Abstract: A dish assembly is disclosed which has a central hub, an outer rim member, and a plurality of concentric arcuate structural members comprising at least an inner and an outer arcuate structural members extending from the central hub to the outer rim member, each of the arcuate structural members having an upper channel member, a lower channel member, an inner arcuate surface and an outer arcuate surface which cooperate to constitute a box section configuration and wherein said each upper and lower channel member comprises a channel base and a pair of channel flanges, and the inner and outer arcuate surfaces of each of the arcuate structural members are abutted such that a gravitational or wind load is transferred from the outer arcuate structural member to the adjoining inner arcuate structural member via a fin disposed on the inner arcuate surface of each of the arcuate structural members.

Abstract: A dish antenna framework is constructed from tetrahedral strut assemblies. Each assembly is made up of six struts joined at their ends to four nodes. The nodes also constitute dish mounting points for the dish on the dish antenna framework. These points are located on the envelope of the dish. The framework supported on base frame is rotated about the vertical axis using a movable hydraulic ram arrangement wherein a ram cylinder is attached by an arm to the base frame to be rotated, a ram piston is removably attached to anchor members fixed to a platform. Rotation is effected by expanding and contracting the hydraulic ram. The ram is guided between anchor members by guiding means.