EE 405 LectureNotes 1

Electrical-Electronics Engineering
EE 405 / Antennas and Propagation

Çağlayan Durlu
Electrical-Electronics
Engineering
Antenna - a device used to efficiently transmit and/or receive electromagnetic waves.
Definition:
- A usually metallic device for radiating or receiving or
receiving radio waves
- A means for radiating or receiving radio waves.
Figure 1.1 Transmission-line Thevenin

equivalent of antenna in transmitting
mode.
Figure 1.1 Antenna as a transition device
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Engineering
Example Antenna Applications
• Wireless communications Personal

• Communications Systems (PCS) Global
• Positioning Satellite (GPS) Systems Wireless
• Local Area Networks (WLAN) Direct
• Broadcast Satellite (DBS) Television Mobile
• Communications Telephone
• Microwave/Satellite Links Broadcast
• Television and Radio, etc.
• Remote Sensing
• Radar [active remote sensing - radiate and receive]
• Military applications (target search and tracking)
• Weather radar, Air traffic control
• Automobile speed detection
• Traffic control (magnetometer) Ground penetrating
radar (GPR)
• Agricultural applications
• Radiometry [passive remote sensing - receive
emissions]
• Military applications (threat avoidance, signal
interception)
3
Engineering
Antenna Types
• Wire antennas (monopoles,

dipoles, loops, etc.)
• Aperture antennas (sectoral
horn, pyramidal horn, slots, etc.)
• Reflector antennas (parabolic
dish, corner reflector, etc.)
• Lens antennas
• Microstrip antennas
• Antenna arrays
4
Engineering
Antenna Performance Parameters
• Radiation Pattern – Angular plot of the the radiation
Figure 2.2 Two-dimensional normalized field

pattern(linear scale), power pattern(linear scale), and
power pattern(in dB) of a 10-element linear array with a
spacing of d = 0.25λ
a. field pattern at 0.707 value of its maximum, as

shown in Figure 2.2(a)
b. Power pattern (in a linear scale) at its 0.5 value of
its maximum, as shown in Figure 2.2(b) Figure 2.3 (a) Radiation lobes and beamwidths of an
c. power pattern (in dB) at −3 dB value of its antenna pattern. (b) Linear plot of power pattern and
maximum, as shown in Figure 2.2(c). its associated lobes and beamwidths.
5
Engineering
• Omnidirectional pattern - uniform radiation in one plane
Omnidirectional antennas beave like isotropic antenans in

one plane. These antennas have nulls in the orthogonal plane.
A common example of an omnidirectional antenna is the
dipole antenna.
Figure 2.6 Omnidirectional

antenna pattern
The dipole is omnidirectional around the E-plane, or elevation angle.

The null is present in the H-plane, or azimuth angle.
6
Engineering
• Directive pattern - narrow beam(s) of high radiation
Directional antennas are highly directive in a given direction.

These antennas show high spatial selectivity, narrow
bandwidth. They also have well defined major, or main, beam
in the desired directions. Common examples of directional
antennas are helix and yagi-Uda.
Figure 2.5 Principal E- and H-

plane patterns for a pyramidal
horn antenna.
7
Engineering
• Directivity – Ratio of antenna power density at a distant point relative to that of an isotropic radiator [isotropic
radiator - an antenna that radiates uniformly in all directions (point source radiator)].
• Gain – directivity reduced by losses
beamwidth
front to Diagram showing directivity: the highest

back ratio
power density of this antenna is in the
direction of the red lobe
Antenna pattern in a polar – coordinate

graph
8
Engineering
• Polarization – trace of the radiated electric field vector (linear,

circular, elliptical).
In a vertically polarized wave, the electric lines of force lie in a

vertical direction.
In a horizontally polarized wave, the electric lines of force lie in Figure 2.5 Rotation of a plane electromagnetic wave
a horizontal direction. and its polarization ellipse at z=0 as a function of time
9
Engineering
• Impedance – antenna input impedance at its terminals.
Figure 2.27 Antenna in transmitting mode.
Why is 50 ohm often chosen as the input impedance of antennas whereas the free space impedance
is 377 ohm?
10
Engineering
• Bandwidth – range of frequencies over which performance is acceptable (resonant antennas, broadband
antennas).
Bandwidth describes the range of frequencies over which the antenna can properly radiate or receive energy. Often,
the desired bandwidth is one of the determining parameters used to decide upon an antenna. For instance, many
antenna types have very narrow bandwidths and cannot be used for wideband operation.
Table I. The Bandwidth for Several Common Antennas.
Center Frequency Fractional Percentage

