ANTENNAS AND

WAVEGUIDES
BY: ENGR. SHINBEI BATAC

ANTENNA
A metallic conductor system capable of radiating
and capturing electromagnetic energy.
Used to interface transmission lines to the
atmosphere, the atmosphere to transmission lines,
or both.
At the transmitter, it converts electrical energy
travelling a transmission line into electromagnetic
waves that are emitted into space.
At the receiver, it converts electromagnetic waves
in space into electrical energy on a transmission
line.

BASIC ANTENNA OPERATION

The size of the antenna is inversely proportional to
frequency.
Every antenna has directional characteristics and
radiate more energy in certain directions relative to
other directions.
Radiation efficiency ratio of radiated energy to
reflected energy.

PASSIVE OR ACTIVE?
Antennas are passive reciprocal device.
Passive not capable of amplification
Reciprocal - TX and RX Characteristics are the
same.
Active Antenna is just a combination of Standard Antenna and LNA. They
are non-reciprocal.

RADIATION PATTERN
Polar diagram or graph
representing field
strengths or power
densities at various
angular positions relative
to an antenna.
Absolute Radiation
pattern plotted in terms
of electrical field strength
or power density.
Relative Radiation
pattern field strength or
power density is plotted
with respect to the value
at a reference point.

Line of shoot or point of shoot

3D IMAGE

NEAR AND FAR FIELDS

Near field pattern close to the antenna; induction
field
Far field pattern far from the antenna; radiation
field

RADIATION RESISTANCE
An ac antenna resistance and is equal to the ratio
of the power radiated by the antenna to the
square of the current at its feedpoint. Alaso called
loop radiation resistance.

Rr
= radiation resistance (ohms)
Prad = power raduated by the antenna (watts)
i
= antenna current at the feedpoint.

ANTENNA EFFICIENCY
Ration of the power radiated by an antenna to the sum of the
power radiated and the power dissipated or the ratio or the
ratio of the power radiated by the antenna to the total input
power.

=
100 =
100

= antenna efficiency (percentage)

Prad = radiated power (watts)
Pin = input power (watts) = Prad + Pd
Pd = power dissipated in antenna

ANTENNA EFFICIENCY
2

= 2
=
( + ) +
= antenna efficiency
i = antenna current (ampere)
Rr = radiation resistance (ohms)
Re = effective antenna resistance (ohms)

ANTENNA GAIN
Directive gain ratio of the power density radiated
in particular direction to the power density rafiated
to the same point by a reference antenna.
Directivity maximum directive gain

ANTENNA GAIN
Power gain same as directive gain except that
the total power feed to the antenna is used. I is
assumed that the given antenna and the reference
antenna have the same input power and that the
reference antenna is lossless.
=
() = 10 log

EFFECTIVE ISOTROPIC RADIATED POWER

Defined as an equivalent transmit power
= ()
Prad = total radiated power (watts)
Dt = transmit anenna directive gain

= 10 log
+ 10 log
0.001

= 10 log( )

EFFECTIVE ISOTROPIC RADIATED POWER

= ()
Pin = total antenna input power (watts)
At = transmit power antenna gain (unitless)

= 10 log
0.001

= 10 log( )

EFFECTIVE ISOTROPIC RADIATED POWER

4 2

4 2

P = power density (watts per meter squared)

Pin = transmit antenna input power
Prad = power radiated from transmit antenna (watts)
At = transmit antenna power gain
Dt = transmit antenna directive power gain
R = distance from transmit antenna

PROBLEM # 1
For a transmit antenna with a power gain At = 10
and an inpt power Pin = 100w, determine
a) EIRP in watts, dBm, dBW
b) Power density at point 10km from the transmit
antenna
c) Power density had an isotropic antenna been
used with the same input power and efficiency.

d) Answers : a. 1000W; 60 dBm; 30 dBW b.

