, in IEEE transactions on antennas
and propagation, VOL. 57, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2009

[5] Piergiorgio L. E. Uslenghi, Life Fellow IEEE “Reflection by a Concave Parabolic Mirror” IN IEEE
antennas and wireless propagation letters, VOL. 11, 2012

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