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Parabolic Design Basics for 5.25-5.825 GHz

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blueandwhiteg3

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Nov 22, 2008
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I am looking for a few design suggestions for a parabolic-type antenna for use in the 5.25-5.825 GHz range. It will be used for RX and TX purposes. Actually, saying I want design suggestions might not even be right... I'd like some indications as to the concepts and directions I should explore.

I am aiming to keep the size under 100 cm, and I want a gain around 30-33 dBi. This is possible from many commercial products out there. I want to maximize the gain versus size - maximize spatial efficiency. I'd like one parabolic that's the smallest possible design to achieve 30 dBi gain, then another that achieves the highest possible gain with a 100 cm diameter.

I could simply copy a commercial design, but I would like to understand a little more about the actual design considerations. One of the trickiest things I am trying to grasp is the shape of the parabolic and depth. How does this affect the beam shape and gain?

From what I can tell, I need to focus on a traditional center-based parabolic design. Offset designs appear to have slightly lower spatial efficiency.

Also for this design, is there a good introduction to the feed aspects of things? I am not using an LNB, I have a small radio unit that is mounted on the dish and signal is fed via coax into the feed.

I could purchase pre-made feeds, but I'd really like to understand the design considerations relative to the dish and consider producing / designing my own as well.

I'd appreciate any conceptual ideas or links you guys would like to shoot my way.
 
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