We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations. Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissible in your locale.

Author Topic: These Satellite Antennas Were Inspired by Origami  (Read 1218 times)

Offline myteaquinn

  • Marconi Class DXer
  • ********
  • Posts: 5648
    • View Profile
    • Email
These Satellite Antennas Were Inspired by Origami
« on: September 19, 2019, 2334 UTC »
Interesting article. But how much paper do you need to make an antenna for the 43 meter band?

https://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag/satellite-antennas-inspired-origami-180972978/
Northeast Ohio
Now using Shazam for song identification
myteaquinn@yahoo.com

Online Ray Lalleu

  • Marconi Class DXer
  • ********
  • Posts: 36240
  • Western part of France
    • View Profile
Re: These Satellite Antennas Were Inspired by Origami
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2019, 1345 UTC »
Interesting article. But how much paper do you need to make an antenna for the 43 meter band?
Design an 'origami wire' antenna. Just an idea : a halfwave long approx. antenna, but in a loop design, with the end of the arms facing to each other, then find a way to mechanically increase or decrease the distance between the parts that make a tuning capacitor.
An idea for that remote tuning without any electrical wire : air tube to some balloon, and a hand bike pump (for no RFI).
   
D/E/F/G/It/Sp : Dutch/English/French/German/Italian/Spanish
+/- : about 0.02 offset, ++/-- 0.03/0.04 offset
Balanced wire antennas, wire lines and ATU
***** Mes pages OEM sont bloquées par "le club", alors pour les recevoir, joignez-moi par les autres membres ****

Offline ThaDood

  • DX Legend
  • ******
  • Posts: 1209
  • Likely, not where you are.
    • View Profile
    • Extreme Part #15!
    • Email
Re: These Satellite Antennas Were Inspired by Origami
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2019, 1732 UTC »
Huh??? To me, it looks like an inspiration from a toilet paper roll. i duh-know, but when I think of origami, I think of papered animals.
I was asked, yet another weird question, of how I would like to be buried, when I finally bite the big one. The answer was actually pretty easy. Face-down, like a certain historical figure in the late 1980's, (I will not mention who, but some of you will get it, and that's enough.) Why??? It would be a burial that will satisfy everyone: (1) My enemies will say that it will show me where to go. (2) On the same point, I can have my enemies kiss my butt. (3) It will temporarily give someone a place to park a bicycle. See??? A WIN / WIN for everyone.

Offline Josh

  • DXing Phenomena
  • *******
  • Posts: 4322
    • View Profile
Re: These Satellite Antennas Were Inspired by Origami
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2019, 1853 UTC »
I can't see these working for long in space or near space. Space is actually corrosive and eats away at everything in it, a thinly plated origami antenna, already fragile, might not last long compared to solid metal wire antennae such as the typical quadri or crossed dipoles setup. Also, when a grain of meteorite or a paint fleck from a sat/rocket, much less a nut or bolt or a tesla car, traveling at 180000mph, is going to plasma vaporise a hole into anything it runs into.
We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations.

Offline ThElectriCat

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
  • Hillsboro OR
    • View Profile
Re: These Satellite Antennas Were Inspired by Origami
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2019, 0400 UTC »
This looks as far as I can tell like a foldable version of an single element axial endfire helical antenna (just a helix if you are familiar with satellite communications.
Those are usually several wavelengths long and the greater part of a wavelength or so in all other dimensions.
Pros.
        Nice wide bandwidth
        Tight beam of circularly polarized radiation
        Easy to match to 50 ohms with a flattened helix end
        Invented by John Kraus after a professor of his said "It will never work" (one does not stumble upon things this satisfying often)
Cons
        Ruining ones life by a mad, all consuming obsession to construct an antenna the size of a building and then figuring out how to point it as to work DX
In another life, I could have been a telephone engineer.