SUB: ANTENNA & RADIOWAVE PROPAGATION

Experiment No. 1
Aim : - To Study Different Types of Antennas.
Theory:-
Wire antenna
This is the oldest, simplest, cheapest and most versatile type of antenna for many
applications. It may have a linear, loop or some complicated shape like helix.

a. Linear wire antenna

Antennas which are in the form of straight wire are called as linear wire antennas. It is also called as
dipole. A dipole antenna is a radio antenna that can be made of a simple wire, with a center-fed
driven element. It consists of two metal conductors of rod or wire, oriented parallel and collinear
with each other, with a small space between them. The radio frequency voltage is applied to the
antenna at the center, between the two conductors. These antennas are the simplest practical antennas
from a theoretical point of view. They are used alone as antennas, notably in traditional “rabbit ears”
television antennas, and as the driven element in many other types of antennas, such as the yagi.

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Dipole antennas were invented by German physicist Heinrich Hertz around 1886 in his
pioneering experiments with radio wave b. Loop antenna
When is used to form a loop it is called as loop antenna. A loop antenna is a radio antenna
consisting of a loop (or loops) of wire, tubing, or other electrical conductor with its ends
connected to a balanced transmission line. Within this physical description there are two very
distinct antenna designs: the small loop (or magnetic loop) with a size much smaller than a
wavelength, and the resonant loop antenna with a circumference approximately equal to the
wavelength.
Small loops have a poor efficiency and are mainly used as receiving antennas at low
frequencies. Except for car radios, almost every AM broadcast receiver sold has such an antenna
built inside of it or directly attached to it. These antennas are also used for radio direction
finding.
A technically small loop, also known as a magnetic loop, should have a circumference of
one tenth of a wavelength or less. This is necessary to ensure a constant current distribution round
the loop.

As the frequency or the size is increased, a standing wave starts to develop in the current, and the

Fig.2 Loop Antenna

antenna starts to have some of the characteristics of a folded
dipole antenna or a self resonant loop.
Self-resonant loop antennas are larger. They are typically used at higher frequencies,
especially VHF and UHF, where their size is manageable. They can be viewed as a form of
folded dipole and have somewhat similar characteristics. The radiation efficiency is also high
and similar to that of a dipole.

c. Helical antenna

A helical antenna is an antenna consisting of a conducting wire wound in the form of a

helix. In most cases, helical antennas are mounted over a ground plane. The feed line is
connected between the bottom of the helix and the ground plane. Helical antennas can operate in
one of two principal modes: normal mode or axial mode.

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 In the normal mode or broadside helix, the dimensions of the helix (the diameter and the
pitch) are small compared with the wavelength. The antenna acts similarly to an electrically
short dipole or
monopole, and the
radiation pattern, similar to these antennas is omni directional, with

Fig.3 Helical Antenna

maximum radiation at right angles to the helix axis. The radiation is linearly polarized parallel to
the helix axis. In the axial mode or end-fire helix, the dimensions of the helix are comparable to
a wavelength. The antenna functions as a directional antenna radiating a beam off the ends of the
helix, along the antenna's axis. It radiates circularly polarized radio waves.

2. Aperture antenna

A waveguide is basically hollow metallic tube through which waves travel

depending upon the cross-section it is either rectangular or circular wave guide. A horn as shown
in the figure below is an example of an aperture antenna. These types of antennas are used in
aircraft and spacecraft.

Fig.4 Aperture Antenna

When one end of the tube is tapered (flared) to a large opening, the structure waves like
antenna. These antennas are referred as aperture antennas. Due to its horn shape they are also
called as horn antennas. The type of horn, direction and amount of taper can have significant
effect on overall performance of these horns as a radiator.

3. Microstrip antenna
A patch antenna is a narrowband, wide-beam antenna fabricated by etching the
antenna element pattern in metal trace bonded to an insulating dielectric substrate, such as a
printed

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circuit board, with a continuous metal layer bonded to the opposite side of the substrate which
forms a ground plane. Common microstrip antenna shapes are square, rectangular, circular and
elliptical, but any continuous shape is possible. Some patch antennas do not use a dielectric
substrate and instead made of a metal patch mounted above a ground plane using dielectric
spacers; the resulting structure is less rugged but has a wider bandwidth. Because such antennas
have a very low profile, are mechanically rugged and can be shaped to conform to the curving
skin of a vehicle, they are often mounted on the exterior of aircraft and spacecraft, or are
incorporated into mobile radio communications devices.

