The African VLBI Network aims to enable participation in SKA pathfinder development by amongst others, converting large antennas into radio astronomy telescopes. In this talk I will discuss the electromagnetic analysis of the first of these, a highly shaped 32-m telecommunications dish in Kutunse, Ghana, with analysis and characterisation at 5 and 6.7 GHz.

In particular, I will focus on the effects of the slanted beam-waveguide and mechanical tolerances and highlight antenna efficiencies as well as efforts underway to measure the surface errors. I will also discuss comparisons made to astronomical observations, and the result of utilising the telescope outside its originally intended purpose. For interest sake, I will touch briefly on the SKA precursor, MeerKAT, by looking at how aperture efficiency measuring techniques are used to verify the performance of individual antennas.