GAZI UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS

ENGINEERING
EM428 ANTENNAS LAB.
EXPERIMENT #3 – HORN ANTENNA – MICROWAVE PROPAGATION
IN SPACE
ERASMUS # SAKINE SAHIN

OBJECTIVES

• To be able to describe the operation and characteristics required of a horn antenna.

• To know what is meant by beam-width and gain with reference to a horn antenna.

THEORY

A horn antenna is used to transmit radio waves from a waveguide (a metal pipe used to carry
radio waves) out into space, or collect radio waves into a waveguide for reception. It typically
consists of a short length of rectangular or cylindrical metal tube (the waveguide), closed at
one end, flaring into an open-ended conical or pyramidal shaped horn on the other end. The
radio waves are usually introduced into the waveguide by a coaxial cable attached to the side,
with the central conductor projecting into the waveguide. The waves then radiate out the horn
end in a narrow beam. However in some equipment the radio waves are conducted from the
transmitter or to the receiver by a waveguide, and in this case the horn is just attached to the
end of the waveguide.

A horn antenna serves the same function for electromagnetic waves that an acoustical horn
does for sound waves in a musical instrument such as a trumpet; it provides a gradual
transition structure to match the impedance of a tube to the impedance of free space, enabling
the waves from the tube to radiate efficiently into space.

Types of horn antennas

* Pyramidal horn
* Sectoral horn
* Conical horn
* Corrugated horn
* Ridged horn
* Septum horn
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

The connection of the devices is shown Fig 3.5, which is consisted of a sending antenna and
receiving antenna. The distance between two antennas must be 100mm and there must be no
solid material between them. There is also experimented that between two antennas is a paper
and iron to placed, for the differences to see.

The amplifier is set to maximum sensitivity, und antennas 0° direction. The written parameters is
shown in the Table 1.

Attenuator setting
Meter reading
(mA)
0° 10° 20° 30° 40°

Left side 3 2.8 2.4 1.4 1

Right side 3 2.7 2.1 1.5 0.6

TABLE 1

As it is shown in the Table 1, the measured current is equal to 3mA, when the angle of the
direction is 0°. To compare left side and right side is equal to each other. By increasing the
angle of the direction, the measured current decreased unproportionally. Although the
amount of the current values are similar to each other (left side and right side), by 40° angle
has the current flow minimum. That means that the best angle direction is 0° to have
maximum current.

Fig 3.1 Left open end- Energy will escape into space
 Fig 3.2 Left

open end with a horn. Energy is radiated

Fig 3.3 Lobes. Most energy is in main lobe

Fig 3.5. Connection of the devices
 Fig 3.6

Current versus angle