Antenna types
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
systems, many different antenna types are used whose properties are especially crafted for particular applications. Antennas can be classified in various ways. The list below groups together antennas under common operating principles, following the way antennas are classified in many engineering textbooks. — Peter Bevelaqua's private website.

* The dipole, monopole, array, and large loop antenna types discussed below typically function as
resonant Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscilla ...
antennas; in resonant antennas, waves of current and voltage bounce back and forth between the ends, or circulate around a closed loop, and their overlapping sections add and subtract to form
standing wave In physics, a standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave that oscillates in time but whose peak amplitude profile does not move in space. The peak amplitude of the wave oscillations at any point in space is constant with respect ...
s along the elements. * Traveling wave antennas are not resonant: Their current and voltage waves travel in one direction along the antenna elements and then are absorbed by a resistor. * Aperture antennas are made of an outer, surrounding reflective surface whose shape concentrates waves striking it onto a small inner antenna; the inner antenna can be either resonant or non-resonant.


Dipole

File:Rabbit-ears dipole antenna with UHF loop 20090204.jpg, "Rabbit ears"
dipole In physics, a dipole () is an electromagnetic phenomenon which occurs in two ways: *An electric dipole deals with the separation of the positive and negative electric charges found in any electromagnetic system. A simple example of this system ...
variant for VHF television reception File:SatelliteAntenna-137MHz closeup.jpg, Two-element
turnstile antenna A turnstile antenna, or crossed-dipole antenna, is a radio antenna consisting of a set of two identical dipole antennas mounted at right angles to each other and fed in phase quadrature; the two currents applied to the dipoles are 90° out of ph ...
for reception of weather satellite data, 137 MHz. Has circular polarization. File:Corner reflector TV antenna.png,
Corner reflector A corner reflector is a retroreflector consisting of three mutually perpendicular, intersecting flat surfaces, which reflects waves directly towards the source, but translated. The three intersecting surfaces often have square shapes. Radar co ...
UHF TV antenna with "bowtie" dipole driven element at its center
The dipole consists of two conductors, usually metal rods or wires, usually arranged symmetrically, end-to-end, with one side of the balanced feedline from the transmitter or receiver attached to each. It is a basic antenna type upon which more elaborate antennas are based. The most common type, the
half-wave dipole In radio and telecommunications a dipole antenna or doublet is the simplest and most widely used class of antenna. The dipole is any one of a class of antennas producing a radiation pattern approximating that of an elementary electric dipole wi ...
, consists of two resonant elements just under a quarter wavelength long. This antenna radiates maximally in directions perpendicular to the antenna's axis, giving it a small directive gain of 2.15 dBi. Although half-wave dipoles are used alone as omnidirectional antennas, they are also a building block of many other more complicated directional antennas. * ''
Turnstile A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a ...
'' – Two dipole antennas mounted at right angles, fed with a phase difference of 90°. This antenna is unusual in that it radiates in ''all'' directions (no nulls in the radiation pattern), with
horizontal polarization Polarization (also polarisation) is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of th ...
in directions coplanar with the elements,
circular polarization In electrodynamics, circular polarization of an electromagnetic wave is a polarization state in which, at each point, the electromagnetic field of the wave has a constant magnitude and is rotating at a constant rate in a plane perpendicular to ...
normal to that plane, and elliptical polarization in other directions. Used for receiving signals from satellites, as circular polarization is transmitted by many satellites. * ''
Corner reflector A corner reflector is a retroreflector consisting of three mutually perpendicular, intersecting flat surfaces, which reflects waves directly towards the source, but translated. The three intersecting surfaces often have square shapes. Radar co ...
'' – A directive antenna with moderate gain of about 8 dBi often used at UHF frequencies. Consists of a dipole mounted in front of two reflective metal screens joined at an angle, usually 90°. Used as a rooftop UHF television antenna and for point-to-point data links. * ''
Patch Patch or Patches may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'' * Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy * "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962 * "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song ...
(
microstrip Microstrip is a type of electrical transmission line which can be fabricated with any technology where a conductor is separated from a ground plane by a dielectric layer known as the substrate. Microstrip lines are used to convey microwave-freque ...
)'' – A type of antenna with elements consisting of metal sheets mounted over a ground plane. Similar to dipole with gain of 6–9 dBi. Integrated into surfaces such as aircraft bodies. Their easy fabrication using PCB techniques have made them popular in modern wireless devices. Often combined into arrays. * '' Biconical antenna'' – a dipole with cone-shaped arms, with the feedpoint where their tips meet. They show broader bandwidth than ordinary dipoles, up to three octaves above their base frequency. * ''Bow-tie antenna'' or ''butterfly antenna'' – a dipole whose arms are triangular or arrow-shaped () with the feedpoint where the tips of the triangles meet. It is a flattened version of a biconical antenna. The triangles can either be cut from sheet metal with solid metal centers (), or two wires with their far ends connected () outlining the shape of a
bow-tie The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that t ...
, or with unconnected ends in an "X" shape (). Common variants have several dipole arms radiating out from the central connection point ().


