Peak gain of a Cassegrain antenna with secondary position adjustment

For an enclosed Cassegrain antenna, the loss of peak gain and beam deviation due to structural deformations of the primary reflector and rigid body displacements of the secondary reflector and of the feed are computed from the combined changes in the radio frequency (RF) path length. As the antenna moves in elevation, the position of the secondary reflector may be adjusted mechanically to minimize the loss of peak gain; a general method for the computation of the magnitude of such adjustments and of their effects on the gain and pointing of the system is presented. Numerical results are obtained for a particular case of a 45-ft diameter antenna designed for operation at 95.5 GHz RF for which the computed peak gain of the antenna varies significantly with the elevation angle. The results indicate that the loss of peak gain as the antenna moves in elevation can be substantially reduced by mechanical adjustment of the position of the secondary reflector.