ELE00017H

UNIVERSITY OF YORK

Department of Electronics
Stage 3 BEng/MEng Examinations 2013 /
MSc Communications Engineering Examinations 2013

Antennas and Propagation

Time allowed: ONE HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTES

This Paper consists of 2 sections.

You should attempt 2 of the 4 questions, 1 from each section.
All questions carry equal marks.
Use only black or blue pens for your answers. The use of red pens is
forbidden and may result in questions not being marked.
Clearly write your examination number on every answer booklet and piece of
paper used. Begin each question on a new page and clearly write the
question number in the space provided on each page.
Please mark clearly on your booklet all the questions attempted. Failure to do
this may result in questions not being marked.
Materials supplied:
Standard University Calculator

Q1 The speed of light is 3108 m/s

The true radius of the Earth is 6380 km
Figure 1: Knife-edge diffraction loss - see overleaf

Q2 The true radius of the Earth is 6380 km

Q4 Boltzmann’s Constant = 1.3810-23J/K

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Q1 Special requirements

-5

-10
-loss (dB)

-15

-20

-25

-30
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
u

Figure 1: Knife-edge diffraction loss

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Section A

Figure 1 shows the diffraction loss owing to a knife-edge

obstacle, plotted against a dimensionless parameter u. This is
given by:

2d1d 2
u 
d1  d 2   

where the symbols have their usual meaning. Note that

according to the convention used in Figure 1, a positive loss
indicates a power gain.

(a) [4 Marks]
For some negative values of u, the diffraction loss is positive
rather than negative. With reference to Huygens’ Principle,
explain how placing an obstacle in the path of an electromagnetic
wave is able to increase, rather than decrease, the power.

(b) [8 Marks]
A communication link is transmitting a 5.8GHz beam between two
antennas, 3km apart, and each at 20m above the ground. It is
proposed to build a wall exactly mid-way between the transmitter
and receiver. If the additional losses introduced by this wall must
be no worse than 25dB, what is the maximum height of the wall?
Assume that the masts and the wall are at sea level and that the
Earth is flat.
Question 1 continued on next page

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Question 1 continued

(c) [5 Marks]
If instead we now assume “4/3 Earth radius conditions,” how
much does this alter your answer to part (b), and in which
direction?

(d) [3 Marks]
Why do designers of communications networks often use 4/3
times the radius of the Earth in calculations, rather than its true
radius?

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(a) [4 Marks]
Explain how radio communication below 10 MHz over long
distances can be achieved with “sky waves,” and why this is
usually only possible at night.

(b) [4 Marks]
If the reflecting layer in the atmosphere is at an altitude of 400km,
what is the maximum distance for a one-hop path? If you need
the radius of the Earth for your calculation, use the true radius.

(c) [12 Marks]

A radio receiver, with a vertical antenna, is located at a place
where two rays combine. The stronger ray has an electric field
strength with a vertical component of 4mV/m. The strength of the
weaker ray is 2.5dB less than this. The phase angle between the
rays varies randomly, and all phase differences are equally likely.
For the combined vertical E-field, estimate

(i) its maximum value, in mV/m

(ii) its minimum value, in mV/m
(iii) its median value, in mV/m
(iv) the fraction of time for which it is more than 12dB lower
than the median value
(v) the fraction of time for which it is more than 12dB greater
than the median value.

End of Section A

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Section B

(a) [4 Marks]
Define the terms “gain” and directivity” as applied to an antenna.

(b) [6 Marks]
A mobile phone base station antenna is designed to provide
o
coverage of 90 in the horizontal plane. In the vertical plane its
radiation pattern is tailored to provide coverage from the horizon
to a point 200m from the antenna at ground level. The antenna is
20m above the ground. Using suitable approximations, estimate
the antenna’s gain. State your approximations.

(c) [10 Marks]

The guideline exposure level for the general public is a field
½
strength of 1.375f V / m where f is the frequency in MHz.

Assuming that the antenna of part (b) is 90% efficient, stating any
assumptions, estimate the input power required to the antenna to
achieve this field strength limit 1.5m above ground level at a
distance of 200m from the antenna. The frequency is 1.8GHz.
Ignore any ground reflections. Comment on the magnitude of your
answer.

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(a) [4 Marks]
Define the term “receiving aperture” applied to an antenna. State
the conditions required in this definition.

(b) [16 Marks]

A circular parabolic reflector antenna has a diameter of 100m.
Using suitable approximations, estimate its receiving aperture and
beamwidth (-3dB) at a frequency of 1.4GHz.
The antenna is part of a radio telescope and feeds a receiver with
an input noise temperature of 3K. The antenna is observing a
section of sky with a sky noise temperature of 20K in a bandwidth
of 10MHz at 1.4GHz. A GPS satellite orbiting the earth is at a
distance of 20,000km from the radio telescope. It emits a spurious
noise signal with a power spectral density of 10-10 W/Hz at 1.4
GHz, from an antenna with a gain of 5dBi. What is the relative
level of the received signals from the satellite and the sky when
the satellite passes through the main beam of the radio
telescope?

End of Section B

End of Paper

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