Monopole

File:Klaudia 801.JPG, Quarter-wave
whip antenna A whip antenna is an antenna consisting of a straight flexible wire or rod. The bottom end of the whip is connected to the radio receiver or transmitter. A whip antenna is a form of monopole antenna. The antenna is designed to be flexible so ...
on an FM radio for 88–108 MHz File:UHF CB with rubber ducky exposed.jpg,
Rubber ducky antenna The rubber ducky antenna (or rubber duck aerial) is an electrically short monopole antenna that functions somewhat like a base-loaded whip antenna. It consists of a springy wire in the shape of a narrow helix, sealed in a rubber or plastic ja ...
on
walkie-talkie A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver (HT), is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, ...
with rubber cover removed. File:Antenne gp vhf 3.jpg, VHF ground plane antenna File:Amateur T cage antenna 2BML 1922-colorized.jpg,
T-antenna A T-antenna, T-aerial, flat-top antenna, or (capacitively) top-loaded antenna is a monopole radio antenna with transverse capacitive loading wires attached to its top. T-antennas are typically used in the VLF, LF, MF, and shortwave bands, a ...
of amateur radio station, 80 ft high, used at 1.5 MHz. File:Sendemast Hirschlanden.jpg,
Mast radiator Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio ma ...
antenna of
medium wave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the dayti ...
AM radio station, Germany File:FoldedUnipoleMidPoint.jpg, Folded unipole with skirt wires connected at a midpoint on the tower
A monopole antenna is a half-dipole ( ''see above''); it consists of a single conductor such as a metal rod, usually mounted over the ground or an artificial conducting surface (a so-called ''
ground plane In electrical engineering, a ground plane is an electrically conductive surface, usually connected to electrical ground. The term has two different meanings in separate areas of electrical engineering. *In antenna theory, a ground plane is a ...
''). One side of the
feedline In a radio antenna, the feed line (feedline), or feeder, is the cable or other transmission line that connects the antenna with the radio transmitter or receiver. In a transmitting antenna, it feeds the radio frequency (RF) current from t ...
from the receiver or transmitter is connected to the conductor, and the other side to ground or the artificial ground plane. The radio waves reflected from the ground plane appear as if they came from a fictitious ''
image antenna In telecommunications and antenna design, an image antenna is an electrical mirror-image of an antenna element formed by the radio waves reflecting from a conductive surface called a ground plane, such as the surface of the earth. It is used a ...
'' seemingly below the
ground plane In electrical engineering, a ground plane is an electrically conductive surface, usually connected to electrical ground. The term has two different meanings in separate areas of electrical engineering. *In antenna theory, a ground plane is a ...
, with the monopole and its phantom image effectively forming a dipole. Hence, the monopole antenna has a radiation pattern identical to the top half of the pattern of a similar dipole antenna, and a radiation efficiency a bit less than half of the dipole. Since all of the equivalent dipole's radiation is concentrated in a half-space, the antenna has twice (3 dB increase of) the gain of a similar dipole, neglecting power lost in the ground plane. The most common form is the quarter-wave monopole which is one-quarter of a
wavelength In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tr ...
long and has a gain of 5.12 dBi when mounted over a
ground plane In electrical engineering, a ground plane is an electrically conductive surface, usually connected to electrical ground. The term has two different meanings in separate areas of electrical engineering. *In antenna theory, a ground plane is a ...
. Monopoles have an omnidirectional
radiation pattern In the field of antenna design the term radiation pattern (or antenna pattern or far-field pattern) refers to the ''directional'' (angular) dependence of the strength of the radio waves from the antenna or other source.Constantine A. Balanis: “A ...
, so they are used for broad coverage of an area, and have
vertical polarization Polarization ( also polarisation) is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of t ...
. To reduce signal absorption by the Earth,
ground wave Ground waves are radio waves propagating parallel to and adjacent to the surface of the Earth, following the curvature of the Earth. This radiation is known as Norton surface wave, or more properly Norton ground wave, because ground waves in rad ...
s used for broadcasting at low frequencies must be vertically polarized, so large vertical monopole antennas are used for broadcasting in the MF, LF, and VLF bands. Small monopoles ("whips") are used as nondirectional antennas on portable radios in the HF, VHF, and UHF bands. * ''
Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...
'' – Type of antenna used on mobile and portable radios in the VHF and UHF bands such as “ boom boxes”, consists of a flexible rod, often made of telescoping segments. * ''
Rubber ducky A rubber duck or a rubber duckie is a toy shaped like a stylized duck, generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic. Rubber ducks were invented in the late 1800s when it became pos ...
'' – Most common antenna used on portable
two-way radio A two-way radio is a radio that can both transmit and receive radio waves (a transceiver), unlike a radio broadcasting, broadcast receiver which only receives content. It is an audio (sound) transceiver, a transmitter and radio receiver, receive ...
