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Chapter 6
Feeds for Parabolic Dish Antennas
Paul Wade W1GHZ © 1994,1997,1998,1999
Section 6.3 Circular waveguide feeds
Another simple antenna useful as a feed antenna is a cylindrical horn, a fancy name for a round pipe
radiating from the open end. At the proper frequencies, a round pipe acts as a cylindrical waveguide.
Energy propagating through the waveguide will continue propagating past an open end, radiating into
free space. Several feed antennas start with the unadorned horn and add features to improve perfor-
mance as a feed antenna.
6.3.1 “Coffee can” feeds
“Coffee can” feed — The “Coffee can” feed is simply an open-ended circular, or cylindrical,
waveguide. Early USA amateur versions1 used coffee cans as raw material — a 3-pound can for 23
cm or a one-pound can for 13 cm. The diameter of the cans supports waveguide propagation at these
frequencies, and the tinned steel is solderable and reasonably robust, enabling low-cost homebrewing
of a feed with decent performance. The simplicity of this feed and the ready availability of tinned
cans have inspired use on higher bands2 as well.
The illumination angle provided by a cylindrical horn feed is inversely proportional to the waveguide
diameter, so that it can be tailored for a desired f/D by choosing the appropriate diameter. A popular
size has a waveguide diameter of 0.76λ λ, so I used NEC2 to calculate the radiation pattern shown in
Figure 6.3-1; published patterns measured by VE4MA3 and Jasik4 are similar. The performance graph
in Figure 6.3-1 has best efficiency at an f/D around 0.35 to 0.4. However, the calculated peak effi-
ciency is about 67%, and it is unlikely to be this high in practice; I would expect a real efficiency
closer to 50%. The phase center is at the center of the aperture, the mouth of the horn.
Estimation of the waveguide diameter required illumination a dish requires a bit of calculation. As-
suming that the f/D of the dish is known, the graph of Figure 6.0-2 may be used to find the required
illumination angle and space attenuation. Then the feed taper may be calculated by subtracting the
space attenuation from the desired taper (frequently 10 dB taper), as described in Section 6.0.
Coffee can feed, 0.76λ diameter, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-1
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Radiation Pattern
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Rotation Angle around specified
Dish diameter = 10 λ Feed diameter = 1 λ Phase Center = 0 λ beyond aperture
MAX Possible Efficiency with Phase error
MAX Efficiency without phase error AFTER LOSSES:
90
REAL WORLD at least 15% lower Illumination
Parabolic Dish Efficiency %
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
For a cylindrical horn, the approximate 3-dB beamwidth is:
66
BW3dB ≅ degrees
Diameterλ
To find the BW3dB that will provide the desired feed taper for an illumination angle θ , we
can use Kelleher’s5 universal horn patterns from Chapter 2:
3
BW3dB ≅ θ ⋅ degrees
Desired_taper (in dB)
and then reverse the previous equation to calculate the cylindrical horn diameter in
wavelengths:
Diameterλ ≅ 66 wavelengths
B W3dB
An easier approach might be to let the HDLANT program do all the required
calculations.
How wide a range of f/D may be accommodated by horn diameter? First, the horn must
be large enough for the lowest order waveguide mode, the TE11 mode, to propagate. The
cutoff wavelength for this mode is 1.706 × Diameter so the minimum waveguide diameter
is 0.59λ. Figure 6.3-2 shows the radiation pattern for a circular horn 0.60λ in diameter,
just barely larger than the cutoff dimension. The efficiency plot shows a peak at f/D
about 0.25, as deep a dish as is practical. Best efficiency is not as good as the larger
version, but is pretty good for a very deep dish. The phase center is 0.1λ beyond the horn
aperture, in front of the mouth of the horn.
Moving in the other direction, a large horn diameter would permit additional higher-order
waveguide modes to propagate, radiate, and affect the radiation pattern. The next mode,
TM01, needs a minimum diameter of 0.76λ, so that any horn larger than our first example
might have additional modes. The radiation pattern for a slightly larger horn, 0.86λ in
