Hello!
I am working at an university and we want to built a new RF lab. For a free space measurement setup we are searching for a suitable company to buy horn antennas with dielectric lenses for frequencies up to 26.5 GHz. Has anyone here made some good experiences with a specific company for a comparable use case or can recommend a company for antennas in general? I would be very thankful for any advice.

 

I never went up more than 12 GHz, thus I don't know exact answer, but there are number of questions 1) Why not to encarve Yourself - nowadays 3d-encarving is very cheap tech. 2) why not to use button "Google it". 3) My experience with 2.4 GHz 2 kW wave-guide producers wanting 4000 Eur for steel-piece having 100 grams of metal seems like better to produce everything at lab.

Our labs at University yet is hardly privileged as I decades long have picked up all possible machinery like turner bench, grinder bench, laser cutting, 3d-encarver and printer etc etc, because I know absolute sure - for new ideas NEVER will be assigned money to make any outsourced mechanical jobs, and/or will never be found companies understanding what we need. Want innovative Projects - do all with own hands. By the way, specifically for lenses, such popular plastics are cheap and angry, like PE (tan delta 0.0005); PP (0.0003); PPS (0.00004); PSU (0.00008); PPSU (0.00017); PTFE (0.00022); PMMA (0.006); PS (0.0002); FQ (0.00006), and most of it may work up to 40 G or higher, most of it except the FQ are easy mechanically processable by 3d-encarving, all have epsilon 2..3..4 except PVDF (10) but it is rather lossy (0.025). For design the lensmaker formula ought be used, seems You must know it.

 

Yet I didnt asked any do that antennas will be receiving or transmitting, thus the normal average transmitting system must include:
1) magnetron or klistron of chosen frequency AND, specific to magnetrons, DC workable area is damn narrow and fast changing. Means the SMPS MUST have a following loop looking for signal strength, for example by means of Hall sensor measuring the current (Belorussian Patent).
2) Launcher. For 2.4 GHz is reccomended size WR340, for Your case I suspect the WR28 or WR22 will be better suited.
3) Then, after launcher the Circulator is just obligation to save the magnetron against mis-tuned back-scattering. In first exit connect the three-knob matching box. In second output ought be connected waterload resistor with paralelled MW diode with simplest microammeter head to read the back-scattered current. The two-button matching box yet is thing better to avoid, always try to use three-knob version to match the impedances. Then, after matching for me I mount the 1/4 wave stub with closed end-cup and drill the hole into doubled Voltage knot point where quartz pipe with double walls are inserted, between wall run "an electronic fluid" but inside the gas what will ignite as a plasma. Your case You may screw rupor antenna straight over matching unit. The rupor itself is ANY, absolute any right shaped tin piece riveted, or soldered, or glued, or welded - all techs are ok. Yet I never heard the rupors equipped with lens, but for sattelite tech the lens are a basic standard - just PP or similar plastic cover making the Fresnel ornament.
4) About pure MW lense antennas, the nearest to me stays Ventspils (Irbene) radioastronomy centre some 200 km away, having 32 meter lens (https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT-32_Irbenes_radioteleskops), hope Your plans are bit less ambitious! I know for the sure, those guys adjusting the dish elements work synced was French. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_antenna