Short Wave "Curtain" Antenna (Moosbrunn, Austria)
An antenna is a transducer designed to transmit or receive radio waves which
are a class of electromagnetic waves. In other words, antennas convert radio
frequency electrical currents into electromagnetic waves and vice versa. Antennas are used in systems such as radio and television broadcasting, point-to-point radio communication,
wireless LAN, radar, and space exploration. Antennas usually work in air or outer space, but can also be operated under water
or even through soil and rock at certain frequencies for short distances.
Physically, an antenna is an arrangement of conductors that generate a radiating
electromagnetic field in response to an applied alternating voltage and the
associated alternating electric current, or can be placed in an electromagnetic field
so that the field will induce an alternating current in the antenna and a
voltage between its terminals. Some antenna devices (parabola, horn antenna) just adapt the free space to another type of
antenna.
Thomas Edison used antennas by 1885. Edison patented his system in U.S. Patent . Antennas were also used in 1888 by Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894)
to prove the existence of electromagnetic waves predicted by the theory of
James Clerk Maxwell. Hertz placed the emitter dipole in the focal point of a
parabolic reflector. He published his work and installation drawings in Annalen der
Physik und Chemie (vol. 36, 1889).
Terminology
The words antenna (plural: antennas[1]) and "aerial" are
used interchangeably; but usually a rigid metallic structure is termed an antenna and a wire format is called an aerial. The
origin of the word antenna relative to wireless apparatus is attributed to Guglielmo
Marconi. In 1895, while testing early radio apparatus in the Swiss Alps at Salvan, Switzerland in the Mont Blanc region,
Marconi experimented with early wireless equipment. A 2.5 meter long pole, along which was carried a wire, was used as a
radiating and receiving aerial element. In Italian a tent pole is known as l'antenna centrale, and the pole with a wire
alongside it used as an aerial was simply called l'antenna. Until then wireless radiating transmitting and receiving
elements were known simply as aerials or terminals. Marconi's use of the word antenna (Italian for pole) would become a popular term for what today is uniformly known as the
antenna.[2]
A Hertzian antenna is a set of terminals that does not require the presence of a
ground for its operation (versus a Tesla antenna which is grounded [3]). A loaded antenna is an active antenna having an
elongated portion of appreciable electrical length and having additional
inductance or capacitance directly in series or shunt
with the elongated portion so as to modify the standing wave pattern existing along the
portion or to change the effective electrical length of the portion. An antenna grounding
structure is a structure for establishing a reference potential level for operating the active antenna. It can be any structure
closely associated with (or acting as) the ground which is connected to the terminal of the signal receiver or source opposing
the active antenna terminal, (i.e., the signal receiver or source is interposed between the active antenna and this
structure).
The noun aerial is occasionally written with a diaresis mark - aërial - in recognition of the original spelling
of the adjective aërial from which the noun is derived.
In the UK and other British English speaking areas the term aerial is more common, even for rigid antennas.
Overview
Antennas have practical uses for the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals (radio, TV, etc.). In
air, those signals travel close to the speed of light in vacuum and with a very low
transmission loss. The signals are absorbed when propagating through more
conducting materials, such as concrete walls, rock, etc. When encountering an interface, the waves are reflected.
The vast majority of antennas are simple vertical rods a quarter of a wavelength long. Such antennas are simple in
construction, usually inexpensive, and both radiate in and receive from all horizontal directions (omnidirectional). One
limitation of this antenna is that it does not radiate or receive in the direction in which the rod points. This region is called
the antenna blind cone or null.
There are two fundamental types of antennas, which, with reference to a specific three dimensional (usually horizontal or
vertical) plane are:
- either Omni-directional (radiates equally in all directions), such as a vertical
rod or
- Directional (radiates more in one direction than in the other).
All antennas radiate some energy in all directions in free space but careful construction results in substantial transmission
of energy in a preferred direction and negligible energy radiated in other directions.
By adding additional conducting rods or coils (called elements) and varying their length, spacing, and orientation (or
changing the direction of the antenna beam), an antenna with specific desired properties can be created, such as a
Yagi-Uda Antenna (often abbreviated to "Yagi").
An antenna array is two or more antennas coupled to a common source or load to produce
a specific directional radiation pattern. The spatial relationship between individual antennas contributes to the directivity of
the antenna.
