Q: How can I compute the gain of a parabolic dish antenna?
A: In TAP 4.3 and later you can compute the gain based on the frequency and dish diameter.
(This article describes parabolic gain calculations in TAP5 and earlier. If you are using TAP6, go to the article for TAP6 Parabolic Gain Calculations.)
From the Utilities menu select the Parabolic Antenna Gain item:
The Compute Parabolic Gain form will be displayed. The gain value will be displayed as you enter the frequency and dish diameter:
The gain is computed from the formula:
(Engineering Considerations for Microwave Communication Systems, Lenkurt, 1975).
This gain calculation is also available in the QuickLink program and in the Fixed Facility lookup function when you click the Antenna Lookup form (for frequencies of 900 MHz and higher):
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