Dish-Fix is a Super Hydrophobic Coating (SHC) which is a generic, descriptive name of a proprietary material for use on antenna surfaces.
The material is a solvent based formulation that repels water from whatever surface it is applied by providing a very high contact angle of 140-150 degrees.
The chemical and physical properties of the material are such that drops of water are actually separated from the antenna surface by a visible layer of air.
By prohibiting actual contact with the surface, the water cannot adhere and falls away.
SHC's actually improve system performance under rain conditions by repelling water from the antenna surface.
The phenomenon of "rain fade" is well documented and is a reality for Ku-band frequencies.
The presence of SHC both on the antenna surface itself, as well as the feed horn, measurably improves system performance under moderate to heavy rain conditions.
Contact angle and Rain Run-off. A surface exhibiting a given contact angle to water and inclined to 45 degrees will shed heavy rain in one of four modes.
For contact angles between zero and about 90 degrees, moderate to heavy rain will form a sheet or film uniformly covering the surface.
Microwave antenna performance has been shown to diminish as water filming increases.
At contact angles between 90 and 130 degrees, rivulets form, allowing water to run off as large drops or streams.
As surfaces become super hydrophobic with contact angles between 130 and 150 degrees, even heavy rain tends to run off as small drops.
There are some other different types of coatings out there the claim to do the same thing.
Some are wax type products that attract dirt and grime making matters worse.
One competitor claims to use technology recently released to the public by NASA.
The technology they refer to has been used by us for nearly thirty years because it was invented and patented by the same team that developed our product.
Another claims to last ten or twenty years. That’s along time, if you painted your house you would be lucky if it still looked good in ten years. These claims are made based on accelerated laboratory tests and don’t have much to do with the real world.
Our products have been in use for thirty years. We recommend recoating every year or two to maintain the quality signal your paying for. The coating may very well perform for many years depending on the conditions.
Remember one can is enough for several applications.
