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Antenna & Propagation

Antenna Parameters
by
Nor Hadzfizah Binti Mohd Radi
Faculty of Electric & Electronics Engineering
[email protected]

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Chapter Synopsis

In this chapter, the student will be exposed to

the parameters of antenna such as radiation
pattern, impedance, directivity, gain,
polarization and more.

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Teaching Outcome

At the end of this chapter student should be able to:

 Characterize the fundamentals of antenna.

 Know how to calculate and analyzed the related antenna

parameters.

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Antenna Parameter (1)

Frequency

Radiation Pattern

Field Regions

Directivity

Antenna Efficiency
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Antenna Parameter (2)

Antenna Gain

Beamwidths and Sidelobes

Radiation Intensity

Polarization
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Introduction

 To design an antenna... “We need to know what is the

desired frequency, gain, bandwidth, impedance, and
polarization?“

 Before we can design an antenna or discuss antenna types,

we must understand the basics of antennas, which are the
fundamental parameters that characterize an antenna.

 So let us learn something about antenna parameters. We'll

start with frequency and step through radiation patterns,
directivity and gain, and so on..
Let’s get started..
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Frequency (f)

• The basics of sinusoids are wavelength, frequency and the speed of light.
• All electromagnetic waves propagate at the same speed in air or in space.
• The speed of light will be denoted as c in the equations that follow.
• While length measured in meters and time in seconds.
• The wavelength (l) of an electromagnetic wave is related to its frequency
(f) by:

c
l=
f
Where; c = 3x108 m/s (speed of light in vacuum)
l = wavelength in meter
f = frequency in Hz or 1/s
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Radiation Pattern

• Radiation pattern provide information that describe how an

antenna directs the energy it radiates.
• It determine in the far field region.
• Figure here shows the radiation pattern
in 3-D for dipole antenna.

Source: www.antenna-theory.com

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Radiation Pattern (2)

• Figure below shows the radiation pattern in 2-D for dipole in E-Plane and
H-Plane.
• Normalised radiation pattern can be plotted in:
– polar and rectangular (Cartesian) plots.
– linear (ratio) and logarithmic (dB) scales.

Antenna Parameter by
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 E-Plane and H-Plane
E plane (elevation) H plane (azimuth)
• Electromagnetic field is • Electromagnetic field is
in vertical plane in horizontal plane
• θ= 90° • 0° < θ < 180°
• 0°<Φ<90°, 270°<Φ<360° • Φ = 0°
z y
q
f
x x

E-plane H-plane
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Polar and Rectangular (Cartesian) Plots

• Figure below shows the plots of radiation pattern in Polar and Cartesian.

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Linear (ratio) and Logarithmic (dB) Scales

• Figure below shows the polar plot radiation pattern in Linear and in
Logarithmic scales

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Field Regions

The fields surrounding an antenna are divided into 3 principle regions:

0.62
𝐷3 • Reactive Near Field
λ

• Radiating Near Field or Fresnel

Distance 2𝐷2 /λ Region

> 2𝐷2 /λ
• Far Field or Fraunhofer Region

Note: The far field region is the most important, as this Antenna Parameter by
determines the antenna's radiation pattern. Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Radiation Intensity (U)

• Radiation intensity in a given direction is defined as the power radiated

from an antenna per unit solid angle.
• The radiation intensity is a far-field parameter.
• Total Prad, Radiated Power (in Watt) Using U, Radiation Intensity (in w/sr)
is obtained by integrating the radiation intensity over the entire solid
angle of 4π. Thus,

𝜋 2𝜋
𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 𝑈𝑑Ω = 𝑈 sin 𝜃𝑑𝜃𝑑Φ
0 0

where dΩ is the element of solid angle = sinθdθdφ (in sr)

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Directivity

• It is a measure of how 'directional' an antenna's radiation pattern is.

• The ratio of the radiation intensity in a given direction from the antenna to
the radiation intensity averaged over all directions.

𝑈 𝜃, Φ 4𝜋𝑈 𝜃, Φ
𝐷(𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠) = 𝐷 𝜃, Φ = =
𝑈0 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑑

• If the direction is not specified, the direction of maximum radiation

intensity is implied.