The term active element is intended to describe an element whose energy output is modified due to the presence of a source of
energy in the element (other than the mere signal energy which passes through the circuit) or an element in which the energy
output from a source of energy is controlled by the signal input.
An antenna lead-in is the medium, for example, a transmission line or
feed line for conveying the signal energy from the signal source to the antenna. The
antenna feed refers to the components between the antenna and an amplifier.
An antenna counterpoise is a structure of conductive material most closely associated with
ground that may be insulated from or capacitively coupled to the natural ground. It aids in the function of the natural ground,
particularly where variations (or limitations) of the characteristics of the natural ground interfere with its proper function.
Such structures are usually connected to the terminal of a receiver or source opposite to the antenna terminal.
An antenna component is a portion of the antenna performing a distinct function and limited for use in an antenna, as for
example, a reflector, director, or active antenna.
Parasitic elements are usually metallic conductive structures which reradiate into
free space impinging electromagnetic radiation coming from or going to the active antenna.
An electromagnetic wave refractor is a structure which is shaped or positioned to delay or
accelerate transmitted electromagnetic waves, passing through such structure, an amount which varies over the wave front. The
refractor alters the direction of propagation of the waves emitted from the structure with respect to the waves impinging on the
structure. It can alternatively bring the wave to a focus or alter the wave front in other ways, such as to convert a spherical
wave front to a planar wave front (or vice versa). The velocity of the waves radiated have a component which is in the same
direction (director) or in the opposite direction (reflector) that of the velocity of the impinging wave.
A director is usually a metallic conductive structure which reradiates into free space impinging electromagnetic radiation
coming from or going to the active antenna, the velocity of the reradiated wave having a component in the direction of velocity
of the impinging wave. The director modifies the radiation pattern of the active antenna and there is no significant potential
relationship between the active antenna and this conductive structure.
A reflector is usually a metallic conductive structure (e.g., screen, rod or
plate) which reradiates back into free space impinging electromagnetic radiation coming from or going to the active antenna. The
velocity of the returned wave having a component in a direction opposite to the direction of velocity of the impinging wave. The
reflector modifies the radiation of the active antenna. There is no significant potential relationship between the active antenna
and this conductive structure.
An antenna coupling network is a passive network (which may be any combination of a resistive,
inductive or capacitive circuit(s)) for transmitting the signal energy between the active antenna and a source (or receiver) of
such signal energy.
Typically, antennas are designed to operate in a relatively narrow frequency range. The
design criteria for receiving and transmitting antennas differ slightly, but generally an antenna can receive and transmit
equally well. This property is called reciprocity.
Antenna parameters
-
There are several critical parameters that affect an antenna's performance and can be adjusted during the design process.
These are resonant frequency, impedance, gain, aperture
or radiation pattern, polarization, efficiency
and bandwidth. Transmit antennas may also have a maximum power rating, and receive antennas
differ in their noise rejection properties. All of these parameters can be measured
through various means.
Resonant frequency
The "resonant frequency" and "electrical resonance" is related to the electrical
length of the antenna. The electrical length is usually the physical length of the wire divided by its velocity factor
(the ratio of the speed of wave propagation in the wire to c0, the speed of light in a vacuum). Typically an
antenna is tuned for a specific frequency, and is effective for a range of frequencies usually centered on that resonant
frequency. However, the other properties of the antenna (especially radiation pattern and impedance) change with frequency, so
the antenna's resonant frequency may merely be close to the center frequency of these other more important properties.
Antennas can be made resonant on harmonic frequencies with lengths that are fractions of the
target wavelength. Some antenna designs have multiple resonant frequencies, and some are relatively effective over a very broad
range of frequencies. The most commonly known type of wide band aerial is the logarithmic or log periodic, but its gain is
usually much lower than that of a specific or narrower band aerial.
Gain
Gain as a parameter measures the directionality of a given antenna. An antenna with a low gain emits radiation in all
directions equally, whereas a high-gain antenna will preferentially radiate in particular directions. Specifically, the
Gain, Directive gain or Power gain of an antenna is defined as the ratio of the intensity (power per unit surface) radiated by the antenna in a given direction at an arbitrary
distance divided by the intensity radiated at the same distance by an hypothetical isotropic
antenna.
