Telecommunications antennas for the Unisat 1 satellite

The elliptical paraboloidal reflector fed by elliptical corrugated horn, the elliptical paraboloidal reflector fed by a horn cluster, and the distorted paraboloidal reflector fed by a conical corrugated horn are examined as potential antenna designs for the Unisat 1 telecommunications satellite. The reflector profile distortions and the illumination of the service areas are calculated using the array antenna radiation pattern synthesis software of Guy (1979). The distorted paraboloidal reflector was selected for the satellite due to superior feed polarization performance, a correlation of aperture size to reflector illumination, and small development time scales. Two reflectors were constructed from layers of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic embedded in an epoxy resin base; the benefits of this design are discussed. The performance of the reflectors are evaluated and good correlation with predicted performance is observed.