𝑈 𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥 4𝜋𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑥
𝐷𝑚𝑎𝑥 (𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠) = 𝐷𝑜= = =
𝑈0 𝑈0 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑑

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Antenna Efficiency

• The efficiency of an antenna is a ratio of the power delivered to the

antenna relative to the power radiated from the antenna.
• A high efficiency antenna has most of the power present at the antenna's
input radiated away.
• A low efficiency antenna has most of the power absorbed as losses within
the antenna, or reflected away due to impedance mismatch.
• The antenna efficiency (or radiation efficiency) can be written as the ratio
of the radiated power to the input power of the antenna:
𝑃𝑟 (Radiated power)
h =𝑃 (Transmitted power)
𝑡
• Antenna efficiency is a range number between 0 and 1. And commonly
antenna efficiency is presented in terms of a percentage.

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Antenna Gain

• The gain shows how much power is transmitted in the direction of peak
radiation to that of an isotropic source.
• Therefore, the gain of an antenna referenced to an isotropic radiator is
G(dBi) = G(dBd) + 2.15 dB

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Units for Antenna Gain

• dB – decibels. Ex: 10 dB means 10 times the energy relative to

an isotropic antenna in the peak direction of radiation.

• dBi - "decibels relative to an isotropic antenna". This is the

same as dB as we have been using it. 3 dBi means twice the
power relative to an isotropic antenna in the peak direction.

• dBd - "decibels relative to a dipole antenna". Note that a half-

wavelength dipole antenna has a gain of 2.15 dBi. Hence, 7.85
dBd means the peak gain is 7.85 dB higher than a dipole
antenna; this is 10 dB higher than an isotropic antenna.
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Directivity and Gain

• Directive Gain: D(q,f) or GD(q,f)

• Directivity: D
Antenna D (ratio) D (dB)
isotropic 1 0
Hertzian dipole 1.5 1.76
l/2 dipole 1.64 2.15

G = gain
G = hD D = Directivity (dimensionless)
h = antenna efficiency

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Beamwidths and Sidelobes

• Figure below shows the sidelobes of antenna radiation pattern.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Sidelobes

Major Lobe
• containing the direction of maximum radiation. The major lobe is pointing in the θ
= 0 direction. In some antennas, there may exist more than one major lobe.

Minor Lobe
• any lobe except a major lobe. Minor lobes usually represent radiation in undesired
directions, and they should be minimized.

Side Lobes
• Usually a side lobe is adjacent to the main lobe. Side lobes are normally the
largest of the minor lobes.

Back Lobe
• an angle of approximately 180◦ with respect to the beam of an antenna. Usually it
refers to a minor lobe in a direction opposite to that of the major lobe.
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Beamwidths

HPBW
• Half Power Beamwidth
• The angular separation in which the magnitude of the
radiation pattern decrease by 50% (or -3 dB) from the peak
of the main beam.

FNBW
• First Null Beamwidth
• The angular separation from which the magnitude of the
radiation pattern decreases to zero (negative infinity dB)
away from the main beam.
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
Figure of Beamwidths and Sidelobes

Main lobe

Half-power
Beamwidth
First-nulls HPBW
Beamwidth
FNBW
Side Lobe
Minor
lobes Back
Nulls lobe

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Polarization

• Defined as the direction of the electric field of an electromagnetic field.

• There are three (3) types of polarization:
– Linear polarization: Vertical and Horizontal
– Circular polarization: left handed circular (LHC) and right handed
circular (RHC)
– Elliptical polarization

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 Concept of Polarization

• A horizontally polarized antenna will not communicate with a

vertically polarized antenna.
• Due to the reciprocity theorem, antennas transmit and receive in
exactly the same manner.
• Hence, a vertically polarized antenna transmits and receives
vertically polarized fields.
• Consequently, if anyhow a horizontally polarized antenna is trying
to communicate with a vertically polarized antenna, there will be
no reception.

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
 References

[1] C.A. Balanis:”Antenna Theory: Analysis &

Design”, John Wiley & Sons, 2012.

[2] Stutzman and Thiele, Antenna Theory and

Design, John Wiley, 2012.

[3] T. A. Milligan, “Modern Antenna Design”

John Wiley, 2nd edition, 2005.
Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi
For updated version, please click on
http://ocw.ump.edu.my

Author Information

Nor Hadzfizah Binti Mohd Radi

Lecturer
FKEE, UMP
email
[email protected]

Antenna Parameter by
Nor Hadzfizah Mohd Radi