0.796W/m2 c. 0.0796 W/m2

CAPTURED POWER DENSITY

=
4 2
C = captured power density (watts/m2)
Pin = transmit antenna input power
At = transmit antenna power gain
Ar = receive antenna power gain
R = distance between transmit and antenna

ANTENNA CAPTURE AREA

2
=
4
Ac = effective capture area (meters squared)
= wavelength of receive signal (meters)
Ar = receive antenna power gain (unitless)
2
=
4

CAPTURED POWER
=
Pcap = captured power (watts)
P = power density
At = transmit antenna power gain
R = distance between transmit and antenna
Pin = transmit antenna input power
Ac = effective capture area (meters squared)

2
( 2 )(
)
4
4

()

= ( )

2
162 2

= ( )( )

2
= 10
10 log
0.001
16 2 2

ANTENNA BEAMWIDTH
The angular separation
between the two half
power (-3 dB) points on the
major lobe of an antennas
plane radiation pattern,
usually taken in one of the
principal planes.
Sometimes called -3 db
beamwidth or half power
beamwidth

ANTENNA BANDWIDTH
Frequency range
Difference between the half-power frequencies.
Expressed as percentage of antenna opimum
frequency of operation.
Determine the percentage BW for an antenna with anoptimum
frequency of operation of 400 MHz and -3 dB frequencies of 380 MHz and
420 Mhz.

420 380
100
400

= 10 %

ANTENNA INPUT IMPEDANCE

ELEMENTARY DOUBLET
Simplest type of antenna
Referres as short dipole, elementary
dipole, hertzian dipole.

HALF WAVE DIPOLE

ANTENNA LOADING
Process of increasing the electrical length on an
antenna without increasing it physical length.
Loading coils addition of coil(inductor to relatively
increase the antennas electrical length. The
loading coil effectively cancels out the capacitive
components of the antenna input impedance
Top Loading a metallic array that resembles a
spoked wheel is laced on top of the antenna. It
increases the shunt capacitance to ground, thus
reducing the overall capacitance of the antenna.

ANTENNA ARRAYS
Two types of Antenna Elements

Reflector
Driven Element

Driven Elements directly

connected to the transmission line
Parasitic Elements not connected
to the transmission ine. They only
receive energy through mutual
induction.

Relector longer than the driven element

Director shorter than the driven element

Director
> /2
/2
Feedpoint

< /2

EXAMPLES OF ANTENNA ARRAYS

1. Broadside Array
2. End-Fire Array
3. Nonresonant Array: The rhombic Antenna
SPECIAL PURPOSE ANTENNAS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Folded Dipole
Yagi Uda Antenna
Turnstile Antenna
Log-Periodic Antenna
Loop Antenna
Phased Array Antennas
Helical Antennas

UHF AND MICROWAVE ANTENNAS

Used for UHF (03 GHz o 3GHz)
and microwave (1GHz to 100
GHz)
Half power beamwidths in the
order of 1 degrees.

PARABOLIC REFLECTOR ANTENNA

Provide extremely
high gain and
directivity and are
very popular for
microwave radio and
satellite
communications links.
Two Main Parts
1. Parabolic Reflector
2. Feed Mechanism

PARABOLIC ANTENNA BEAMWIDTH

70
70
=
=

= beamwidth between half power points

= wavelenth (meters)
c = speed of light in free-space
D = Antenna Mouth Diameter
f = Frequency (hertz)

PARABOLIC ANTENNA POWER GAIN

2
= (
)

Ap = power gain with respect to an isotropic antenna(unitless)

D = mouth diameter of the parabolic reflector
= antenna efficiency (comonly 55%)
= wavelenth (meters per cycle)

KINDS OF FEED MECHANISM

1. Center feed
2. Horn Feed
3. Cassegrain Feed

Conical Horn Antenna consists of a cone

that is truncated in a piece of circular
waveguide.

WAVEGUIDE
A special type of transmission line that consists of a
conducting metallic tube through which highfrequency electromagnetic energy is propagated.
Used to efficiently interconnect high-frequency
waves between an antenna and a transceiver.
All electrical circuits that carry alternating current
radiate a certain amount of electrical energy in the
form of electromagnetic waves. But, the amount of
energy radiated in the form of electromagnetic
waves.

RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDES
Most common form of waveguide.

PHASE AND GROUP VELOCITY

Group Velocity velocity in which a wave
propagates
Phase Velocity velocity in which the wave
changes phase

=
Vph = phase velocity (meters per second)
f = frequency (hertz)
= wavelength (meters per cycle)

PHASE AND GROUP VELOCITY

=
vph = phase velocity (meters per second)
vg = group velocity (meters per second)
c = 3 x 108 meters per second

CUTOFF FREQUENCY AND WAVELENGTH

Minimum values of operation
=

2 2

( )
2
1( )

CUTOFF FREQUENCY

=
=
2

Where: = 2a
a = cross-sectional length

CHARACTERISTIC IMPEDANCE
=
Zo
fc
f

377
2
1( )

= 377

= characteristic impedance
= cutoff frequency
= frequency of operation

CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDES

RIDGED WAVEGUIDE

FLEXIBLE WAVEGUIDES