Abstract
Electrically small antennas are much smaller than traditional antennas designed for operations at a given frequency. The design of electrically small antennas presents a variety of challenges, primarily due to inherently low input impedance and narrow bandwidths. Improving these performance characteristics is especially challenging in the high frequency (HF) band (3–30 MHz) due to the longer wavelengths (approximately 10–100 m) and corresponding antenna physical dimensions. Several new design concepts are presented for better utilizing the inner volume (the smallest sphere encompassing an antenna’s geometry) for reducing the overall physical size and for achieving lower operating frequencies. Innovative designs for electrically small wire antennas were evaluated using constructed prototypes. These prototypes were evaluated in field tests for radio communications and coastal surface wave radar applications. The concept of inner toploading was demonstrated using a two-turn helical wire antenna. Experimental performance measurements were reproduced in simulation models with a high degree of correlation. The innovative designs presented provide options for reducing the enclosed volume of wire antennas and for achieving lower operating frequencies.
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Baker, J.M. (2018). Electrically Small Antennas. In: Lakhtakia, A., Furse, C. (eds) The World of Applied Electromagnetics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58403-4_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58403-4_6
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