Acoustic antennas for atmospheric echo sounding

TLDR: A conical horn reflector antenna made of fiberglass has given excellent performance at 1-5 kHz after being coated with a viscous damping tar to keep reverberation time short for the reception of weak echoes as discussed by the authors.

Abstract: The successful utilization of acoustic waves for atmospheric echo sounding requires an efficient antenna, with high on‐axis gain and suppressed sidelobes. Existing microwave antennas and optical searchlights have been adapted for acoustic use, and their performance measured. A conical horn reflector antenna made of fiberglass has given excellent performance at 1–5 kHz after being coated with a viscous damping tar to keep reverberation time short for the reception of weak echoes with minimum delay following the transmission of 20 acoustic watts from the antenna. Septum dampers have been used successfully on parabolic dish antennas. Antenna beam patterns have been measured on an outdoor range, across a canyon, and the results agree closely with predictions from diffraction theory. Absorbing, cylindrical antenna enclosures have been found effective in reducing sidelobe reception by 10 to 20 dB, also in agreement with predictions. Attention to antenna design should provide unimpaired echo sounder operation in...