Gain improvement of a conventional conical using the perforated circular aluminum structure with a mounting PCB barrier for radar system

This research presents a technique to enhance the gain of a conical horn antenna by introducing a squared mounting barrier made of a printed circuit board combined with a perforated aluminum dielectric, placed between the conical horn antenna and the PCB. This structure improves the antenna’s efficiency by enabling power transfer without altering the antenna’s physical dimensions. The antenna is designed to operate at 10 GHz within the X-band and I-band frequency ranges, complying with IEEE and ITU standards, respectively. The design is intended for applications in data transmission, microwave repeater stations, and short-range radar systems. The design and analysis were performed using the CST software. The results show that the conical horn antenna’s gain increased from 17.68 dBi to 23.17 dBi, an improvement of approximately 6 dBi. The antenna exhibits a symmetrical power distribution pattern with reduced side lobe levels, achieved without any modification or alteration of the antenna structure. This technique enhances system performance without requiring additional power input. Based on these results, a prototype antenna was fabricated and tested. Measurements of reflection coefficient, standing wave ratio, radiation pattern, and gain demonstrated good agreement with simulation results.