4th year – Electrical Engineering Department

GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS
OF ANTENNAS

Guillaume VILLEMAUD

Antennas – G. Villemaud 0
 Key Points

We have seen that the antenna theory is based on the

radiation produced by the sources (charges, currents) on
the surface of a conductor.
When we want to describe the operation of a particular
antenna, some basic features common to all types of
antennas are given:

 Input impedance
 Radiation pattern
 Gain
 Polarization

Antennas – G. Villemaud 1
 Example of Datasheet
Access Point Antenna for WiFi systems

Antennas – G. Villemaud 2
 Example of Datasheet (2)
Access Point Antenna for WiFi systems

Specifications
Electrical
Gain 8.0 dBi
Frequency Range 2300-2500 MHz
VSWR 1.5:1
Power 10 watts
Impedance 50 ohms
Polarization Vertical
Front to Back Ratio >25dB
E-plane Beamwidth 60°+-5°
H-plane Beamwidth 80°+-5°
Mechanical
Depth 1.6 inches (4.1 cm)
Radiator Material Brass
Reflector Material Brass
Mounting Integrated
Windload(fatal) 208kph
Weight 0.145 kg
Cable not supplied
Connector SMAfemale

Antennas – G. Villemaud 3
 Input impedance
If we take the example of the
open line, the distance between
the arms causes a change in
impedance.
The wave is then reflected at the
interface between the line and
the antenna, with significant
energy loss.
The goal is then to return to a
matched system.

mismatch

Zi
Zc Zr=Zc
ei

Antennas – G. Villemaud 4
 The antenna as a circuit
Pa
Pi Pe emitted power

generator Pr

Ze
The antenna is a resonant (stationary wave) system, it must ensure that
the impedance presented to the front line (its input impedance) is
adapted to it.
The line is in progressive wave, the power is fully transmitted to the
antenna.
The antenna is then used as an impedance transformer between the
transmission line and free space.
The radiated power depends on the accepted power and antenna
losses.

Antennas – G. Villemaud 5
 Reflection Coefficient
The quality of matching of an antenna is given by its characteristic
impedance (usually 50 ohms), or by giving the reflection level.

Ze  R  jX
Pr

2
Reflection coefficient on power: S11
Pi
S11 is the reflection coefficient on voltage

Input impedance deduced from reflection values:

1  S11
Ze  Zc.
1  S11

Antennas – G. Villemaud 6
 Expression in decibels

Most of the time the values are expressed in decibels:

S11 dB  20 log S11 return loss

But we can also found the use of VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio):

1  S11
VSWR 
1  S11

Often expressed with the form: n:1

Antennas – G. Villemaud 7
 Conversions
VSWR Return Loss (dB) Reflected Power (%) Transmiss. Loss (dB) VSWR Return Loss (dB) Reflected Power (%) Transmiss. Loss (dB)

1.00 ∞ 0.000 0.000 1.38 15.9 2.55 0.112

1.01 46.1 0.005 0.0002 1.39 15.7 2.67 0.118

1.02 40.1 0.010 0.0005 1.40 15.55 2.78 0.122

1.03 36.6 0.022 0.0011 1.41 15.38 2.90 0.126

1.04 34.1 0.040 0.0018 1.42 15.2 3.03 0.132

1.05 32.3 0.060 0.0028 1.43 15.03 3.14 0.137

1.06 30.7 0.082 0.0039 1.44 14.88 3.28 0.142

1.07 29.4 0.116 0.0051 1.45 14.7 3.38 0.147

1.08 28.3 0.144 0.0066 1.46 14.6 3.50 0.152

1.09 27.3 0.184 0.0083 1.47 14.45 3.62 0.157

1.10 26.4 0.228 0.0100 1.48 14.3 3.74 0.164

1.11 25.6 0.276 0.0118 1.49 14.16 3.87 0.172

1.12 24.9 0.324 0.0139 1.50 14.0 4.00 0.18

1.13 24.3 0.375 0.0160 1.55 13.3 4.8 0.21

1.14 23.7 0.426 0.0185 1.60 12.6 5.5 0.24

1.15 23.1 0.488 0.0205 1.65 12.2 6.2 0.27

1.16 22.6 0.550 0.0235 1.70 11.7 6.8 0.31

Antennas – G. Villemaud 8
 Radiation resistance
Ze  R  jX
Radiation resistance and loss resistance

For purely metallic antennas,

the loss resistance could be
neglected.