diameter, is shown in Figure 6.3-3, with the E- and H-planes well balanced. As a result,
the efficiency plot shows very good efficiency at f/D around 0.4, with the phase center
0.07λ beyond the horn aperture.
No ill effects from higher-order modes are apparent in Figure 6.3-3. However, when the
horn diameter is increased further, to 0.95λ, we start to see some changes. The radiation
patterns (note that these patterns show the full E- and H-plane patterns, unlike previous
ones which only show one-half the pattern and assume symmetry) in Figure 6.3-4 show a
significant difference between the E- and H-plane patterns. The E-plane pattern is
skewed to one side so that the antenna does not peak on boresight. If this horn were used
as a feed, the dish would probably have squint, or aiming error to one side. Since the
phase was also skewed, I did not attempt to calculate the efficiency with phase error.
Coffee can feed 0.60λ diameter, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-2
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 10 λ Feed diameter = 1 λ Phase Center = 0.1 λ beyond aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
Figure 6.3-3
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 10 λ Feed diameter = 1 λ Phase Center = 0.07 λ beyond aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
Figure 6.3-4
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
If the horn diameter is increased further, to greater than 0.97λ, the TE mode can also propagate.
21
I ran the NEC2 calculations for circular horns with 1.05λ and larger diameters, but the patterns were
so distorted that simple plots were inadequate — the pattern peaks somewhere off-axis in both
dimensions.
From the above examples, we can recommend “coffee-can” feed diameters in the range of about 0.6λ
to 0.9λ, corresponding to an f/D range of 0.25 to 0.4. Deeper dishes are unlikely, but many dishes
have a higher f/D. Fortunately, a better way to increase the diameter is available — flaring the end of
the waveguide into a conical horn, or a pyramidal horn for rectangular waveguide. Flared horns will
be discussed in Section 6.4.
The attraction of a coffee-can feed is that it is so simple to make, a matter of finding the right diam-
eter can and soldering a coax connector with probe to one side. Horn length is not critical, but
should be more than one waveguide wavelength to eliminate any stray modes launched at the probe
transition. My experience with probes in circular waveguide is that they are touchy to adjust and get
right; the horn impedance varies with changes in both horn diameter and horn length, so any modifi-
cation can upset the VSWR. Since many microwave neophytes are unable to measure VSWR at
microwave frequencies, a less sensitive coaxial transition would help them to achieve good results.
The problem with simple feeds like the coffee-can is a poor front-to-back ratio, 15 dB or less in the
above examples. A significant amount of radiation off the back of the feed obviously misses the
reflector, resulting in spillover loss and lower efficiency. The radiation in unwanted directions is the
result of “edge currents” in the rim of the horn.
To quote W2IMU5, “These currents result from the relatively high E-plane fields at the rim of the
horn. Surface currents flow transverse to the edge of the horn, resulting in spurious radiation in the
form of side and rear lobes from the feed.” The feeds discussed in the rest of this section are basically
circular horn feeds with enhancements to reduce the side and rear lobes.
6.3.2 Coffee-can with choke flange (WA9HUV)
The simplest enhancement to the circular horn, described by WA9HUV6, is to add a choke flange
around the horn. This is simply a flat disk with the horn passing through the center; with the proper
dimensions, it should reduce the backward radiation. Figure 6.3-5 shows the pattern calculated by
NEC2 for a 0.76λ λ diameter circular horn with a 2λ diameter choke flange attached 0.27λ behind the
mouth of the horn. Compared to the plain horn in Figure 6.3-1, the front-to-back ratio is improved
and unwanted sidelobes are greatly reduced. As a result, the calculated efficiency is significantly
improved over the plain horn. The phase center remains very close to the center of the aperture.
WA9HUV later added slots7 to the flange, to make the patterns in the E- and H-planes more sym-