s and
cordless phone A cordless telephone or portable telephone has a portable telephone handset that connects by radio to a base station connected to the public telephone network. The operational range is limited, usually to the same building or within some short ...
s due to its compactness, consists of an electrically short wire
helix A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helic ...
. The helix adds
inductance Inductance is the tendency of an electrical conductor to oppose a change in the electric current flowing through it. The flow of electric current creates a magnetic field around the conductor. The field strength depends on the magnitude of th ...
to cancel the
capacitive reactance In electrical circuits, reactance is the opposition presented to alternating current by inductance or capacitance. Greater reactance gives smaller current for the same applied voltage. Reactance is similar to resistance in this respect, but does ...
of the short radiator, making it resonant. It is nearly isotropic – has very low gain. * ''
Ground plane antenna A whip antenna is an antenna consisting of a straight flexible wire or rod. The bottom end of the whip is connected to the radio receiver or transmitter. A whip antenna is a form of monopole antenna. The antenna is designed to be flexible so th ...
'' – a whip antenna with several rods extending horizontally from base of whip attached to the ground side of the feedline. Since the whip is mounted above ground, the horizontal rods form an artificial
ground plane In electrical engineering, a ground plane is an electrically conductive surface, usually connected to electrical ground. The term has two different meanings in separate areas of electrical engineering. *In antenna theory, a ground plane is a ...
under the antenna to increase its gain. Used for elevated base station antennas for
land mobile radio system A land mobile radio system (LMRS) is a person-to-person voice communication system consisting of two-way radio transceivers (an audio transmitter and receiver in one unit) which can be stationary ( base station units), mobile (installed in veh ...
s such as police, ambulance, and taxi dispatchers. * ''
Mast radiator Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio ma ...
'' – A
radio tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made ...
in which the tower structure itself serves as the antenna. Common form of transmitting antenna for AM radio stations and other MF and LF transmitters. At its base the tower is usually, but not necessarily, mounted on a ceramic insulator to isolate it from the ground. * ''
Folded unipole antenna The folded unipole antenna is a type of monopole antenna; it consists of a vertical metal rod or mast mounted over and connected at its base to a conductive surface called a ground plane. The mast is surrounded by a "skirt" of vertical wires elect ...
'' – is a modified mast antenna, usually grounded at its base, augmented by one or several parallel wires called "skirt wires" that attach to the mast part-way up the antenna. The skirt wires can attach at any height between part-way up and the top of the mast. One or more of the skirt wires is fed with the signal, similar to a gamma match. The number and relative thickness of the mast and the skirt wires adjusts the feedpoint impedance. * '' T and inverted L'' – Consist of a long horizontal wire suspended between two towers with insulators, with a vertical wire hanging down from it, attached to a feedline to the receiver or transmitter. The dangling vertical wire is the radiating part of the antenna. Used on LF and VLF bands. Since at these frequencies the vertical wire is electrically short, much shorter than a quarter wavelength, the horizontal wire(s) serve as a capacitive "hat" to increase the current in the vertical radiator, increasing the gain. Very narrow bandwidth, requires
loading coil A loading coil or load coil is an inductor that is inserted into an electronic circuit to increase its inductance. The term originated in the 19th century for inductors used to prevent signal distortion in long-distance telegraph transmission c ...
to tune out any remaining capacitive reactance. Requires low resistance
ground Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the surface of the Earth not covered by water * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical c ...
. * ''Inverted F'' – Combines the advantages of the compactness of inverted-L antenna, and the good matching of the unipole antenna. The antenna is grounded at the base and fed at some intermediate point. The position of the feed point determines the antenna impedance. Thus, matching can be achieved without the need for a separate matching network. * ''
Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...
'' – Very large wire transmitting antenna with extremely narrow bandwidth, used on VLF bands; relative to the even larger wavelengths it is used for, it is paradoxically an ultra-short antenna. Consists of a central radiating tower with multiple wires attached at the top, extending out radially from the mast and insulated at the ends, resembling a metal umbrella frame. Like other ultra-short antennas it has an extremely high capacitive reactance and minimal
radiation resistance Radiation resistance, \ R_\mathsf\ or \ R_\mathsf\ , is proportional to the part of an antenna's feedpoint electrical resistance that is caused by power loss from the emission of radio waves from the antenna. Radiation resistance is an ''effecti ...
, which require a large loading coil and low-resistance counterpoise system. Used for long range military submarine communications.


