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Antennas |
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Radiation resistance is that part of an antenna's feedpoint electrical resistance caused by the emission of radio waves from the antenna. [a] [1] [2] A radio transmitter applies a radio frequency alternating current to an antenna, which radiates the energy of the current as radio waves. Because the antenna is absorbing the energy it is radiating from the transmitter, the antenna's input terminals present a resistance to the current from the transmitter.
Radiation resistance is an effective resistance, due to the power carried away from the antenna as radio waves. [1] [2] Unlike conventional ohmic resistance, radiation resistance is not an opposition to current (resistivity) of the imperfect conducting materials the antenna is made of. The radiation resistance () is conventionally defined as the value of electrical resistance that would dissipate the same amount of power as heat, as is dissipated by the radio waves emitted from the antenna. [1] [3] [4] From Joule's law, it is equal to the total power radiated as radio waves by the antenna, divided by the square of the RMS current into the antenna terminals: [4] [b] [c]
The feedpoint and radiation resistances are determined by the geometry of the antenna, the operating frequency, and the antenna location (particularly with respect to the ground). The relation between the feedpoint resistance () and the radiation resistance () depends on the position on the antenna at which the feedline is attached. [d] [7] [1] The relation between feedpoint resistance and radiation resistance is particularly simple when the feedpoint is placed (as usual) at the antenna's minimum possible voltage / maximum possible current point; in that case, the total feedpoint resistance at the antenna's terminals is equal to the sum of the radiation resistance plus the loss resistance due to "Ohmic" losses in the antenna and the nearby soil: When the antenna is fed at some other point, the formula requires a correction factor discussed below. In a receiving antenna the radiation resistance represents the source resistance of the antenna, and the portion of the received radio power consumed by the radiation resistance represents radio waves re-radiated (scattered) by the antenna. [8] [9]
Electromagnetic waves are radiated by electric charges when they are accelerated. [2] [10] In a transmitting antenna, radio waves are generated by time varying electric currents, consisting of electrons accelerating as they flow back and forth in the metal antenna, driven by the electric field due to the oscillating voltage applied to the antenna by the radio transmitter. [11] [12] An electromagnetic wave carries momentum away from the electron which emitted it. The cause of radiation resistance is the radiation reaction, the recoil force on the electron when it emits a radio wave photon, which reduces its momentum. [13] [14] [2] This is called the Abraham–Lorentz force. The recoil force is in a direction opposite to the electric field in the antenna accelerating the electron, reducing the average velocity of the electrons for a given driving voltage, so it acts as a resistance opposing the current.
The radiation resistance is only part of the feedpoint resistance at the antenna terminals. An antenna has other energy losses which appear as additional resistance at the antenna terminals; ohmic resistance of the metal antenna elements, ground losses from currents induced in the ground, and dielectric losses in insulating materials. When the feedpoint is (as usual) at a voltage minimum and current maximum, the total feedpoint resistance is equal to the sum of the radiation resistance and loss resistance
The power fed to the antenna is split proportionally between these two resistances. [1] [15]
where
The power consumed by radiation resistance is converted to radio waves, the desired function of the antenna, while the power consumed by loss resistance is converted to heat, representing a waste of transmitter power. [1] So for minimum power loss it is desirable that the radiation resistance be much greater than the loss resistance. The ratio of the radiation resistance to the total feedpoint resistance is equal to the efficiency () of the antenna.
To transfer maximum power to the antenna, the transmitter and feedline must be impedance matched to the antenna. This means the feedline must present to the antenna a resistance equal to the input resistance and a reactance (capacitance or inductance) equal but opposite to the antenna's reactance. If these impedances are not matched, the antenna will reflect some of the power back toward the transmitter, so not all the power will be radiated. For "large" antennas, the radiation resistance is usually the main part of their input resistance, so it determines what impedance matching is necessary and what types of transmission line would match well to the antenna.
When the feedpoint is placed at a location other than the minimum-voltage / maximum current point, or if a "flat" voltage minimum does not occur on the antenna, then the simple relation no longer holds.
