BROADBAND ANTENNAS

Sumber buku:
Antenna Theory and Design
by Warren L. Stutzman dkk.
Broadband Antennas:

Traveling wave antennas
Long terminated wires
Helical Antennas
Gambar-gambar antena

There are many applications that it is extremely important
to use antenna with broad bandwidth
Definition:
2
L u
c
f f
f
+
=
1
2
3
L
f
Freq.
VSWR
c
f
u
f
Lower
center
upper
Bandwidth as a percent of the
center frequency



Bandwidith as a ratio

% 100

=
c
L u
p
f
f f
B
L
u
r
f
f
B =
usually used for small
bandwidth antennas
usually used for large bandwidth antennas
Broadband Antennas: (2)
Classification of broadband antennas:

In practice, antennas whose impedance and pattern
do not change significantly over about an octave
( f
u
/f
l
= 2) or more are considered to be broadband
Generally speaking, resonant antennas are not
broadband. Their bandwidth can vary from
0.5% to 30%
Broadband Antennas: (3)
Macam-macam broadband antena:
Traveling wave antennas
Helical antennas
Biconical antennas
Spiral antennas
Log periodic antennas
etc.

Broadband Antennas: Traveling Wave (1)
Question: What makes the dipole antenna not to be broadband ?
Answer: The establishment of the standing wave current
What causes
standing wave
current?
Reflection from the end points of the antenna
Recall :
(

= )
2
( sin ) ( z
L
I z I
m
|
Rewrite :
{ }
z j z j L j
m
e e e
j
I
z I
| | |
=
2 /
2
) (
(only 10% to 20%)
Outward traveling wave Reflected wave
Current reflection
coefficient at an
open circuit
Broadband Antennas: Traveling Wave (2)
z
m
I
2 / l
2 / l
2
sin
L
I
V
Z
m
A
|
=
strong function of
frequency
standing
wave
current
goes to zero
Observation: Suppression of the reflected wave
will enhance bandwidth. How?
If the reflected wave is not strongly present on an antenna, it is referred
to as a traveling-wave antenna
The simplest traveling-wave wire antenna is a straight wire carrying a
pure traveling-wave, referred to as the traveling-wave long wire
antenna.
A long wire is one that is greater than
one- half wavelength long.
Broadband Antennas: Traveling Wave (3)
Long wire antennas
terminated to a load :
Input impedance are
traveling wave antennas
are predominately real. In
this case, it is around 200
or 300 O.

For no reflection R
L
is
chosen to be 200 or 300
O.

When this antenna is positioned near real
earth, it is called Beverage Antenna or
Wave antenna
Pattern:
( ) | |
( ) ) cos 1 ( 2 /
) cos 1 ( 2 / sin
sin ) (
u |
u |
u u

=
L
L
F
Example :
L
R
z j
m
e I I
|
=
L
z
Broadband Antennas: Traveling Wave (4)
Long Vee antenna:
o
L
16
6
=
=
o

The directivity of a vee dipole can
be greater than that of a
straight dipole
Broadband Antennas: Traveling Wave (5)
Rhombic antenna:
o
L
16
6
=
=
o

The efficiency of the rhombic antenna
is decreased significantly because of the
matched termination.
Small back lobe, better pattern
Produces wider impedance bandwidth
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
If a conductor is wound into a helical
shape and fed properly, it is referred to as
a helical antenna or simply as a helix.

Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Geometry Parameters
Depending on the helix
dimensions, this antenna can
operate in normal or axial
mode.
antenna loop ) 0 ( 0 = =
o
S o
antenna linear ) 90 ( 0 = =
o
D o
Note:
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Normal Mode
For normal
mode :
<< << L D ;
Radiation characteristics can be
viewed as the combination of an
ideal dipole and small loop.
Ideal
dipole:
Small
loop:
u u
t
e
|

sin
4 r
e
IS j E
r j
D

=
u u
t
t
q|
|

sin
4 4
2 2
r
e
I D E
r j
L

=
Note that their fields are
orthogonal to each other and
90
o
out of phase. Depending on
their relative amplitudes various
polarization can occur.
r

