A diffraction technique for the prediction of effects of space frame radome structures on the performance of reflector antennas

The spectral domain plane-to-plane diffraction technique which is utilized to study the effects of radome structures on reflector antennas is described. A simulation predicting the scattered field due to a half wavelength blockage is examined. The application of the plane-to-plane technique to scattering/blockage problems is analyzed. The radiation patterns for the antenna/radome combination are evaluated. The patterns predicted by the diffraction technique and the shadow blockage technique are compared. The data reveal that the two patterns are equivalent at the boresight; however, at angles greater than or equal to 5 deg there is no correlation.