Array

File:Collinear folded dipole antenna array.jpg, VHF collinear array of
folded dipole In radio and telecommunications a dipole antenna or doublet is the simplest and most widely used class of antenna. The dipole is any one of a class of antennas producing a radiation pattern approximating that of an elementary electric dipole wi ...
s File:Yagi TV antenna 1954.png, Yagi–Uda
television antenna A television antenna (TV aerial) is an antenna specifically designed for use with a television receiver (TV) to receive over-the-air broadcast television signals from a television station. Television reception is dependent upon the antenna as ...
for analog channels 2-4, 47-68 MHz File:VHF UHF LP-antenna closeup.JPG, Log-periodic dipole array covering 140-470 MHz File:6 sector site in CDMA.jpg, Sector antennas ''(white bars)'' on cell phone tower. Collinear arrays of dipoles, these radiate a flat, fan-shaped beam. File:Eight bay bowtie TV antenna.jpg, Reflective array UHF TV antenna, with bowtie dipoles to cover the UHF 470-890 MHz band File:PAVE PAWS Radar Clear AFS Alaska.jpg, US Air Force
PAVE PAWS PAVE PAWS ( PAVE Phased Array Warning System) is a complex Cold War early warning radar and computer system developed in 1980 to "detect and characterize a sea-launched ballistic missile attack against the United States". With the first solid-s ...
phased array In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...
radar antenna for ballistic missile detection, Alaska. The two circular arrays are each composed of 2677 crossed dipole antennas. File:Moosbrunn SW Antenna.jpg,
Curtain array Curtain arrays are a class of large multielement directional radio transmitting wire antennas, used in the shortwave radio bands. They are a type of reflective array antenna, consisting of multiple wire dipole antennas, suspended in a vertic ...
shortwave transmitting antenna, Austria. Wire dipoles suspended between towers File:Superturnstile Tx Muehlacker.JPG, Four-bay batwing television broadcasting antenna, Germany.
Array antennas consist of multiple simple antennas working together as a single compound antenna. The simple antennas can be dipoles, monopoles, or loops, or mixed loops and dipoles. ''Broadside arrays'' consist of multiple identical
driven element {{Unreferenced, date=April 2016 In a multielement antenna array (such as a Yagi–Uda antenna), the driven element or active element is the element in the antenna (typically a metal rod) which is electrically connected to the receiver or transmi ...
s, usually dipoles, fed in phase, radiating a beam perpendicular to the antenna plane. ''Endfire arrays'' are fed out-of-phase, with the phase difference corresponding to the distance between them; they radiate within the antenna plane. ''Parasitic arrays'' consist of multiple antennas, usually dipoles, with one
driven element {{Unreferenced, date=April 2016 In a multielement antenna array (such as a Yagi–Uda antenna), the driven element or active element is the element in the antenna (typically a metal rod) which is electrically connected to the receiver or transmi ...
and the rest
parasitic element In a radio antenna, a passive radiator or parasitic element is a conductive element, typically a metal rod, which is not electrically connected to anything else. Multielement antennas such as the Yagi–Uda antenna typically consist of a ...
s, which radiate a beam along the line of the antennas. * '' Vertical collinear'' – Consist of several dipoles fed in phase, with their axēs stacked atop each other, in a single vertical line. It is a high-gain omnidirectional antenna, meaning more of the power is radiated in horizontal directions and less wasted radiating up into the sky or down onto the ground. Gain of 8–10 dBi. Used as base station antennas for
land mobile radio system A land mobile radio system (LMRS) is a person-to-person voice communication system consisting of two-way radio transceivers (an audio transmitter and receiver in one unit) which can be stationary ( base station units), mobile (installed in veh ...
s such as police, fire, ambulance, and taxi dispatchers, and sector antennas for
cellular base station A cell site, cell tower, or cellular base station is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed (typically on a radio mast, tower, or other raised structure) to create a cell, or adj ...
s. * '' Yagi–Uda'' or "Yagi" – One of the most common directional antennas at HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies. Consists of multiple half-wave dipole elements aligned with their axēs parallel, in the same plane, with a single resonant-length
driven element {{Unreferenced, date=April 2016 In a multielement antenna array (such as a Yagi–Uda antenna), the driven element or active element is the element in the antenna (typically a metal rod) which is electrically connected to the receiver or transmi ...
wired to the feedline, usually the next-to-last, next-to-longest element in the array. The multiple other elements are
parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
, which reflect and direct the radiated signal into a single direction, hence a ''
beam antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performanc ...
''. Yagi–Udas are used for rooftop
