Satellite Dish

A satellite dish is shaped like a paraboloid of revolution. The signals that

emanate from a satellite strike the surface of the dish and are reflected to a
single point, where the receiver is located. If the dish is 8 feet across at its
opening and 3 feet deep at its center, at what position should the receiver be
placed? That is, where is the focus?

Figure 1(a) shows the satellite dish. We draw the parabola used to form the
dish on a rectangular coordinate system so that the vertex of the parabola is
at the origin and its focus is on the positive y-axis . See Figure 1(b) .

Figure 1(a)&(b)

1
The receiver should be located 1 3 from the base of the dish, along its

axis of symmetry.
 TYPES OF SATELLITE DISHES

There are a great many type of satellite dishes that are used for different
purposes. First and foremost, we only discuss the types of satellite dishes
used for watching television at an individual residence, called either a direct
broadcast satellite (DBS) or a direct-to-home satellite (DTH).

Before discussing the different types of satellite dishes, we also need to

know about the Low Noise Converter (LNC), also known as a Low Noise Block
converter (LNB). When the radio signals are received by the satellite dish,
they are transferred to the LNC for the purpose of converting the signal
frequency and then amplifies the signal while blocking noise.

The simplest type of satellite dish, and the first one available to consumers for home use, is
the Prime Feed Focus dish. This is a large parabolic dish, with a diameter over 1.4 meters,
with the LNC mounted centrally in the dish facing outward. Because it is located in the center
of the dish, the LNC blocks a lot of the incoming signals. For that reason, this type of satellite
is only 50% effective in receiving radio signals.

The Offset Dish Antenna has the LNC located to the side of the dish. This way, the LNC does
not interfere with the signal path, which can reach the dish unobstructed. Because this offers
better performance, these dishes can be much smaller than the Prime Feed Focus dishes.

The Dual Offset Dish Antenna is an improvement over the normal Offset Dish Antenna. This
type of satellite dish has two dishes, a larger receiving dish and a small dish facing the
opposite direction that takes the signal and transfers it to the LNC. The Dual Offset Dish
Antenna has a 80% efficiency.
Flat Antenna, which is the most compact type of satellite dish. This type of antenna does not
have an exterior LNC. It is located within the dish. These types of satellite dishes are best for
homes near the center of the satellite footprint area.
PRIME FOCUS DISH : DUAL OFFSET DISH ANTENNA :

OFFSET DISH ANTENNA : FLAT ANTENNA :