Dielectric load in short standard conical horns for satellite applications

Abstract

This paper is related to show the possibility of using short length standard conical horn in satellite broadcasting receivers. In this kind of applications the horn must fulfill very strict requirements, among them, there are: high gain, broad bandwidth, low side and back lobes generation and low cross-polarization. To obtain these features the employment of dielectric load is studied. Here is proved that the use of a dielectric load in short standard conical horns can satisfy all the main electrical characteristics for that application. The results presented here allow us to employ the short feeder in the DBS parabolic reflector antennas, easing the mechanical restrictions related with other choices like large standard conical, corrugated or stepped horns.