An update on the mechanical and EM performance of the composite dish verification antenna (DVA-1) for the SKA

This paper will give an overview of the unique mechanical and optical design of the DVA-1 telescope. The rim supported carbon fibre reflector surfaces are designed to be both low cost and have high performance under wind, gravity, and thermal loads. The shaped offset Gregorian optics offer low and stable side lobes along with a large area at the secondary focus for multiple feeds with no aperture blockage. Telescope performance under ideal conditions as well as performance under gravity, wind, and thermal loads will be compared directly using calculated radiation patterns for each of these operating conditions.