Flat dishes!!

trigger

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Maybe I have dreamt this over the years but I think I remember going to a Satellite show in London about 16 years ago. At the show there was a company demonstrating a Mat type satellite receiving thing. It was basically a mat that was placed on flat groung or a roof and had rings built between the layers. The rings were oval in shape and connected together with a F connector to connect a cable on to it. Its a bit difficult to explain but instead of a dish imagine laying out a large plastic mat and receiving signals..

This was about the time when Sky was on 19 East in analogue and received in England on a 80cm dish. This mat I seem to think was about 2-3M square.

I can think of so many reasons why this would not work but I'm sure I remember it - I assure you I have not been doing non prescription drugs!!

Any one able to shed any light on this "system"?
 

Topper

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I certainly do trigger, I was absolutely facinated by this invention but it was shunned by everyone as being impractical I had a quick look on the web but couldn't find anything about it. I will do a simple drawing to jog people's memory.
 

trigger

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Thats it.

Jogging anyones memory?
 

don'tknowdon'taskme

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that would be telling
no lost me m8 the only odd shape dish i can think of so the old b sly b square shaped dish
 

Topper

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don said:
no lost me m8 the only odd shape dish i can think of so the old b sly b square shaped dish

This mat was made from a clear flexible sheet of pvc with the aluminium rings sprayed on and a press stud at the focal point with a crt100 type cable clipped on. The mat was pressed to a patio window and was rotated until you could receive analogue satellite signals and then stuck in position on the glass :D .
 

Channel Hopper

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Google on Mawzones, or diffraction antenna
 

TLF

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Channel Hopper said:
Google on Mawzones, or diffraction antenna

Unfortunately, there are not many informations on this topic :(
 

Lord Minty

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There was an article in the May 2007, 250th anniversary issue of WotSat, "Great idea... at the time" on Page 57 which mentions these:

Even weirder was the Mawzone antennas of the 1980s. This 'Freznel Zone Plate' used concentric reflective rings to focus the signal by diffraction. The Mawzone antenna could be laid on the ground or stuck on a wall but the most intriging design wasprinted on a window blind.
Freznel Zone Plate antennas have resurfaced a couple of times since (such as 1992's Portasat antenna) but never caught on - nor did the doughnut shaped Cybertenna of 2002.

HTH
 

slugworth

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Scan of an old article,courtesy of telefrancisco.
 

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