Field Trial With a 50 dBi E-Band Sway Compensating Reflector Antenna

The ability of an E-band radio link steerable 50 dBi sway compensating reflector antenna (SCA) to compensate for mast sway has been tested in field. Two parallel links were used in the test, where one link served as the reference having standard, fixed beam reflector antennas, and the other had an SCA at one end. The monopole tower with the SCA is known for having significant solar induced sway, also called sunflower effect. The results show that the link with the SCA suffers up to 14 dB less from sway fading than the reference link and is able to maintain a link performance that is almost unaffected by sway.