Horn Antenna Basics and Types: Sectoral, Pyramidal, and Conical

This page covers the basics and different types of horn antennas, including sectoral, pyramidal, and conical horn antennas. The equations relating to horn antennas are also mentioned. A horn antenna is a radiating element shaped like a horn.

It consists of a waveguide with one end flared out and the other connected to an electromagnetic (EM) source. This arrangement radiates EM energy. The mouth of the waveguide is flared to improve radiation efficiency, the directive pattern, and directivity.

Sectoral Horn Antenna

Figure 1: Sectoral Horn Antenna

Figure 1 depicts the sectoral horn antenna. In this type, the flaring is only done in one direction. It provides impedance matching. It’s further categorized into two types:

• Sectoral H-plane horn antenna: Flaring is along the direction of the magnetic field (H-field).
• Sectoral E-plane horn antenna: Flaring is along the direction of the electric field (E-field).

Pyramidal Horn Antenna

Figure 2: Pyramidal Horn Antenna

Figure 2 illustrates the pyramidal horn antenna. Here, flaring is done along both the H-plane and E-plane directions. It has the shape of a truncated pyramid.

Conical Horn Antenna

Figure 3: Conical Horn Antenna

Figure 3 shows the conical horn antenna. It’s made by flaring out one end of a circular waveguide, as shown in the figure.

Applications of Horn Antennas

Horn antennas have several applications:

• Used as feed elements in reflector antennas
• Used to provide moderate gain
• Used in laboratory measurements and experiments