Abstract:
We present a quad-ridge horn antenna as a feed for
a reflector antenna for use in radio astronomy applications. The
antenna uses elliptically shaped sidewalls to limit the variation of
beamwidth over a wide frequency range and to obtain greater radiation
pattern rotational symmetry. The antenna is dual-polarized
and matched over more than a 4:1 bandwidth. A design procedure
is presented and a prototype designed according to this procedure
is shown. Measured and simulated results of the prototype agree
with each other well. The antenna is analyzed with a prime focus
reflector to determine the range of efficiencies that can be expected.