metrical. I have not modeled this configuration.
It is my understanding that the flange dimensions are fairly critical to achieve the high performance
shown in Figure 6.3-5, but I haven’t experimented with different flange dimensions or horn diameters.
Here is an opportunity for someone to experiment further!
WA9HUV feed, 0.76λ dia horn with choke flange, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-5
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
6.3.3 VE4MA feed
A further improvement to the cylindrical horn, described by Kumar8, is to replace the choke flange
with a cavity choke ring around the horn, roughly ½λ wide and ½λ deep. This ring, which W2IMU5
calls a low-Q trap, should have broader bandwidth and be less critical than a choke flange. VE4MA
refined this into a working feedhorn3 and measured the performance. This feed has been scaled by
VE4MA and others for most of the amateur microwave bands3,9,10,11,12,13. A sketch of this feed is
shown Figure 6.3-6 with dimensions for several of the microwave ham bands, and a photo of one
example is shown in Figure 6.3-7. In Figure 6.3-8, the radiation pattern for the 1296 MHz version,
with a horn diameter of 0.76λ, as calculated by NEC2, is compared with the pattern measured by
VE4MA (green dashed line — rear half of pattern is from Kumar). The performance plot shows very
good efficiency for an f/D around 0.4 to 0.45, higher than the simple coffee-can feed. Kumar’s data
shows excellent phase performance for this style feed for a rotation angle up to about ±72°, and the
calculated pattern agrees. The calculated phase center is 0.07λ beyond the aperture, in front of the
mouth of the horn, so that the mouth of the horn should be farther away from the dish than the focal
point.
The excellent performance of the VE4MA feeds has been proven by many
microwave EME stations. They are reproducible using the published
dimensions in Figure 6.3-6 by amateur construction techniques, and the
size and weight are reasonable. This feed is highly recommended for
dishes with f/D around 0.3 to 0.45; the position of the outer choke ring
may be adjusted to fine-tune the feed to a particular f/D, according to
VE4MA9. I experimented with moving the position and calculated radia-
tion patterns at several choke locations. Figure 6.3-9 shows the pattern
with the choke ring moved back so that the horn projects by 0.34λ. The
efficiency plot shows best f/D is about 0.33 for this case. To show the
effect of ring location, the efficiency plot also includes the curve with the horn flush with the rings,
from Figure 6.3-8, and an intermediate position, with the horn projecting 0.17λ and best f/D of about
0.33. The phase center in all cases is close to the center of the aperture; it moves slightly in the same
direction as the choke ring is moved.
In Figure 6.3-9 we can clearly see the pattern control available by moving the choke ring position.
VE4MA’s data also indicates that the pattern could be adjusted for a larger f/D=0.5 by adjusting the
ring so that the mouth of the horn is inside the ring by 0.025λ. The calculated pattern in Figure 6.3-
10 does not support this; positioning the horn further inside the rings moves the peak in the other
direction, back toward smaller f/D. On the other hand, Barry made actual measurements on a real
feed — these figures are only computer simulations.
In addition to the limited f/D tuning by moving the choke ring, it should be possible to vary the
diameter of the central horn over the same range as the coffee can. I have not experimented with this
except for one example. K1DPP and I fabricated one for 5760 MHz using available materials, which
required compromising the dimensions14 a bit; the horn diameter was 0.95λ. Dish gain measurements
at the time indicated that the feed seemed to work, but NEC2 pattern calculation, shown in Figure
6.3-11, show a pattern skewing similar to the same diameter coffee-can feed in Figure 6.3-4.
B
A
Probe Diameter
Probe Length
Probe P o s i t i o n
C Horn Projection
Min. Length SEE T A B L E FOR D I M E N S I O N S
Frequency A B C Reference
1296 MHz 178 mm 419 mm 121 mm 3,9
2304 MHz 100 mm 240 mm 62.5 mm 3,9
3456 MHz 66 mm 160 mm 42 mm 10
5760 MHz 39 mm 90 mm 26.5 mm 11,12
10368 MHz 20.5 mm 50 mm 12.5 mm 13
Figure 6.3-6 VE4MA (Kumar) Feed