television antenna A television antenna (TV aerial) is an antenna specifically designed for use with a television receiver (TV) to receive over-the-air broadcast television signals from a television station. Television reception is dependent upon the antenna as ...
s, point-to-point communication links, and long distance
shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
communication using
skywave In radio communication, skywave or skip refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Since it is not limited by the curvature o ...
("skip") reflection from the ionosphere. They typically have gains between 10–20 dBi depending on the number of director elements used, but are very narrow band (with a usable bandwidth of only a few percent). * ''
Moxon antenna file:Moxon Antenne 20m.jpg , Moxon antenna for the 20-meter band. The antenna is the faint rectangle of wires held in tension by the bent ‘X’-shaped support frame. file:I-LG-040 M.te Aiona (4874577865).jpg , Moxon antenna for the 2-meter band ...
'' – Is a rectangular-shaped, folded version of a two-element Yagi-Uda. * '' Log-periodic dipole array'' or "fishbone" antenna – Consists of many dipole elements along a boom with gradually increasing lengths, all connected to the transmission line with alternating polarity. It is a directional antenna with a wide bandwidth, which makes it ideal for use as a rooftop television antenna, although its gain is much less than a Yagi of comparable size. * '' Reflective array'' – Multiple dipoles in a two-dimensional array mounted in front of a flat reflecting screen. Used for radar and UHF television transmitting and receiving antennas. * ''
Phased array In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...
'' – A high gain antenna used at UHF and microwave frequencies which is electronically steerable. It consists of multiple dipoles in a two-dimensional array, each fed through an electronic
phase shifter A phase shift module is a microwave network module which provides a controllable phase shift of the RF signal. Phase shifters are used in phased arrays. Classification Active versus passive Active phase shifters provide gain, while passiv ...
, with the phase shifters controlled by a computer control system. The beam can be instantly pointed in any direction over a wide angle in front of the antenna. Used for military
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
and jamming systems. * ''
Curtain array Curtain arrays are a class of large multielement directional radio transmitting wire antennas, used in the shortwave radio bands. They are a type of reflective array antenna, consisting of multiple wire dipole antennas, suspended in a vertic ...
'' – Large directional wire transmitting antenna used at HF by
shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
broadcasting stations. It consists of a vertical rectangular array of identical wire dipoles suspended in a parallel row in front of a flat reflector screen, consisting of a second row of vertical parallel "curtain" wires, all supported between two metal towers. It radiates a horizontal beam of radio waves into the sky above the horizon, which is reflected by the ionosphere to Earth beyond the horizon. * ''Half-square'' antenna – A pair of ground-isolated, quarter-wave vertical monopoles, whose tops are connected by a line one half-wavelength long. The verticals are the radiators and function as a two-element array, similar to the bobtail curtain. The structure is shaped like the Greek letter Π (not to be confused with the ''Half-Loop'' antenna described below). The top-to-top connecting wire serves as a phased feedline, or an auxiliary feed, which puts the point of maximum current at the top of each monopole. Neither monopole element has a wire connection to the ground beneath it. Top-fed monopoles produce a strong signal low to the horizon, as opposed to an ordinary bottom-fed monopoles. The feedpoint for the combined ''system'' may be placed at any of several locations. * '' Batwing'' or ''superturnstile'' – A specialized antenna used in television broadcasting consisting of perpendicular pairs of dipoles with radiators resembling bat wings. Multiple batwing antennas are stacked vertically on a mast to make VHF television broadcast antennas. Omnidirectional radiation pattern with high gain in horizontal directions. The batwing shape gives them wide bandwidth. * ''
Microstrip Microstrip is a type of electrical transmission line which can be fabricated with any technology where a conductor is separated from a ground plane by a dielectric layer known as the substrate. Microstrip lines are used to convey microwave-freque ...
'' – an array of
patch antenna A patch antenna is a type of antenna with a low profile, which can be mounted on a surface. It consists of a planar rectangular, circular, triangular, or any geometrical sheet or "patch" of metal, mounted over a larger sheet of metal called a g ...
s on a substrate fed by
microstrip Microstrip is a type of electrical transmission line which can be fabricated with any technology where a conductor is separated from a ground plane by a dielectric layer known as the substrate. Microstrip lines are used to convey microwave-freque ...
feedlines. Microwave antenna that can achieve large gains in compact space. Ease of fabrication by PCB techniques have made them popular in modern wireless devices. Beamwidth and polarization can be actively reconfigurable.


