L-Band Antenna

Specification

All parts 3D printed from PETG material, UV resistent and water proof.

LHCPRHCP-7RHCP-10
Radiating Element3 turn left handed helix,
3.5mm copper wire		7 turn right handed helix,
3.5mm copper wire		10 turn right handed helix,
3.5mm copper wire
RF PerformanceMeasurement Report
Reception configurationTV satellite dishDirect receptionDirect reception
Mounting OptionMounts in standard 40mm LNB clamp
(for offset dishes)
Universal mounting via 3-6 M4 bolts
(for prime focus dishes)		Universal mounting via 6 M4 boltsUniversal mounting via 6 M4 bolts
DimensionsLength: 186mm
Diameter: 180mm		Length: 374mm
Diameter: 180mm		Length: 521mm
Diameter: 180mm
Weight289 g510 g650 g
ConnectorN-typeN-typeN-type
ApplicationsReception of geostationary satellite services, e.g.
Inmarsat, Iridium, digital telephony / data, digital weather pictures		Reception of geostationary and LEO satellites when mounted to el/az-rotorReception of geostationary and LEO satellites when mounted to el/az-rotor

Higher gain for low elevation GEO
AvailabilityLHCPRHCP (7 turn helix option)RHCP (10 turn helix option)
CAD Modellband_step_fileslband_step_fileslband_step_files
L-Band 10 turn SWR response

Mounting Options

LHCP vs RHCP mounting configurations

 

RHCP 7-turn variant. Helix wire is internally supported for stability. Radome can be removed (3D printed thread).
LHCP 3-turn variant. The reflector can be cut out to make space for the LNB arm depending on the antenna forward position.

L-Band station example

Architecture

See below an example on how to setup your L-Band receiver station. Signal is filtered, amplified and digitized by software defined radio then provided to software receiver running on your local PC.

Filtering is optional, it might be necessary depending on your local RF environment (Wifi, LTE presense).

L-Band Receiver Architecture

Assembly and components list

Click on the image below to navigate to the assembly instructions of the RHCP variant:

Decoder Software

A list of popular INMARSAT and others deconding software packages:

Left: 3-turn LHCP on 1.5m prime focus dish vs. Right: 7-turn RHCP (direct reception)

Web SDR Demo

Web SDR working Inmarsat-4 (Alphasat) 25 East and Inmarsat-3 54 West from grid square JN58UA using L-Band RHCP 7 turn and 10 turn helix antenna respectively.

Click on the image below to go to the live WebSDR