For a purely resitive antenna

(accorded antenna), X=0

Antennas – G. Villemaud 9
 Bandwidth
There are many definitions of bandwidths. The most common is
the bandwidth in impedance matching where the reflection
coefficient of the antenna meets a certain level.

Antennas – G. Villemaud 10
 Relation to the impedance

The complex impedance of an antenna varies with

frequency. It corresponds to variations in current
distribution on the surface.

We try to match the Z(f) = R(f) + j X(f)

operating frequency
with a purely real résonance
Serial
impedance similar to série
resonance X(f)
that of system (usually
50 ohms). R(f)
f

Parallel
mode
resonance
fondamental
Antennas – G. Villemaud 11
 Serial or parallel resonances
The geometry of the antenna and its feeding mode affects the
impedance. We usually try to place as close to resonance and
cancel the imaginary part.

Antenna

Serial resonance Parallel resonance

Max of current at the Min of current at the

generator generator
Low impedance High impedance
Antennas – G. Villemaud 12
 Examples of matching points
Z, W
60
Matching zone case n°1 Example of the dipole
40

20
Re(Z)
0

-20 I m(Z) i
-40
0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 1,4 1,6 1,8
f
fr
Z, W
120
case n°2
100

80
v
60 I m(Z)
40

20
Re(Z)
0

-20
0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 1,4 1,6 1,8
f
fr
Z, W
450 case n°3
350

250
Re(Z)
150

50
I m(Z)
The choice of the feeding point can
-50 determine the bandwidth;
-150
0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 1,4 1,6 1,8
f
fr

Antennas – G. Villemaud 13
 Mutual Coupling

Two closely spaced antennas influence each other by a

coupling of electromagnetic fields.
This coupling must be taken into account because it
changes the antenna characteristics (impedance and
radiation).

Rapid limitation of analytical models

Electromagnetic modeling

Antennas – G. Villemaud 14
 Radiation characteristics

To account for the performance of the antenna from the

point of view of the radiated fields are used:

The characteristic function (field pattern)

The radiation pattern
The directivity
The gain
The beamwidth
The effective area

And therefore to build the link between two antennas

we will use the link budget (Friis’ formula)

Antennas – G. Villemaud 15
 Characteristic function
The characteristic function is used to represent changes in
the level of the radiated field in the far field zone as a
function of the direction considered.
Case of the Hertzian dipole:
j 
E ( )   I  dl  sin   e j (t  r )
2r  I : max. intensity
60
E ( )   I  dl  sin 
r
60 I dl
E ( )   sin 
r 
F ( )
Characteristic function of the hertzian dipole
Antennas – G. Villemaud 16
 Radiation Pattern
 E  ,  
r
Global definition: F ( ,  ) 
60 I
z y
Hertzian dipole


x x

Vertical plane Horizontal plane

Antennas – G. Villemaud 17
 Power Notion
The total radiated power is equal to the flow of the Poynting
vector through a closed surface surrounding the antenna.

 
P   P.dS
sphere

In farfield, it comes: 2
E Surface power density
P
2

To represent this a normalized power is often used:

P, 
Pn, 
Pmax

Antennas – G. Villemaud 18
 Solid Angle
The power flow density can also be
expressed in steric density
according to the solid angle

dW
dW 1 dS sindd
r2

Pe I  F , dW

15 2 2
 W

PeU , dW

W
15I 2
U  ,    F 2  ,   Watt / steradian

Steric power density or radiation intensity

Antennas – G. Villemaud 19
 Radiation resistance
When we link between the radiated power and the power dissipated
by a load, we can determine the radiation resistance from the
characteristic function.

Pe I  F , dW

15 2 2
 W

Rr  30  F , dW

2
 W

Antennas – G. Villemaud 20
 Antenna Directivity
Pe is the total radiated power, it is said that the antenna is
isotropic when the steric density in any given direction is
expressed as:
U  ,  Pe
4
We call directivity the relationship between power density
created in a given direction and the power density of an
isotropic antenna.

