In this chapter, a brief review of radio astronomical telescopes is provided. The fundamental concepts of radio antennas, including radiation pattern, antenna gain, antenna temperature, antenna efficiency, and polarization, are introduced. These concepts are important for readers outside the radio antenna field. The emphasis of this chapter is placed on the parameter design of reflector radio telescope antennas. These parameter selection criteria are for both the primary focus and the Cassegrain focus reflector antennas. At the end of the chapter, characteristics of the offset antennas, where the polarization is usually a problem, are discussed. The receiver of radio telescope antenna is also introduced.
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Cheng, J. (2009). Fundamentals of Radio Telescopes. In: The Principles of Astronomical Telescope Design. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 360. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/b105475_6
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