An Efficient 2 Meter Antenna Disguised as a TV Satellite Dish

摘要

I've long wondered if it would be practical to hide an efficient 2 meter base-station antenna in a TV satellite dish. My homeowners covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) committee couldn't force me take it down. But would all the metal in the TV dish compromise a 2 meter antenna? Finally, it struck me: don't fight the metal, take advantage of it, by cutting a half-wavelength-long slot antenna into the TV dish reflector. A slot antenna is a narrow rectangular opening in a large conductive surface, such as a TV satellite dish. Slot antennas are familiar in the commercial radio world. They're common in TV broadcasting, the skin of aircraft, and in radar, microwave, and cell phone applications. This TV dish (see Figure 1) slot is the complement to a dipole. It is also a great way to learn about slot antennas.