VE4MA 1296 feed with flush choke ring, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-8
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 18.4 λ Feed diameter = 1.84 λ Phase Center = 0.07 λ beyond aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
Efficiency %
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D W1GHZ 1998

VE4MA 1296 feed - adjusting for f/D, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-9
90
E-plane E-plane
Horn projecting 0.34 λ
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 18.4 λ Feed diameter = 1.84 λ Phase Center = 0 λ beyond aperture
HORN PROJECTING:
90
REAL WORLD at least 15% lower Flush = 0 λ
0.17 λ
80 1 dB
0.34 λ
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

VE4MA feed, 0.76λ dia horn, 0.025λ inside choke rings, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-10
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 18 λ Feed diameter = 1.8 λ Phase Center = 0.07 λ beyond aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
N1BWT imitation of VE4MA feed for 5760 MHz, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-11
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 20 λ Feed diameter = 1.95 λ Phase Center = 0 λ beyond aperture

90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
6.3.4 Chaparral™ feed
A further refinement to the circular horn feed is to replace the single choke ring with multiple smaller
choke rings, originally described by Wohlleben15, et. al. The multiple rings, or low-Q traps, should
provide additional bandwidth; ring spacing is not critical, but the depth of each ring must be greater
than ¼λ to work effectively. Commercial versions of this feed are made by Chaparral™ for C- and
K-band TVRO dishes, so this style of feed is commonly referred to as a Chaparral feed. Figure 6.3-
12 is a photo of a Chaparral “11 GHz Superfeed” used as a 10 GHz feedhorn. The sketch with
nominal dimensions5 in wavelengths shown in Figure 6.3-13 has three rings; some examples have as
many as four rings.
The radiation pattern calculated by NEC2 for a 0.76λ diameter circular horn with
three choke rings is shown in Figure 6.3-14. The calculated efficiency is very
good for an f/D range around 0.35 to 0.4, suitable for most TVRO dishes. The
feed in Figure 6.3-14 has the circular horn projecting 0.26λ beyond the choke
rings. At 10 GHz, we empirically found (see Chapter 9) that making the horn
aperture flush with the choke rings provided more gain for a dish with f/D =0.45.
The efficiency plot in Figure 6.3-15 for the NEC2 calculated pattern in confirms
this, showing higher efficiency peaking at an f/D around 0.43. The phase center in both cases is at the
center of the horn aperture.
At the
CHAPARRAL S T Y L E FEED suggestion
of W6HD, I
Figure 6.3-13 also calcu-
lated NEC2
0.22 to 0.25 spacing - all rings
radiation
patterns for
Chaparral-
style feeds
with larger
and smaller
0.78 Nominal circular
horns. The
smaller
version, with
a horn
diameter of
0.71λ, is
best for very
0.3 Optional E-Plane s l o t s deep dishes.
for small f/D With the
(Narrow slots, 0.14 deep) horn pro-
Waveguide extension
jecting 0.1λ
beyond the
W1GHZ 1 9 9 8
rings, the
plots in
A L L DIMENSIONS I N WAVELENGTHS
Chaparral feed, 0.76λ horn dia, horn projecting 0.26λ, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-14
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
Chaparral feed, 0.76λ horn dia, horn flush with rings, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-15
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
Figure 6.3-16 show very high efficiency for an f/D range around 0.3 to 0.35. The phase center is