In a resonant antenna, the current and voltage form standing waves along the length of the antenna element, so the magnitude of the current in the antenna varies sinusoidally along its length. The feedpoint , the place where the feed line from the transmitter is attached, can be located anywhere along the antenna element. Since feedpoint resistance depends on the input current, it varies with the feedpoint. [5] It is lowest for feedpoints located at a point of maximum current (an antinode), [c] and highest for feedpoints located at a point of minimum current, a node, such as at the end of the element (theoretically, in an infinitesimally thin antenna element, radiation resistance is infinite at a node, but the finite thickness of actual antenna elements gives it a high but finite value, on the order of thousands of ohms). [16]
The choice of feedpoint is sometimes used as a convenient way to impedance match an antenna to its feed line, by attaching the feedline to the antenna at a point at which its input resistance happens to equal the feed line impedance.
In order to give a meaningful value for the antenna efficiency, the radiation resistance and loss resistance must be referred to the same point on the antenna, often the input terminals. [17] [18] Radiation resistance is by convention calculated with respect to the maximum possible current on the antenna. [5] When the antenna is fed at a point of maximum current, as in the common center-fed half-wave dipole or base-fed quarter-wave monopole, that value is mostly the radiation resistance. However, if the antenna is fed at some other point, the equivalent radiation resistance at that point can easily be calculated from the ratio of antenna currents [16] [18]
where and are the electrical lengths (as electrical degrees or radians) from the current node (usually measured from the tip of a linear antenna).
In a receiving antenna, the radiation resistance represents the source resistance of the antenna as a (Thevenin equivalent) source of power. Due to electromagnetic reciprocity, an antenna has the same radiation resistance when receiving radio waves as when transmitting. If the antenna is connected to an electrical load such as a radio receiver, the power received from radio waves striking the antenna is divided proportionally between the radiation resistance and loss resistance of the antenna and the load resistance. [8] [9] The power dissipated in the radiation resistance is due to radio waves reradiated (scattered) by the antenna. [8] [9] Maximum power is delivered to the receiver when it is impedance matched to the antenna. If the antenna is lossless, half the power absorbed by the antenna is delivered to the receiver, the other half is reradiated. [8] [9]
In all of the formulas listed below, the radiation resistance is the so-called "free space" resistance, which the antenna would have if it were mounted several wavelengths distant from the ground (not including the distance to an elevated counterpoise, if any). Installed antennas will have higher or lower radiation resistances if they are mounted near the ground (less than 1 wavelength) in addition to the loss resistance from the antenna's near electrical field that penetrates the soil. [d] [1]
Antenna type | Radiation resistance (Ω) | Source |
---|---|---|
Center-fed half-wave dipole | 73.1 [e] [f] | Kraus 1988 :227 Balanis 2005 :216 |
Short dipole of length | Kraus 1988 :216 Balanis 2005 :165,215 | |
Base-fed quarter-wave monopole over a perfectly conducting ground plane | 36.5 | Balanis 2005 :217 Stutzman & Thiele 2012 :80 |
Short monopole of length over a perfectly conducting ground plane | Stutzman & Thiele 2012 :66 | |
Resonant loop antenna, a little over circumference | ~100 | Weston 2017 :15 Schmitt 2002 :236 |
Small loop of area with turns (circumference ) | Kraus 1988 :251 Balanis 2005 :238 | |
Small loop of area with turns on a ferrite core of effective relative permeability | Kraus 1988 :259 Milligan 2005 :260 |
The above figures assume the antennas are made of thin conductors and sufficiently far away from large metal structures, that the dipole antennas are sufficiently far above the ground, and the monopoles are mounted over a perfectly conducting ground plane.
The zero thickness half-wave dipole's radiation resistance of 73 Ω (approx. 67 Ω finite thickness) is near enough to the characteristic impedance of common 50 Ω and 75 Ω coaxial cable that it can usually be fed directly without need of an impedance matching network. This is one reason for the wide use of the half wave dipole as a driven element in antennas. [21]
The radiation resistance of a monopole antenna created by replacing one side of a dipole antenna by a perpendicular ground plane is one-half of the resistance of the original dipole antenna. This is because the monopole radiates only into half the space, the space above the plane, so the radiation pattern is identical to half of the dipole pattern and therefore with the same input current it radiates only half the power. [22]
This is not obvious from the formulas in the table because the different lengths use the same symbol, the derived monopole antenna, however, is only half the length of the original dipole antenna. This can be shown by calculating the radiation resistance of a short dipole (length ), which is twice the length of the corresponding monopole ():
Comparing this to the formula for the short monopole shows the dipole has double the radiation resistance of the monopole:
This confirms the consistency of physically modelling a center-fed dipole as two monopoles, placed end-to-end, with adjacent feedpoints.
