Old UK TV satellite dish to Boost RF signal

Using Arduino Sensors
1

Hi,

I've got an old concave UK BskyB dish and I would like to use it to "boost" a signal from my RF module attached to arduino. The RF module is a Jeenode type RF12, but my setup is not Jeenode it's attached to an Arduino Uno.

After a bit of research, I think I have to position the receiver module an exact multiple of wavelengths from the center of the dish to get it to work as a collector of "waves" and reflect them towards the RF module efficiently (ie so they mostly add up instead of cancel out).

Using the equation wavelength = C / f

(C is velocity of light and f is freq of radiation) I get

3*10^8 / 868 MHz = 34.56 cm

I would appreciate an experienced look at my logic and Maths and some comment on it.

Am I on the right track?

Cheers

2

The reflector should be 1/4 or 3/4 or 5/4 or 7/4 wavelengths from the back reflector, and as close to the dish's focus as that allows. ideally you'd use a dipole antenna at the end of a feed coax, but you can try just placing the whole module there. Make sure the antenna wire is perpendicular to the axis of the dish.

Then experiment a bit !