Fig.5 Microstrip Antenna

Microstrip antennas are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and design because of the simple
2dimensional physical geometry. They are usually employed at UHF and higher frequencies
because the size of the antenna is directly tied to the wavelength at the resonant frequency. A
single patch antenna provides a maximum directive gain of around 6-9 dBi. It is relatively easy
to print an array of patches on a single (large) substrate using lithographic techniques. Patch
arrays can provide much higher gains than a single patch at little additional cost; matching and
phase adjustment can be performed with printed microstrip feed structures, again in the same
operations that form the radiating patches. The ability to create high gain arrays in a low-profile
antenna is one reason that patch arrays are common on airplanes and in other military
applications. Such an array of patch antennas is an easy way to make a phased array of antennas
with dynamic beam forming ability.
An advantage inherent to patch antennas is the ability to have polarization diversity.
Patch antennas can easily be designed to have vertical, horizontal, right hand circular (RHCP) or
left hand circular (LHCP) polarizations, using multiple feed points, or a single feedpoint with
asymmetric patch structures. This unique property allows patch antennas to be used in many
types of communications links that may have varied requirements.

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 4.Array antenna
Antenna array(electromagnetic) a group of isotropic radiators such that the currents
running through them are of different amplitudes and phases. Interferometric array of radio
telescopes used in radio astronomy. Phased array, also known as a smart antenna, an
electronically steerable directional antenna typically used in Radar and in wireless
communication systems, in view to achieve beam forming, multiple-input and multiple-output
(MIMO) communication or space-time coding. Directional array refers to multiple antennas
arranged such that the superposition of the electromagnetic waves produces a predictable
electromagnetic field. Watson-Watt / Adcock antenna array the Watson-Watt technique uses two
Adcock antenna pairs to perform an amplitude comparison on the incoming signal.

Fig.6 Array Antennas

5. Reflector antenna
An antenna reflector is a device that reflects electromagnetic waves. It is often a part of an
antenna assembly. A passive element slightly longer than and located behind a radiating dipole
element that absorbs and re-radiates the signal in a directional way as in a Yagi antenna array.
Corner reflector which reflects the incoming signal back to the direction it came from parabolic
reflector which focuses a beam signal into one point, or directs a radiatinglatsignal into a beam. F
reflector
which just reflects the signal like a mirror and is often used as a passive repeater.

Fig.7 Reflector Antennas

Conclusion:

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Questions:

1. Define antenna.

2. What does dB means?

3. What is the difference between beamwidth and bandwidth?

.
4. What is electric field?

5. What is magnetic field?

6. What are electromagnetic waves?

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Questions:

1. Define antenna.
Ans-An antenna is a metallic structure that captures and/or transmits radio electromagnetic
waves. Antennas come in all shapes and sizes from little ones that can be found on your roof to
watch TV to really big ones that capture signals from satellites millions of miles away.

2. What does dB means?

Ans-Decibel (dB), unit for expressing the ratio between two physical quantities,
usually amounts of acoustic or electric power, or for measuring the relative loudness
of sounds. One decibel (0.1 bel) equals 10 times the common logarithm of the power
ratio.

3. What is the difference between beamwidth and bandwidth?

. Ans- Beamwidth is a physical characteristic of an antenna. They generally mark the
point from bore sight of a directional antenna that you are at.-3dB or half power.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of the frequency spectrum that a signal resides in,
example the spacing between channels on your radio are determined by their bandwidth.

4. What is electric field?

Ans- Electric field can be considered as an electric property associated with each point in

the space where a charge is present in any form. An electric field is also described as the electric force per unit
charge. The formula of electric field is given as; E = F /Q

5. What is magnetic field?

Ans- A magnetic field is a vector field in the neighbourhood of a magnet, electric current, or changing
electric field, in which magnetic forces are observable. A magnetic field is produced by moving electric
charges and intrinsic magnetic moments of elementary particles associated with a fundamental quantum
property known as the spin.

6. What are electromagnetic waves?

Ans- Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of
vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field. In other words, EM waves

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