|
E
u
E u
I
I
|
Approximation
of one turn of
normal mode
helix
ideal dipole
of length S
along Z axis
small loop of area
in x-y plane
2
4
D
t
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Normal Mode
Polarization:
2
2 2
2 2
) (
2
2
4
t

t

t
q|
e
|
u
D
S
D
S
I D
IS
E
E
= = =
or
2
) (
2

|
u
C
S
E
E
AR = =
nce circumfere =
= D C t
In general, the polarization is elliptical.
Special cases:
polarized ly horizontal antenna loop small 0 = S
polarized y verticall antenna dipole ideal 0 = C
) ( polarized Circularly 2
| u
t E E S D C = = =
Note they
were 90
o

out of
phase
Radiation pattern
c

q =
c e

t
| = =
2
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Axial Mode
z
Axial mode
Pattern
Key feature of
axial mode:
D C t =
<< C
~ C
Axial mode helical antennas have very
complex radiation mechanism. Kraus was
the first to fully explain their characteristics.
Based on many experimental studies, it
has been suggested that the helix carries a
pure traveling wave that travels outward
from the feed.
Operates well for

3
4
4
3
s s C
78 . 1
4 / 3
3 / 4
/
/
= = = =
L
u
L
u
r
c
c
f
f
B

Almost circularly polarized

15 dB gain with small
cross-section
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Axial Mode
The phase of the axial mode helix
current shifts along the helix path.
Assuming that the element pattern of
the non uniform current loop is
and applying the uniform array theory
u cos
One obtains,
h
S
N
N
K F
o u |

u u
+ =
=
cos
) 2 / sin(
sin
cos ) (
z
Since the beam is along z-axis,
i.e. and the peaks
happens for , the initial
thinking suggests that ,
however, more is happening!
o
0 = u
0 =
S
h
| o =
D
S
t
o
1
tan

=
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Axial Mode
What else is
happening?
Going around of C=1 loop additional 2t
phase is required, then . t | o 2 = S
h
What else? However, since this antenna demonstrate very
small back lobe, it must operate near Hansen-
Woodyard condition; therefore, a very realistic
phase progression among the loops after each
turn will be
) 2 (
N
S
h
t
t | o + + =
Axial phase
Phase due to
C=1 turn
Small back lobe
condition
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Axial Mode
Let us now assume that along the helical conductor the
current travels with phase constant , then
h
|
) 2 (
1
2
N
S
L N
S L
h h
t
t | |
t
t | | + + = + + =
total length of one turn
Now, we can find currents phase velocity along the helix.
Phase velocity:
h
v
|
e
=
Speed of light:
|
e
= c
) 2 /( ) 1 2 ( /
/
N N S
L
c
v
p
h
+ +
= = =

|
|
Velocity factor
For p<1, one encounters
slow wave
Broadband Antennas: Helical Antennas
Axial Mode
Based on the previous
expressions, the
normalized pattern is :
) 2 / sin(
) 2 / sin(
cos
2
sin ) 1 ( ) (
1

u
t
u
N
N
F
N+
=
N
S
t
t u | = 2 ) 1 (cos
For practical condition of , the following
design parameters have been established
o o
C 15 12 ;
3
4
4
3
< < s s o

S
N
c
HP
o
65
=

S
N
c
HP
G
2
2
2 . 6
000 , 26
|
.
|

\
|
= =
N
N
AR
1 2 +
=
O = 140

c
R
A
78 . 1 =
r
B
Infinite Biconical Antena
Finite Biconical Antenna
Discone Antenna
H~0.7
B~0.6
D~0.4
o<<D
Planar Equiangular Spiral Antenna for the
self-complementary case with o = 90
o
Archimedean spiral antenna
Conical Equiangular Spiral
Antenna
Log-periodic Wire Antenna
Spiral Antenna for Ground
Penetrating Radar (GPR)
Pictures of Antennas