The gain of an antenna is a passive phenomenon - power is not added by the antenna, but simply redistributed to provide more
radiated power in a certain direction than would be transmitted by an isotropic antenna. If an antenna has a greater than one
gain in some directions, it must have a less than one gain in other directions since energy is conserved by the antenna. An
antenna designer must take into account the application for the antenna when determining the gain. High-gain antennas have the
advantage of longer range and better signal quality, but must be aimed carefully in a particular direction. Low-gain antennas
have shorter range, but the orientation of the antenna is inconsequential. For example, a dish antenna on a spacecraft is a
high-gain device (must be pointed at the planet to be effective), while a typical WiFi antenna in
a laptop computer is low-gain (as long as the base station is within range, the antenna can be in an any orientation in
space).
Sometimes, the half-wave dipole is taken as a reference instead of the isotropic radiator. The gain is then given in
dBd (decibels over dipole):
-
- 0 dBd = 2.15 dBi
See Antenna measurement: Gain for more information.
Radiation pattern
The radiation pattern of an antenna is the geometric pattern of the relative field
strengths of the field emitted by the antenna. For the ideal isotropic antenna, this would be a sphere. For a typical dipole, this would be a toroid. The radiation pattern of an
antenna is typically represented by a three dimensional graph, or polar plots of the horizontal and vertical cross sections. The
graph should show sidelobes and backlobes, where the antenna's gain is at a minima or maxima.
See Antenna measurement: Radiation pattern or Radiation pattern for more information.
Impedance
As an electro-magnetic wave travels through the different parts of the antenna system (radio,
feed line, antenna, free space) it may encounter
differences in impedance (E/H, V/I, etc). At each interface, depending on the impedance match, some fraction of the wave's energy
will reflect back to the source[4], forming a standing wave
in the feed line. The ratio of maximum power to minimum power in the wave can be measured and is called the standing wave ratio (SWR). A SWR of 1:1 is ideal. A SWR of 1.5:1 is considered to be
marginally acceptable in low power applications where power loss is more critical, although an SWR as high as 6:1 may still be
usable with the right equipment. Minimizing impedance differences at each interface (impedance matching) will reduce SWR and maximize power transfer through each part of the antenna
system.
Complex impedance of an antenna is related to the electrical length of the antenna at the wavelength in use. The impedance of an antenna can be matched
to the feed line and radio by adjusting the impedance of the feed line, using the feed line as an impedance transformer. More commonly, the impedance is adjusted at the load (see below) with an antenna tuner, a balun, a matching transformer, matching networks composed
of inductors and capacitors, or matching sections such as
the gamma match.
Efficiency
"Efficiency" is the ratio of power actually radiated to the power put
into the antenna terminals. A dummy load may have an SWR of 1:1 but an efficiency of 0, as it
absorbs all power and radiates heat but not RF energy, showing that SWR alone is not an effective measure of an antenna's
efficiency. Radiation in an antenna is caused by radiation resistance which can
only be measured as part of total resistance including loss resistance. Loss
resistance usually results in heat generation rather than radiation, and reduces efficiency. Mathematically, efficiency is
calculated as radiation resistance divided by total resistance.
Bandwidth
The "bandwidth" of an antenna is the range of frequencies over which it is
effective, usually centered on the resonant frequency. The bandwidth of an antenna may be increased by several techniques,
including using thicker wires, replacing wires with cages to simulate a thicker wire, tapering antenna components (like in
a feed horn), and combining multiple antennas into a single assembly and allowing the natural
impedance to select the correct antenna. Small antennas are usually preferred for convenience, but there is a fundamental limit
relating bandwidth, size and efficiency.
Polarization
The "polarization" of an antenna is the orientation of the electric field
(E-plane) of the radio wave with respect to the Earth's surface and is determined by
the physical structure of the antenna and by its orientation. It has nothing in common with antenna directionality terms:
"horizontal", "vertical" and "circular". Thus, a simple straight wire antenna will have one polarization when mounted vertically,
and a different polarization when mounted horizontally. "Electromagnetic wave polarization filters" are structures which can be
employed to act directly on the electromagnetic wave to filter out wave energy of an undesired polarization and to pass wave
energy of a desired polarization.
Reflections generally affect polarization. For radio waves the most important reflector is the ionosphere - signals which reflect from it will have their polarization changed unpredictably. For signals
which are reflected by the ionosphere, polarization cannot be relied upon. For line-of-sight communications for which
polarization can be relied upon, it can make a large difference in signal quality to have the transmitter and receiver using the
same polarization; many tens of dB difference are commonly seen and this is more than enough to make the difference between
reasonable communication and a broken link.