Loop

Loop antennas consist of a loop (or coil) of wire. Loop antennas interact directly with the
magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...
of the radio wave, rather than its
electric field An electric field (sometimes E-field) is the physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles and exerts force on all other charged particles in the field, either attracting or repelling them. It also refers to the physical field ...
, making them relatively insensitive to electrical noise within about of the antenna. There are essentially two broad categories of loop antennas: large loops (or ''full-wave loops'') and small loops. Only one design, a halo antenna, that is usually called a loop does not exclusively fit into either the ''large'' or ''small'' loop categories.


Large loops

Full-wave loops have the highest radiation resistance, and hence the highest efficiency of all antennas: Their radiation resistances are several hundreds of
Ohm Ohm (symbol Ω) is a unit of electrical resistance named after Georg Ohm. Ohm or OHM may also refer to: People * Georg Ohm (1789–1854), German physicist and namesake of the term ''ohm'' * Germán Ohm (born 1936), Mexican boxer * Jörg Ohm (bor ...
s, whereas dipoles and monopoles are tens of Ohms, and small loops are a few ohms, or even fractions of an Ohm. * ''Large loops'' – are loop antennas with perimeter of a full wavelength, two wavelengths, or any whole-number multiple of a wavelength. They are naturally resonant and act somewhat similarly to the full-wave or multi-wave dipole. When it is necessary to distinguish them from small loops, they are called "full-wave" loops. * ''
Quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...
'' – Although "quad" can refer to a single quadrilateral-shaped loop, the term usually refers to two or more loops stacked side by side; at first glance, quads resemble a
box kite A box kite is a high performance kite, noted for developing relatively high lift; it is a type within the family of cellular kites. The typical design has four parallel struts. The box is made rigid with diagonal crossed struts. There are two s ...
frame. Only one of the loops in the quad is connected to the feedline, and that loop functions as the driver for the antenna and is the main signal radiator. The other loops are
parasitic element In a radio antenna, a passive radiator or parasitic element is a conductive element, typically a metal rod, which is not electrically connected to anything else. Multielement antennas such as the Yagi–Uda antenna typically consist of a ...
s that act as reflectors or directors, focusing the radiated waves in a narrower, single direction and thereby increasing the gain.
Quad antenna A quad antenna is a type of directional wire radio antenna used on the HF and VHF bands. Like a Yagi–Uda antenna ("Yagi"), a quad consists of a driven element and one or more parasitic elements; however in a quad, each of these elements is ...
s are the loop analog of '' Yagi-Uda'' antennas, and are similarly used as a directional antennas on the HF bands for shortwave communication. They are sometimes preferred for longer wavelengths because (if square) they are half as wide as a Yagi built from dipoles. * ''Half-loop'' – is the upper half of a vertical full-wavelength loop antenna mounted on the ground. The full loop is cut at two opposite points along its perimeter, and the lower half is omitted; the upper half mounted on the ground at the cut points, sticking up from the ground like a satchel handle. It is shaped like the Greek letter Π or an upside-down capital letter U, and is the loop antenna analog of a ground-mounted monopole antenna. Like a vertical monopole, the missing lower half of the antenna is replaced by its ground-plane image. If shaped like a half of a square, a half-loop can operate either as a loop antenna or, on its first harmonic, as a dipole antenna whose ends have been bent over and grounded, depending on the form and location of the feed-point.


In between

* Halo antenna, ''Halo'' antennas – Loops that are one half-wavelength in perimeter, with a small gap cut in the loop, are called "halo antennas" and are intermediate in size and function between ''small'' and ''large'' loops. They are often described as a half-wavelength dipole that has been folded into a circle, rather than being a "true loop" antenna.

The approximately-omnidirectional pattern of halos resembles small loops; their radiation efficiency lies inbetween the extreme efficiency of large loops and the generally poor efficiency of small loops. Like full-wave loops, halos are self-resonant. In some regards they represent the extreme upper size limit of small transmitting loops.