Antenna Ratio
Frequency Range Bandwidth Bandwith
Patch 1000 MHz 985 – 1015 MHz 0.03 1.0305:1 3%
Dipole 1000 MHz 960-1040 MHz 0.08 1.083:1 8%
Horn 1000 MHz 154 – 1848 MHz 1.694 12:1 169.40 %
Spiral 1000 MHz 95 – 1900 MHz 1.805 20:1 180.50 %

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Engineering
• Beamscaning – movement in the direction of maximum radiation by mechanical or electrical means.
In beam scanning, a single main beam of an array is steered, and the direction can be varied either continuously or
in small discrete steps.
Beam steering/scaning antenna array
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Engineering
• Other system design constraints - size, weight, cost, power handling, radar cross section, etc.
F-35 AESA Low RCS AESA APG-81 F-16 AESA AN/APG-83 SABR
13
Engineering
Fundamentals of Antenna Radiation
An antenna may be thought of as a matching network between a wave-guiding device (transmission line,
waveguide) and the surrounding medium.
Transmitting Antenna
𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 → 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚 → 𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭
Receiving Antenna
un𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 → 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚 → 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭
14
Engineering
Antenna as the termination of a transmission line
The open-circuited transmission line does not radiate effectively because the transmission line currents are equal
and opposite (and very close together). The radiated fields of these currents tend to cancel one another. The
current on the arms of the dipole antenna are aligned in the same direction so that these radiated fields tend to add
together making the dipole and efficient radiator.
15
Engineering
Antenna as the termination of a waveguide
The open-ended waveguide will radiate, but not as effectively as the waveguide terminated by the horn antenna.
The wave impedance inside the waveguide does not match that of the surrounding medium creating a mismatch at
the open end of the waveguide. Thus, a portion of the outgoing wave is reflected back into the waveguide.
The horn antenna acts as a matching network, with a gradual transition in the wave impedance from that of the
waveguide to that of the surrounding medium. With a matched termination, the reflected wave is minimized, and
the radiated field is maximized.
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Electrical-Electronics Engineering

EE 405 / Antennas and Propagation

Antenna - a device used to efficiently transmit and/or receive electromagnetic waves.

Figure 1.1 Transmission-line Thevenin

Figure 1.1 Antenna as a transition device

Example Antenna Applications

• Wireless communications Personal

• Wire antennas (monopoles,

Antenna Performance Parameters

• Radiation Pattern – Angular plot of the the radiation

Figure 2.2 Two-dimensional normalized field

a. field pattern at 0.707 value of its maximum, as

Antenna Performance Parameters

• Omnidirectional pattern - uniform radiation in one plane

Omnidirectional antennas beave like isotropic antenans in

Figure 2.6 Omnidirectional

The dipole is omnidirectional around the E-plane, or elevation angle.

Antenna Performance Parameters

• Directive pattern - narrow beam(s) of high radiation

Directional antennas are highly directive in a given direction.

Figure 2.5 Principal E- and H-

Antenna Performance Parameters

front to Diagram showing directivity: the highest

Antenna pattern in a polar – coordinate

Antenna Performance Parameters

• Polarization – trace of the radiated electric field vector (linear,

In a vertically polarized wave, the electric lines of force lie in a

Antenna Performance Parameters

• Impedance – antenna input impedance at its terminals.

Figure 2.27 Antenna in transmitting mode.

Antenna Performance Parameters

Table I. The Bandwidth for Several Common Antennas.

Center Frequency Fractional Percentage

Patch 1000 MHz 985 – 1015 MHz 0.03 1.0305:1 3%

Dipole 1000 MHz 960-1040 MHz 0.08 1.083:1 8%

Horn 1000 MHz 154 – 1848 MHz 1.694 12:1 169.40 %

Spiral 1000 MHz 95 – 1900 MHz 1.805 20:1 180.50 %

Antenna Performance Parameters

• Beamscaning – movement in the direction of maximum radiation by mechanical or electrical means.

Beam steering/scaning antenna array

Antenna Performance Parameters

Fundamentals of Antenna Radiation

Antenna as the termination of a transmission line

Antenna as the termination of a waveguide

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