Polarization is largely predictable from antenna construction, but especially in directional antennas, the polarization of
side lobes can be quite different from that of the main propagation lobe. For radio antennas, polarization corresponds to the
orientation of the radiating element in an antenna. A vertical omnidirectional WiFi antenna will
have vertical polarization (the most common type). An exception is a class of elongated waveguide antennas in which vertically
placed antennas are horizontally polarized. Many commercial antennas are marked as to the polarization of their emitted
signals.
Polarization is the sum of the E-plane orientations over time projected onto an imaginary plane perpendicular to the direction
of motion of the radio wave. In the most general case, polarization is elliptical (the projection is oblong), meaning that the
antenna varies over time in the polarization of the radio waves it is emitting. Two special cases are linear polarization (the ellipse collapses into a line) and circular polarization (in which the ellipse varies maximally). In linear polarization the antenna
compels the electric field of the emitted radio wave to a particular orientation. Depending on the orientation of the antenna
mounting, the usual linear cases are horizontal and vertical polarization. In circular polarization, the antenna continuously
varies the electric field of the radio wave through all possible values of its orientation with regard to the Earth's surface.
Circular polarizations, like elliptical ones, are classified as right-hand polarized or left-hand polarized using a "thumb in the
direction of the propagation" rule. Optical researchers use the same rule of thumb, but pointing it in the direction of the
emitter, not in the direction of propagation, and so are opposite to radio engineers' use.
In practice, regardless of confusing terminology, it is important that linearly polarized antennas be matched, lest the
received signal strength be greatly reduced. So horizontal should be used with horizontal and vertical with vertical.
Intermediate matchings will lose some signal strength, but not as much as a complete mismatch. Transmitters mounted on vehicles
with large motional freedom commonly use circularly polarized antennas so that there will never be a complete mismatch with
signals from other sources. In the case of radar, this is often reflections from rain drops.
Transmission and reception
All of the antenna parameters are expressed in terms of a transmission antenna, but are identically applicable to a receiving antenna, due to
reciprocity. Impedance, however, is not applied in an obvious way; for
impedance, the impedance at the load (where the power is consumed) is most critical. For a transmitting antenna, this is the
antenna itself. For a receiving antenna, this is at the (radio) receiver rather than at the antenna. Tuning is done by adjusting
the length of an electrically long linear antenna to alter the electrical resonance of the antenna.
Antenna tuning is done by adjusting an inductance or capacitance combined with the active antenna (but distinct and separate
from the active antenna). The inductance or capacitance provides the reactance which combines with the inherent reactance of the
active antenna to establish a resonance in a circuit including the active antenna. The established resonance being at a frequency
other than the natural electrical resonant frequency of the active antenna. Adjustment of the inductance or capacitance changes
this resonance.
Antennas used for transmission have a maximum power rating, beyond which heating, arcing
or sparking may occur in the components, which may cause them to be damaged or destroyed. Raising this maximum power rating
usually requires larger and heavier components, which may require larger and heavier supporting structures. This is a concern
only for transmitting antennas, as the power received by an antenna rarely exceeds the microwatt range.
Antennas designed specifically for reception might be optimized for noise rejection
capabilities. An "antenna shield" is a conductive or low reluctance structure (such as a
wire, plate or grid) which is adapted to be placed in the vicinity of an antenna to reduce, as by dissipation through a
resistance or by conduction to ground, undesired electromagnetic radiation, or electric or magnetic fields, which are directed
toward the active antenna from an external source or which emanate from the active antenna. Other methods to optimized for noise
rejection can be done by selecting a narrow bandwidth so that noise from other
frequencies is rejected, or selecting a specific radiation pattern to reject noise from a specific direction, or by selecting a
polarization different from the noise polarization, or by selecting an antenna that favors either the electric or magnetic
field.
For instance, an antenna to be used for reception of low frequencies (below about ten megahertz) will be subject to both man-made noise from motors and other machinery, and from natural sources such
as lightning. Successfully rejecting these forms of noise is an important antenna feature. A small coil of wire with many turns
is more able to reject such noise than a vertical antenna. However, the vertical will radiate much more effectively on transmit,
where extraneous signals are not a concern.
Basic antenna models
There are many variations of antennas. Below are a few basic models. More can be found in Category:Radio
frequency antenna types.
