Designing, Constructing and Testing a 90 cm Parabolic Satellite Dish Using Fiberglass Material

Abstract

In this paper, we designed and constructed a parabolic satellite dish using fiberglass material for K_u-band reception that would be able to receive stations from any transponder focused on it which may be coded or non-coded stations. To achieve this objective, a parabolic graph was plotted using the geometry calculations of a parabola (i.e., the axis of asymmetry against its directrix). From this calculation and graph, the form-work was obtained which helped in the construction of the mold. The materials used for constructing this satellite antenna were sourced locally and these materials include fiber mats, resin, accelerator, catalyst, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), polish/wax, etc. These materials and chemicals for the production of a fiberglass dish were mixed in proper proportion, and the mixture was used in soaking the fiber mat material placed in layer of two on the mold. This gave a parabolic dish when removed from the mold, which was smoothened and an aluminum foil was placed on it with an adhesive for proper reflection of signals to the focus. The dish was assembled with its accessories and installed in an area free from obstructions such as buildings and trees, and the LNBF was connected to the receiver which was connected to the television through an audio-video cable. A particular transponder was selected due East and was tracked, which gave a signal strength fluctuating between the range of 70–82% with its quality at 90%.

Keywords: Satellite, fiberglass, band, form-work