Small loops

The great disadvantage of any small antenna, including ''small loop'' antennas, is a very small
radiation resistance Radiation resistance, \ R_\mathsf\ or \ R_\mathsf\ , is proportional to the part of an antenna's feedpoint electrical resistance that is caused by power loss from the emission of radio waves from the antenna. Radiation resistance is an ''effecti ...
– typically much smaller than the copper loss, loss resistance, making small loops very Antenna efficiency, inefficient for transmitting. However, small loops are very effective receiving antennas, especially at low frequencies, where ''all'' feasible antennas are "small" compared to a wavelength. * ''Magnetic loop, Small loops'' – If the loop perimeter is smaller than a half-wavelength, the loop must be modified in some way to make it resonant, if resonance is necessary. Small loops are called "magnetic loops", and if modified for resonance they are also called "tuned loops". Their directionality and radiation efficiency is drastically different from full-wave loops. Small loops are widely used as compact radio direction-finding, direction finding antennas. * ''Loopstick antenna, Ferrite (loopstick)'' – Loopstick antennas are omnidirectional around their axes, and are premier examples of small loop antennas. They are the magnetic analogue of the short dipole antenna. These are used as the receiving antenna in most desktop consumer AM radios operating in the
medium wave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the dayti ...
broadcast band (and longwave, lower frequencies). Wire is coiled around a ferrite core which greatly increases the coil's
inductance Inductance is the tendency of an electrical conductor to oppose a change in the electric current flowing through it. The flow of electric current creates a magnetic field around the conductor. The field strength depends on the magnitude of th ...
and its effective signal-capturing area. The radiation pattern is maximum at directions perpendicular to the ferrite rod. The null (radio), nulls in the radiation pattern of small loop / ferrite core antennas are bi-directional, and are ''much'' sharper than the directions of maximum power of either loop or of electric antennas, and even most
beam antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performanc ...
s; the null directionality of small loops is comparable to the maximal directionality of large dish antennas (aperture antennas, #aperture_antenna_text_anchor, see below). This makes the direction of the small loop's null more useful than the direction of the strongest signal for accurately locating a signal source, and the small loop / ferrite core type the smallest-size antenna useful for radio direction finding (RDF). The null direction of small loops can also be exploited to reject unwanted signals from an interfering station or noise source.


Aperture

File:Canberra Deep Dish Communications Complex - GPN-2000-000502.jpg, NASA Cassegrain antenna, Cassegrain parabolic antenna, parabolic spacecraft communication antenna, Australia. Uses X band, 8 – 12 GHz. Extremely high gain ~70 dBi. File:Schwarzbeck BBHA 9120 D.jpg, Microwave horn antenna bandwidth 0.8–18 GHz File:Radar antennas on USS Theodore Roosevelt SPS-64.jpg, X band marine radar slot antenna on ship, 8–12 GHz. File:BocinaLenteDieléctrica.JPG, Dielectric lens antenna used in millimeter wave radio telescope An aperture antenna consists of a small dipole or loop antenna feed, feed antenna embedded inside a larger, three-dimensional surrounding structure that guides the radio waves from the feed antenna in a particular direction, and vice versa. The guiding structure is often dish-shaped or funnel-shaped, and quite large compared to a wavelength, with an opening, or ''aperture'', to emit the radio waves in only one direction. Since the outer antenna structure is itself ''not'' resonant, it can be used for a wide range of frequencies, by replacing or retuning the inner antenna feed, feed antenna, which normally ''is'' resonant. * ''Parabolic antenna, Parabolic'' – The most widely used high gain antenna at microwave frequencies and above. Consists of a dish-shaped metal parabolic reflector with a feed antenna at the focus. It can have some of the highest gains of any antenna type, up to 60 dBi, but the dish must be large compared to a wavelength. Used for
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
antennas, point-to-point data links, satellite communication, and radio telescopes. * ''Horn antenna, Horn'' – a simple antenna with moderate gain of 15 to 25 dBi that consists of a flaring metal horn attached to a waveguide. Used for applications such as radar guns, microwave radiometer, radiometers and as antenna feed, feed antennas for parabolic dishes. * ''Slot antenna, Slot'' – consists of a waveguide (electromagnetism), waveguide with one or more slots cut in it to emit the microwaves. Linear slot antennas emit narrow fan-shaped beams. Used as UHF broadcast antennas and marine radar antennas. * ''Lens antenna, Lens'' – a lens antenna consists of layer of dielectric or a metal screen or multiple waveguide structure of varying thickness in front of a antenna feed, feed antenna, which acts as a lens which refraction, refracts the radio waves, focusing them on the feed antenna. * ''Dielectric resonator antenna, Dielectric resonator'' – consists of small ball or puck-shaped piece of dielectric material excited by aperture in waveguide Used at millimeter wave frequencies