A multi-band rotary directional antenna for amateur radio use
Rooftop television antenna. It is actually three
Yagi antennas in one. The longest elements
are for the low band (channels 2-6) the medium-length elements are for the high band (channels 7-13) and the shortest elements
are for the UHF band (channels 14-69)
- The isotropic radiator is a purely theoretical antenna that radiates equally in
all directions. It is considered to be a point in space with no dimensions and no mass. This antenna cannot physically exist, but
is useful as a theoretical model for comparison with all other antennas. Most antennas' gains are measured with reference to an
isotropic radiator, and are rated in dBi (decibels with respect to an isotropic radiator).
- The dipole antenna is simply two wires pointed in opposite directions arranged either
horizontally or vertically, with one end of each wire connected to the radio and the other end hanging free in space. Since this
is the simplest practical antenna, it is also used as reference model for other antennas; gain with respect to a dipole is
labeled as dBd. Generally, the dipole is considered to be omnidirectional in the
plane perpendicular to the axis of the antenna, but it has deep nulls in the directions of the
axis. Variations of the dipole include the folded dipole, the half wave antenna, the ground plane antenna, the whip, and the J-pole.
- The Yagi-Uda antenna is a directional variation of the dipole with parasitic elements added with functionality similar to adding a reflector and lenses (directors) to focus a
filament light bulb.
- The random wire antenna is simply a very long (greater than one wavelength) wire with one end
connected to the radio and the other in free space, arranged in any way most convenient for the space available. Folding will
reduce effectiveness and make theoretical analysis extremely difficult. (The added length helps more than the folding typically
hurts.) Typically, a random wire antenna will also require an antenna tuner, as it might
have a random impedance that varies nonlinearly with frequency.
- The Horn is used where high gain is needed, the wavelength is short
(microwave) and space is not an issue. Horns can be narrow band or wide band, depending on
their shape. A horn can be built for any frequency, but horns for lower frequencies are typically impractical.
Practical antennas
Although any circuit can radiate if driven with a signal of high enough frequency, most practical antennas are specially
designed to radiate efficiently at a particular frequency. An example of an inefficient antenna is the simple Hertzian
dipole antenna, which radiates over wide range of frequencies and is useful for its small
size. A more efficient variation of this is the half-wave dipole, which radiates with high efficiency when the signal wavelength
is twice the electrical length of the antenna.
One of the goals of antenna design is to minimize the reactance of the device so that it appears as a resistive load. An
"antenna inherent reactance" includes not only the distributed reactance of the active antenna but also the natural reactance due
to its location and surroundings (as for example, the capacity relation inherent in the position of the active antenna relative
to ground). Reactance diverts energy into the reactive field, which causes unwanted currents that heat the antenna and associated
wiring, thereby wasting energy without contributing to the radiated output. Reactance can be eliminated by operating the antenna
at its resonant frequency, when its capacitive and inductive reactances
are equal and opposite, resulting in a net zero reactive current. If this is not possible, compensating inductors or capacitors
can instead be added to the antenna to cancel its reactance as far as the source is concerned.
Once the reactance has been eliminated, what remains is a pure resistance, which is the sum of two parts: the ohmic resistance
of the conductors, and the radiation resistance. Power absorbed by the ohmic
resistance becomes waste heat, and that absorbed by the radiation resistance becomes radiated electromagnetic energy. The greater
the ratio of radiation resistance to ohmic resistance, the more efficient the antenna.
Effect of ground
Antennas are typically used in an environment where other objects are present that may have an effect on their performance.
Height above ground has a very significant effect on the radiation pattern of some antenna types.
At frequencies used in antennas, the ground behaves mainly as a dielectric. The
conductivity of ground at these frequencies is negligible. When an electromagnetic wave arrives at the surface of an object, two
waves are created: one enters the dielectric and the other is reflected. If the object is a conductor, the transmitted wave is
negligible and the reflected wave has almost the same amplitude as the incident one. When the object is a dielectric, the
fraction reflected depends (among others things) on the angle of incidence. When the
angle of incidence is small (that is, the wave arrives almost perpendicularly) most of the energy traverses the surface and very
little is reflected. When the angle of incidence is near 90° (grazing incidence) almost all the wave is reflected.
Most of the electromagnetic waves emitted by an antenna to the ground below the antenna at moderate (say < 60°) angles of
incidence enter the earth and are absorbed (lost). But waves emitted to the ground at grazing angles, far from the antenna, are
almost totally reflected. At grazing angles, the ground behaves as a mirror. Quality of reflection depends on the nature of the
surface. When the irregularities of the surface are smaller than the wavelength reflection is good.