close to the center of the aperture, about 0.08λ inside the horn, but for such a deep dish, that small
difference is significant. A similar plot for the larger 0.81λ horn diameter, Figure 6.3-17, also shows
very high efficiency for an f/D range around 0.35 to 0.4, with a phase center 0.09λ inside the aper-
ture.
I then varied the amount of horn projection for both sizes from zero to 0.5λ — some TVRO feeds
make the choke ring location adjustable and suggest adjustment of the horn for best picture quality.
The NEC2 calculations showed that the best f/D for all horn projections was in the range of 0.33 to
0.35 for the smaller horn and 0.36 to 0.39 for the larger. The phase center moved around slightly but
is always near the center of the horn aperture. Only when the horn mouth was flush with the choke
rings or slightly inside them did the optimum f/D change to around 0.42.
Changing the horn diameter from 0.71λ to 0.81λ is equivalent to changing the frequency of operation
by 13%, a bandwidth slightly wider than the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz TVRO band. Since the performance of
the Chaparral-style feed shows little change over this range, we can see why it was chosen for TVRO
use. The adjustable rings are probably adjusted to get the feed right at the dish focal point, since the
adjustment has little affect on the radiation patterns.
By coincidence, the Chaparral™ “11 GHz Superfeed” horn diameter is 0.71λ at 10.368 GHz, with a
horn projection of 0.19λ; the choke rings are deep enough, 0.28λ, to be effective. The NEC2 calcu-
lated radiation pattern is shown in Figure 6.3-18, along with the pattern I measured16 at 10.368 GHz
(green dashed line). The plot shows a very high calculated efficiency, and I have measured efficien-
cies greater than 60% at 10 GHz on dishes larger than 20λ λ in diameter. For larger dishes, feed block-
age is smaller than calculated in Figure 6.3-18.
Unfortunately, the 11 GHz Chaparral feeds are no longer being manufactured; the C-band versions
may be useful at 3456 MHz; check to be sure that the rings are deeper than ¼λ. Homebrewing one is
fairly difficult — it took K1DPP six hours to turn a 10 GHz version on his lathe. At lower frequen-
cies, it is possible to construct one from sheet metal, using the approximate dimensions shown in
Figure 6.3-13. Clearly this feed is tolerant of small variations in dimensions, and provides excellent
performance for dishes with f/D between 0.3 and 0.45. However, the VE4MA feed is probably easier
to build and provides similar performance for dishes in this f/D range.
One last published variation17 on the Chaparral-style feed suggests cutting small E-plane slots in the
waveguide to broaden the pattern for dishes with small f/D. The slots are describe as narrow slots,
λ/7 deep, in a horn of 0.76λ diameter. I have not made a computer model with slots, but Figure
6.3-19 is a graph of the published amplitude pattern, with best efficiency at an f/D of 0.32. The
published phase data shows good phase performance to ±60°, but with a bit of phase deviation at the
±76° points required for the 152° illumination angle for this f/D. Thus the efficiency will probably
decrease slightly due to phase error, but will still be very good.
Figure 6.3-16
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 18 λ Feed diameter = 1.8 λ Phase Center = 0.08 λ inside aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
Figure 6.3-17
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 19 λ Feed diameter = 1.9 λ Phase Center = 0.09 λ inside aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

