Saucer Field Antenna

A square array of four 30‐foot paraboloidal reflectors, described as a possible new approach to the construction of high‐sensitivity radio antennas, has been erected at Ohio State University. Each of the instruments is mechanically independent of the others, but servo mechanisms have been installed to allow them to be locked together when desired. They have been mounted so that all Four reflectors can track through 360 degrees of azimuth and through altitudes greater than thirty degrees without aperture blockage. Three of the antennas can be used at altitudes down to the horizon. Arranged around a 60‐foot square, the four reflectors are expected to provide the equivalent of a single aperture 60 feet in diameter. Nine such elements would approximate a 90‐foot paraboloid, and sixteen would be equivalent to one of 120‐foot diameter. If the sensitivity and performance of the new type of array compare favorably in operation with large single dishes, the innovation would permit substantial saving in construction costs.