The wave reflected by earth can be considered as emitted by the image antenna.
This means that the receptor "sees" the real antenna and, under the ground, the image of the antenna reflected by the ground.
If the ground has irregularities, the image will appear fuzzy.
If the receiver is placed at some height above the ground, waves reflected by ground will travel a little longer distance to
arrive to the receiver than direct waves. The distance will be the same only if the receiver is close to ground.
In the drawing at right, we have drawn the angle Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle):
\scriptstyle{\theta}
far bigger than in reality. Distance between the antenna and its image is Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{d}
.
The situation is a bit more complex because the reflection of electromagnetic waves depends on the polarization of the incident wave. As the refractive index of the
ground (average value Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{\simeq 2} ) is
bigger than the refractive index of the air (Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle):
\scriptstyle{\simeq 1} ), the direction of the component of the electric field parallel to the ground inverses at the
reflection. This is equivalent to a phase shift of Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle):
\scriptstyle{\pi}
radians or 180°. The vertical component of the electric field reflects without changing direction. This sign inversion of the parallel component and the non-inversion of the perpendicular component would also happen if the ground were a good electrical conductor.
The vertical component of the current reflects without changing sign. The horizontal component reverses
sign at reflection.
This means that a receiving antenna "sees" the image antenna with the current in the same direction if the antenna is vertical
or with the current inverted if the antenna is horizontal.
For a vertical polarized emission antenna the far electric field of the electromagnetic
wave produced by the direct ray plus the reflected ray is:
-
- Failed to parse (unknown function\textstyle):
\textstyle{\left|E_\perp\right|=2\left|E_{\theta_1}\right|\left|\cos\left({kd\over2}\sin\theta\right) \right|}
The sign inversion for the parallel field case just changes a cosine to a sine:
-
- Failed to parse (unknown function\textstyle): \textstyle{\left|E_=\right|=2\left|E_{\theta_1}\right|
\left|\sin\left({kd\over2}\sin\theta\right) \right|}
In these two equations:
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{E_{\theta_1}}
is the electrical field radiated by the antenna if there were no ground.
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{k={2\pi\over\lambda}}
is the wave number.
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{\lambda}
is the wave length.
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{d}
is the distance between antenna and its image (twice the height of the center of the antenna).
Radiation patterns of antennas and their images reflected by the ground. At left the polarization is
vertical and there is always a maximum for
Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle):
\scriptstyle{\theta=0}
. If the polarization is horizontal as at right, there is always a zero for Failed to parse (unknown
function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{\theta=0}
.
For emitting and receiving antenna situated near the ground (in a building or a mast) far from each other, distances traveled
by direct and reflected rays are nearly the same. There is no induced phase shift. If the emission is polarized vertically the
two fields (direct and reflected) add and there is maximum of received signal. If the emission is polarized horizontally the two
signals subtracts and the received signal is minimum. This is depicted in the image at right. In the case of vertical
polarization, there is always a maximum at earth level (left pattern). For horizontal polarization, there is always a minimum at
earth level. Note that in these drawings the ground is considered as a perfect mirror, even for low angles of incidence. In these
drawings the distance between the antenna and its image is just a few wavelengths. For greater distances, the number of lobes
increases.
Note that the situation is different – and more complex – if reflections in the ionosphere occur. This happens over very long
distances (thousands of kilometers). There is not a direct ray but several reflected rays that add with different phase
shifts.
This is the reason why almost all public address radio emissions have vertical polarization. As public uses to be near ground,
horizontal polarized emissions would be poorly received. Observe household and automobile radio receivers. They all have vertical
antennas or horizontal ferrite antennas for vertical polarized emissions. In cases where the
receiving antenna must work in any position, as in mobile phones, the emitter and receivers
in base stations use circular polarized
electromagnetic waves.
Classical (analog) television emissions are an exception. They are almost always horizontally polarized, because the presence
of buildings makes it unlikely that a good emitter antenna image will appear. However, these same buildings reflect the
electromagnetic waves and can create ghost images. Using horizontal polarization,
reflections are attenuated because of the low reflection of electromagnetic waves whose magnetic field is parallel to the
dielectric surface near the Brewster's angle. Vertically polarized analog television
has been used in some rural areas. In digital terrestrial television
reflections are less annoying because of the type of modulation.
