Aperture Antennas

Pushpavathi.K.P
Horn Antenna
• A horn antenna (microwave horn) - consists of a
flaring metal waveguide shaped like a horn to direct
radio waves in a beam.
• widely used at UHF and microwave frequencies
( >300 MHz).
• High bandwidth
• Moderate directivity
• Often used as a feed for a reflector antenna
• The gain of horn antennas increases with the frequency
of operation - because the size of the horn aperture is
always measured in wavelengths.
• at higher frequencies the horn antenna is "electrically
larger“- because a higher frequency has a smaller
wavelength.
• The E-field distribution across the aperture of the horn
antenna is responsible for the radiation.
• The radiation pattern of a horn antenna depends on B,
A and R (the length of the horn, also affects the flare
angles of the horn), along with b and a (the dimensions of
the waveguide).
 E-plane horn H-plane horn

Pyramidal horn
Horn antennas are typically fed by a section of a
waveguide, which itself is feed from dipole.
Geometrical parameters of horn antenna
E-plane sectoral Horn antenna
E-plane sectoral horn: side view
E-plane sectoral horn: Directivity
curve
E-plane sectoral horn :max. phase error
H-plane sectoral horn
H-plane sectoral horn: Directivity curve
Max. phase error
 Reflector antennas
• Reflectors are used to concentrate EM energy
radiated/ received and focus power onto the simple
feed antennas, or to increase the directivity.
• The first parabolic (cylinder) reflector antenna was
used by Heinrich Hertz in 1888.
• Large reflectors have high gain and directivity, not
easy to fabricate
• not mechanically robust
• Typical applications: radio telescopes, satellite
communications
 Parabolic Reflector
• Commonly called satellite dish antenna
• Gives a narrow beam, high directivity, High gain of
about 30-40db
• Suitable mainly at microwave frequencies because it
must be large compared with the wavelength of radio
waves.
• smaller dish antennas typically operate -between 2
and 28 GHz, large dishes can operate in the VHF
region (30-300 MHz).
 Construction and working
• consists of a metal parabolic reflector with a small feed
antenna (horn) in front of the reflector at its focus, pointed
towards the reflector.
• transmission - RF current is supplied to feed antenna,(converts
it into radio waves). The radio waves are emitted toward the
dish by the feed antenna and reflect off the dish into a parallel
beam.
• Reception - the incoming radio waves bounce off the dish to a
point at the feed antenna, which (converts them to electric
currents)which travel through a transmission line to receiver
 Parabolic Reflector Beamwidth

• Beamwidth at half-power points

70

D
 Parabolic Reflector Gain

• As a power ratio (not dB)

• With respect to isotropic

 D 2 2
G 2

 Types of feed
• Feed - how the radio waves
are supplied to the antenna
• Axial or front feed – feed
antenna is located in front
of the dish at the focus,
on the beam axis, pointed
back toward the dish.
• Off-axis or offset feed – The reflector is an
asymmetrical segment of a paraboloid,- the focus, and
the feed antenna, are located to one side of the dish
• it does not block the beam.
• widely used in home satellite TV dishes,
• Cassegrain –the feed is located on or behind the dish,
and radiates forward, illuminating a convex
secondary reflector at the focus of the dish.
• The radio waves from the feed reflect back off the
secondary reflector to the dish, which forms the
outgoing beam.
• it is used for satellite communication antennas and
radio telescope
• Gregorian – Similar to the Cassegrain design except
that the secondary reflector is concave
 Applications
• for point-to-point communications
• Microwave relays links that carry telephone and
television signals
• Wireless WAN/LAN links for data communications,
• Radar, Satellite communications and spacecraft
communication antennas.
 Reference
• Materials from IIT B - NPTEL courses
• Antenna – John D Kraus
• www.antenna-theory.com