Calculating the radiation resistance of an antenna directly from the reaction force on the electrons is very complicated, and presents conceptual difficulties in accounting for the self-force of the electron. [2] Radiation resistance is instead calculated by computing the far-field radiation pattern of the antenna, the power flux (Poynting vector) at each angle, for a given antenna current. [23] This is integrated over a sphere enclosing the antenna to give the total power radiated by the antenna. Then the radiation resistance is calculated from the law of conservation of energy, as the resistance the antenna must present to the input current to absorb the radiated power from the transmitter, using Joule's law [b]
Electrically short antennas, antennas with a length much less than a wavelength, make poor transmitting antennas, as they cannot be fed efficiently due to their low radiation resistance.
At frequencies below 1 MHz the size of ordinary electrical circuits and the lengths of wire used in them is so much smaller than the wavelength, that when considered as antennas they radiate an insignificant fraction of the power in them as radio waves. This explains why electrical circuits can be used with alternating current without losing energy as radio waves. [g]
As can be seen in the above table, for linear antennas shorter than their fundamental resonant length (shorter than 1/ 2 λ for a dipole antenna, 1/ 4 λ for a monopole) the radiation resistance decreases with the square of their length; [24] for loop antennas the change is even more extreme, with sub-resonant loops (circumference less than 1 λ for a continuous loop, or 1/ 2 λ for a split loop) the radiation resistance decreases with the fourth power of the perimeter length. The loss resistance is in series with the radiation resistance, and as the length decreases the loss resistance only decreases in proportion to the first power of the length (wire resistance) or remains constant (contact resistance), and hence makes up an increasing proportion of the feedpoint resistance. So with smaller antenna size, measured in wavelengths, loss to heat consumes a larger fraction of the transmitter power, causing the efficiency of the antenna to fall.
For example, navies use radio waves of about 15–30 kHz in the very low frequency (VLF) band to communicate with submerged submarines. A 15 kHz radio wave has a wavelength of 20 km. The powerful naval shore VLF transmitters which transmit to submarines use large monopole mast antennas which are limited by construction costs to heights of about 300 metres (980 ft) . Although these antennas are enormous compared to a human, at 15 kHz the antenna height is still only about 0.015 wavelength, so paradoxically, huge VLF antennas are electrically short. From the table above, a 0.015 λ monopole antenna has a radiation resistance of about 0.09 Ohm.
It is extremely difficult to reduce the loss resistance of an antenna to this level. Since the ohmic resistance of the huge ground system and loading coil cannot be made lower than about 0.5 ohm, the efficiency of a simple vertical antenna is below 20%, so more than 80% of the transmitter power is lost in the ground resistance. To increase the radiation resistance, VLF transmitters use huge capacitively top-loaded antennas such as umbrella antennas and flattop antennas, in which an aerial network of horizontal wires is attached to the top of the vertical radiator to make a 'capacitor plate' to ground, to increase the current in the vertical radiator. However this can only increase the efficiency to 50–70% at most.
Small receiving antennas, such as the ferrite loopstick antennas used in AM radios, also have low radiation resistance, and thus produce very low output. However at frequencies below about 20 MHz, where static is pervasive, this is not such a problem, since a weak signal from the antenna can simply be amplified in the receiver without the amplifier's noise adding any appreciable amount to the already substantial noise accompanying the signal, keeping the S/N as good (or bad) as before.
Symbol | Unit | Description |
---|---|---|
meter (m) | Wavelength of radio waves | |
[none] | math constant ≈ 3.14159 | |
[none] | Effective relative permeability of ferrite rod in antenna | |
square meters (m²) | Area enclosed within the perimeter of a loop antenna | |
hertz (Hz) | Frequency of radio waves | |
ampere (A) | RMS current driven into antenna terminals | |
ampere (A) | Maximum RMS current in antenna element, at point #0 | |
ampere (A) | RMS current at an arbitrary point #1 in antenna element | |
meter (m) | Tip-to-tip length of antenna | |
turns | Number of times the loop antenna wire wraps around the perimeter | |
watt (W) | Electric power delivered to antenna terminals | |
watt (W) | Power radiated as radio waves by antenna | |
watt (W) | Power consumed in loss resistances of antenna and the nearby ground | |
ohm (Ω) | Nominal radiation resistance of antenna | |
ohm (Ω) | Equivalent loss resistance of antenna at input terminals | |
ohm (Ω) | Input resistance of antenna | |
ohm (Ω) | Radiation-related resistance at point #0 on antenna (minimum voltage / maximum current) | |
ohm (Ω) | Radiation-related resistance at point #1 on antenna | |
In electrical engineering, electrical length is a dimensionless parameter equal to the physical length of an electrical conductor such as a cable or wire, divided by the wavelength of alternating current at a given frequency traveling through the conductor. In other words, it is the length of the conductor measured in wavelengths. It can alternately be expressed as an angle, in radians or degrees, equal to the phase shift the alternating current experiences traveling through the conductor.