Traveling wave

File:Beverage antenna animation 408x212x15ms.gif, Animation showing a Beverage antenna . File:Moosbrunn Quadrantantennen.JPG, Quadrant antenna, similar to rhombic antenna, rhombic, at an Austrian shortwave broadcast station. Radiates horizontal beam at 5-9 MHz, 100 kW File:Traqueur acquisition.JPG, Array of four axial-mode helical antennas used for satellite tracking, France Unlike the antennas discussed so-far, traveling-wave antenna, traveling-wave antennas are resonance, ''not'' resonant so they have inherently broad bandwidth. They are typically wire antennas that are multiple wavelengths long, through which the voltage and current waves travel in one direction, instead of bouncing back and forth to form
standing wave In physics, a standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave that oscillates in time but whose peak amplitude profile does not move in space. The peak amplitude of the wave oscillations at any point in space is constant with respect ...
s as in resonant antennas. They have linear polarization (except for the helical antenna). Unidirectional traveling-wave antennas are terminated by a resistor at one end equal to the antenna's characteristic impedance, characteristic resistance, to absorb the waves from one direction. This makes them inefficient as transmitting antennas, but removes half of the incident radio noise when used for receiving. * ''Beverage antenna, Beverage'' – Simplest unidirectional traveling-wave antenna. Consists of a straight wire one to several wavelengths long, suspended near the ground, connected to the receiver at one end and terminated by a resistor equal to its characteristic impedance, 400–800 Ohm (unit), Ω at the other end. Its radiation pattern has a main lobe at a shallow angle in the sky off the terminated end. It is used for reception of
skywave In radio communication, skywave or skip refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Since it is not limited by the curvature o ...
s reflected off the ionosphere in long distance "skip"
shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
communication. * ''Rhombic antenna, Rhombic'' – Consists of four equal wire sections shaped like a rhombus. It is fed by a balanced feedline at one of the acute corners, and the two sides are connected to a resistor equal to the characteristic resistance of the antenna at the other. It has a main lobe in a horizontal direction off the terminated end of the rhombus. Used for
skywave In radio communication, skywave or skip refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Since it is not limited by the curvature o ...
communication on shortwave bands. * ''Leaky wave antenna, Leaky wave'' – Microwave antennas consisting of a waveguide or coaxial cable with a slot or apertures cut in it so it radiates continuously along its length. * ''Helical antenna, Helical (axial mode)'' – Consists of a wire in the shape of a
helix A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helic ...
mounted above a reflecting screen. It radiates circular polarization, circularly polarized waves in a beam off the end, with a typical gain of 15 dBi. It is used at VHF and UHF frequencies where antenna sizes are feasible. Often used for satellite communication, which uses circular polarization because it is insensitive to the relative rotation on the beam axis. When a helical antenna has about 10 turns or more, each turn a full wavelength, then it is a form of traveling-wave antenna. If it only has a few turns (or just one) and the turns' totaled circumference is one or a few wavelengths, then it is some variety of a large loop antenna.


Isotropic

An isotropic antenna (isotropic radiator) is a ''hypothetical'' antenna that radiates equal signal power in all directions. An antenna that is ''exactly'' isotropic is only a mathematical model, used as the base of comparison to calculate the directionality or gain of real antennas. No actual antenna can produce a perfectly isotropic
radiation pattern In the field of antenna design the term radiation pattern (or antenna pattern or far-field pattern) refers to the ''directional'' (angular) dependence of the strength of the radio waves from the antenna or other source.Constantine A. Balanis: “A ...
, but the isotropic radiation pattern serves as a "worst case" reference for comparing the degree to which other antennas, regardless of type, can project radiation in one direction. ''Nearly'' isotropic antennas can be made by combining several small antennas; these are used for field strength measurement, as standard reference antennas for testing other antennas, and as emergency antennas on artificial satellite, satellites, since they work even when the satellite has lost orientation towards its communication station. An ''isotropic antenna'' should not be confused with an ''omnidirectional antenna''; an isotropic antenna radiates equal power in all three dimensions, while an ''omnidirectional'' antenna radiates equal power in all horizontal directions, with the power radiated varying with elevation angle, but decreasing in the direction parallel to the antenna's vertical axis; for several antenna types there is no radiation at all in the exact vertical direction.


Other antenna types

* ''Random wire antenna'' – A random wire is the typical informal antenna erected for receiving
shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
and AM radio. It consists of a random length of wire either strung outdoors between elevated supports, or indoors across a ceiling, running in an erratic zigzag pattern along walls or between supports. One end of the wire is connected to the receiver. Its description by Moxon (1993) is "the odd bit of wire". The shape and length of a "random" wire is determined by available space and supports, instead of being laid out in a single straight line in a planned direction, with a trimmed resonant length. A random wire antenna typically has a complicated radiation pattern, with several lobes at varying angles to each wire segment, in different directions for each, which depend on frequency and segment length. Random wire antennas are often included as a sub-category of folded monopole antennas, if their lengths are a quarter-wave or less, or folded end-fed dipoles if a half-wave or more, up to one or two wavelengths or less. When they are laid out with at least one extended segment oriented in a straight line, one to several wavelengths long, they operate essentially the same as a Beverage antenna, traveling-wave antenna. Random wire antennas laid out along the ground are called "snake antennas" and are sometimes included among Beverage antennas as an extreme case of that type.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antenna types Antennas Radio frequency antenna types