U  , 
D , 
Pe
4

Antennas – G. Villemaud 21
 Meaning of the directivity

F 0,0 
2
D0,0 
1 F 2, dW
4 W
For isotropic antenna, D=1
whatever the direction

Antennas – G. Villemaud 22
 Antenna Gain
The gain is defined in the same way as the directivity, but taking into
account of the power supplied to the antenna:
U  , 
G , 
Pf
4
This gain is sometimes called actual or realized gain as opposed to
intrinsic gain not taking into account all the losses of the antenna
(without loss of mismatching).
Grealized
Gintrinsic 
1  S11
2

F 20,0 
G0,0 4 
2 , dW

If there is no loss, the gain is
equal to the directivity F
W

Antennas – G. Villemaud 23
 Relation to the resistance
Starting from:
F 20,0 
G0,0 4 
2 , dW
W
F

We can give a simple formula to calculate the gain function form the
radiation resistance :

G
120F
2
o,o 
Rr

Still in the no matching loss hypothesis

Antennas – G. Villemaud 24
 Radiation pattern teminology
Axis of the main lobe
Half-power beamwidth(-3dB)
Zero of radiation

Secondary lobes 1
(sidelobes)
0,8

0,6

0,4

Antennas – G. Villemaud 25
 Types of representation
There are a multitude of ways to represent the
radiation of an antenna: field pattern, power pattern,
gain, directivity, polar or Cartesian, linear or decibels,
2D or 3D

Antennas – G. Villemaud 26
 Example of microwave bridge
Radiation pattern Linear radiation pattern (P/Pmax)
20 1

0 0.8
G (dBi)

-20 0.6

P
-40 0.4

-60 0.2

-80 0
-200 -100 0 100 200 -200 -100 0 100 200
angle (°) angle (°)
90
90
120 60
120 60

150 30
150 30

180 0
180 0

210 330
210 330

240 300
270 240 300
270
Antennas – G. Villemaud 27
 Reference planes
Z

Excited mode:: T M10
Mode excité

H
 E
H

H plane
Plan H



E plane
Plan E Radiating element

 

Courants
Surface de surface
currents liés àtolathe
linked polarisation croisée: JyJx
cross-polarization:
Courants de surfacelinked
Surface currents liés à to
la polarisation principale:Jx
the main polarization: Jy

Antennas – G. Villemaud 28
 Measurement methods
Vector Network ananlyzer Impedance matching
measurements
Antenna under test Horn
TA RF out
motion motion

motion Motion control

Directional coupler

VNA

Radiation measurements
Computer

Antennas – G. Villemaud 29
Measurement chambers

Antennas – G. Villemaud 30
Measurement chambers

Antennas – G. Villemaud 31
 EIRP

When an antenna produces a radiated power Pe, the

power density created in a given direction is the product of
the gain in this direction by the power.

The Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power is:

EIRP=Pe.Ge

This value is particularly usefull for standard’s definition.

Antennas – G. Villemaud 32
 Effective area

An antenna illuminated by a plane wave of power

density Ps, we call effective area of the antenna
quantity:

S,  Pd
load
Ps

From the gain :

G ,  Ps
Pf
4r

Antennas – G. Villemaud 33
 Effective area and gain
If we build a transmission between two antennas:

Pf
Pd

antenna 1 load
antenna 2

Pd S2 G1 S1 G2
Reciprocity : Pf 4r 2 4r 2
Then: G1  G2
S1 S2

S,   GA, 
2
If we take the hertzian dipole as
example, it comes: 4
Antennas – G. Villemaud 34
 Link Budget

Friis’ formula or link budget is used to calculate the power

available at the receiver load depending on the power
supplied to the emitting antenna.

We know Pr S2 G1 or  2

S2 G2
Pe 4r 2 4

 
2
Pr   Ge, Gr, Pe
4r

Antennas – G. Villemaud 35
 More detailed budget link

The previous formula assumes matched loads and the

same antenna polarization. Otherwise, a more complete
budget can be made:

  F G , F G , P .

2
Pd  
4r
A e B r f p

It takes into account the impedance matching of antennas,

their gains in the direction of communication and
polarization efficiency.

Antennas – G. Villemaud 36
 Decibel expressions

An expression given in decibels is always relative, so a value relative

to a multiplication or a division in the linear domain.

As we are expressing power values, we always use 10log (ratio).

This is still consistent with calculations with the field values in 20log.

To express absolute values like power level, we use a

reference value, which could be 1 mW (dBm) or 1 W (dBW).

Directivities or gains are expressed in dBi (relative to isotropic)

or dBd (relative to dipole).

Attenuation or amplification terms are expressed in pure dB.

Antennas – G. Villemaud 37