W1GHZ 1998
11 GHz Chaparral feed, 0.71λ horn dia at 10.368 GHz, by NEC2
Figure 6.3-18
90
E-plane E-plane
Feed Phase Angle

67.5
H-plane
45
22.5
0
0 dB -10 -20 -30
-22.5
-45
-67.5
-90
H-plane 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Dish diameter = 18 λ Feed diameter = 1.8 λ Phase Center = 0.1 λ beyond aperture
90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
Efficiency %
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Slotted Chaparral-style feed - horn dia = 0.76 λ
Figure 6.3-19
E-plane
0 dB -10 -20 -30
H-plane
N1BWT 1997 Dish diameter = 20 λ
Feed diameter = 2.1 λ
MAX Possible Efficiency AFTER LOSSES:

90
Spillover
80 1 dB
Feed Blockage
70
2 dB
Efficiency %
60
50 3 dB
40 4 dB
5 dB
30
6 dB
20 7 dB
8 dB
10
0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Parabolic Dish f/D

Summary
All the feeds in this section can provide good performance for deep dishes, with f/D from 0.25 to
0.45. The VE4MA and Chaparral-style feeds offer the highest performance, while the easily con-
structed coffee-can feed is physically smaller and thus reduces feed blockage on small dishes. With all
deep dishes, good performance is only achieved if the phase center of the feed is accurately located at
the dish focus.
6.3 References
1. D. Vilardi, WA2VTR, “Simple and Efficient Feed for Parabolic Antennas,” QST, March 1973,
pp. 43-44.
2. J. Harrison, W5ZN, “Horns for the Holidays,” Proceedings of Microwave Update ’97, ARRL,
1997, pp. 147-149.
3. B.W. Malowanchuk, VE4MA, “Use of Small TVRO Dishes for EME,” Proceedings of the 21st
Conference of the Central States VHF Society, ARRL, 1987, pp. 68-77.
4. H. Jasik, Antenna Engineering Handbook, First Edition, Mcgraw-Hill, 1961. Fig. 10-15,
p. 10-16.
5. D. Turrin, W2IMU, “Parabolic Reflector Antennas and Feeds,” The ARRL UHF/Microwave
Experimenter’s Manual, ARRL, 1990, p. 9-30.
6. N.J. Foot, WA9HUV, “second-generation cylindrical feedhorns,” ham radio, May 1982,
pp. 31-35.
7. N.J. Foot, WA9HUV, “cylindrical feedhorns revisited,” ham radio, Feb. 1986, pp. 20-22.
8. A. Kumar, “Reduce Cross-Polarization in Reflector-Type Antennas,” Microwaves, March 1978,
pp. 48-51.
9. B.W. Malowanchuk, VE4MA, “Selection of an Optimum Dish Feed,” Proceedings of the 23rd
Conference of the Central States VHF Society, ARRL, 1989, pp. 35-43.
10. B.W. Malowanchuk, VE4MA, “VE4MA 3456 MHz circular polarization feed horn,” North Texas
Microwave Society Feedpoint, Nov/Dec 1991.
11. B.W. Malowanchuk, VE4MA, “VE4MA 5760 MHz Linear Polarization Feedhorn,” Proceedings
of Microwave Update ‘95, ARRL, 1995, p. 214.
12. A. Ward, WB5LUA, “5760 MHz WR-137 Feedhorn,” Proceedings of Microwave Update ‘95,
ARRL, 1995, p. 215.
13. B.W. Malowanchuk, VE4MA, “VE4MA 10 GHz Copper Water Pipe Feedhorn,” Proceedings of
Microwave Update ‘97, ARRL, 1997, p. 288.
14. P.C. Wade, N1BWT, “High-Performance Antennas for 5760 MHz,” QEX, January 1995,
pp. 18-21.
15. R. Wohlleben, H. Mattes, O. Lochner, “Simple small primary feed for large opening angles and
high aperture efficiency,” Electronics Letters, 21 Sept. 1972, pp. 181-183. (reprinted in A.W.
Love, Electromagnetic Horn Antennas, IEEE, 1976, pp. 181-183.)
16. P.Wade, N1BWT, “Parabolic Dish Feeds — Performance Analysis,” QEX, January/February
1998, pp. 9-33.
17. L. Shafai, “Broadening of primary feed patterns by small E-plane slots,” Electronic Letters,
17th February 1977, pp. 102-103.

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Section 6.3 Circular waveguide feeds

6.3.1 “Coffee can” feeds

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

MAX Efficiency without phase error AFTER LOSSES:

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

6.3.2 Coffee-can with choke flange (WA9HUV)

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

1296 MHz 178 mm 419 mm 121 mm 3,9

2304 MHz 100 mm 240 mm 62.5 mm 3,9

3456 MHz 66 mm 160 mm 42 mm 10

5760 MHz 39 mm 90 mm 26.5 mm 11,12

10368 MHz 20.5 mm 50 mm 12.5 mm 13

Figure 6.3-6 VE4MA (Kumar) Feed

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D W1GHZ 1998

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D W1GHZ 1998

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

MAX Efficiency without phase error AFTER LOSSES:

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

Feed Phase Angle

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D W1GHZ 1998

0 dB -10 -20 -30

MAX Possible Efficiency AFTER LOSSES:

0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

Parabolic Dish f/D

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