Mutual impedance and interaction between antennas
Mutual impedance between parallel Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle):
\scriptstyle{{\lambda \over 2}} dipoles not staggered. Curves Re and Im are the resistive and reactive
parts of the impedance.
Current circulating in any antenna induces currents in all others. One can postulate a mutual impedance Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{Z_{12}}
between two antennas that has the same significance as the Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{j\omega M}
in ordinary coupled inductors. The mutual impedance Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{Z_{12}}
between two antennas is defined as:
-

where Failed to parse (unknown function\textstyle): \textstyle{i_{1}}
is the current flowing in antenna 1 and Failed to parse (unknown function\textstyle): \textstyle{v_2}
is the voltage that would have to be applied to antenna 2 – with antenna 1 removed – to produce the current in the antenna 2 that was produced by antenna 1.
From this definition, the currents and voltages applied in a set of coupled antennas are:

where:
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{v_i}
is the voltage applied to the antenna Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{i}
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{Z_{ii}}
is the impedance of antenna Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{i}
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{Z_{ij}}
is the mutual impedance between antennas Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{i}
and Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{j}
Note that, as is the case for mutual inductances,
-
- Failed to parse (unknown function\scriptstyle): \scriptstyle{Z_{ij}\,= \,Z_{ji}}
If some of the elements are not fed (there is a short circuit instead a feeder cable), as is the case in television antennas
(Yagi-Uda antennas), the corresponding Failed to parse (unknown
function\textstyle): \textstyle{v_i}
are zero. Those elements are called parasitic elements. Parasitic elements are unpowered elements that either reflect or absorb and reradiate RF energy.
In some geometrical settings, the mutual impedance between antennas can be zero. This is the case for crossed dipoles used in
circular polarization antennas.
See also
Notes
- ^ In the context of engineering and physics, the plural of antenna is
antennas, and it has been this way since about 1950 (or earlier), when a cornerstone textbook in this field, Antennas, was
published by John D. Kraus of the Ohio State University. Besides the title, Dr. Kraus noted this in a footnote on the first page
of his book. Insects may have "antennae" but not in technical contexts.
- ^ "Salvan: Cradle of Wireless, How Marconi Conducted Early Wireless
Experiments in the Swiss Alps", Fred Gardiol & Yves Fournier, Microwave Journal, February 2006, pp. 124-136.
- ^ Nikola Tesla said during the
development of radio that "One of the terminals of the source would be connected
to Earth [as a electric ground connection ...] the other to an insulated
body of large surface. For more information, see "On Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena". Delivered before the Franklin Institute,
Philadelphia, February 1893, and before the National Electric Light Association, St. Louis, March 1893.
- ^ Impedance is caused by the same physics as refractive index in optics, although impedance effects are typically one dimensional, where effects of
refractive index is three dimensional.
References
- General references
- Antennenbuch, by Karl Rothammel, publ. Franck'sche Verlagshandlung Stuttgart, 1991,
ISBN 3-440-05853-0; other
editions (in German)
- Zhi Ning Chen(edited), Antennas for
portable Devices, John Wiley & Sons in March 2007
- Zhi Ning Chen and M. Y. W. Chia, Broadband Planar Antennas: Design and Applications, John Wiley & Sons in February
2006
- "Practical antennas" references
- Theory and simulations
- Sophocles J. Orfanidis, "Electromagnetic Waves and Antennas", Rutgers University (20 PDF Chaps. Basic theory, definitions and reference)
- Hans Lohninger, "Learning by Simulations: Physics: Coupled Radiators". vias.org, 2005. (ed. Interactive simulation of two coupled antennas)
- Justin Smith "Aerials". A.T.V
(Aerials and Television), 2007. (ed. Article on the (basic) theory and use of TV aerials)
- Antennas Research Group, "Virtual (Reality)
Antennas". Democritus University of Thrace, 2005.
- "Support > Knowledgebase > RF Basics > Antennas / Cables > dBi vs. dBd detail". MaxStream, Inc., 2005. (ed. How to measure antenna gain)
- Patents and USPTO
- Effect of ground references
- Electronic Radio and Engineering. F.R. Terman. MacGraw-Hill
- Lectures on physics. Feynman, Leighton and Sands. Addison-Wesley
- Classical Electricity and Magnetism. W. Panofsky and M. Phillips. Addison-Wesley
External links
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