In the field of antenna design the term radiation pattern refers to the directional (angular) dependence of the strength of the radio waves from the antenna or other source.
In electromagnetics, an antenna's gain is a key performance parameter which combines the antenna's directivity and radiation efficiency. The term power gain has been deprecated by IEEE. In a transmitting antenna, the gain describes how well the antenna converts input power into radio waves headed in a specified direction. In a receiving antenna, the gain describes how well the antenna converts radio waves arriving from a specified direction into electrical power. When no direction is specified, gain is understood to refer to the peak value of the gain, the gain in the direction of the antenna's main lobe. A plot of the gain as a function of direction is called the antenna pattern or radiation pattern. It is not to be confused with directivity, which does not take an antenna's radiation efficiency into account.
In radio engineering, an antenna or aerial is an electronic device that converts an alternating electric current into radio waves (transmitting), or radio waves into an electric current (receiving). It is the interface between radio waves propagating through space and electric currents moving in metal conductors, used with a transmitter or receiver. In transmission, a radio transmitter supplies an electric current to the antenna's terminals, and the antenna radiates the energy from the current as electromagnetic waves. In reception, an antenna intercepts some of the power of a radio wave in order to produce an electric current at its terminals, that is applied to a receiver to be amplified. Antennas are essential components of all radio equipment.
The near field and far field are regions of the electromagnetic (EM) field around an object, such as a transmitting antenna, or the result of radiation scattering off an object. Non-radiative near-field behaviors dominate close to the antenna or scatterer, while electromagnetic radiation far-field behaviors predominate at greater distances.
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would have to be radiated by a half-wave dipole antenna to give the same radiation intensity as the actual source antenna at a distant receiver located in the direction of the antenna's strongest beam. ERP measures the combination of the power emitted by the transmitter and the ability of the antenna to direct that power in a given direction. It is equal to the input power to the antenna multiplied by the gain of the antenna. It is used in electronics and telecommunications, particularly in broadcasting to quantify the apparent power of a broadcasting station experienced by listeners in its reception area.
A Yagi–Uda antenna, or simply Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of two or more parallel resonant antenna elements in an end-fire array; these elements are most often metal rods acting as half-wave dipoles. Yagi–Uda antennas consist of a single driven element connected to a radio transmitter or receiver through a transmission line, and additional passive radiators with no electrical connection, usually including one so-called reflector and any number of directors. It was invented in 1926 by Shintaro Uda of Tohoku Imperial University, Japan, with a lesser role played by his boss Hidetsugu Yagi.
Twin lead cable is a two-conductor flat cable used as a balanced transmission line to carry radio frequency (RF) signals. It is constructed of two, stranded copper wires, or solid copper-clad steel wires. The wires are held a fixed distance apart by a plastic ribbon that is a good insulator at radio frequencies. It is also called ribbon cable. The uniform spacing of the wires is the key to the cable's function as a transmission line: Any abrupt change in spacing would cause some of the signal to reflect back toward the source, rather than passing through. The plastic also covers and insulates the wires. The name twin lead is most often used to refer specifically to 300 Ω (Ohm) ribbon cable, the most common type, but on occasion, twin lead is used to refer to any type of parallel wire line. Parallel wire line is available with several different values of characteristic impedance such as twin lead ribbon cable (300 Ω), window line, and open wire line or ladder line (500~650 Ω).
A helical antenna is an antenna consisting of one or more conducting wires wound in the form of a helix. A helical antenna made of one helical wire, the most common type, is called monofilar, while antennas with two or four wires in a helix are called bifilar, or quadrifilar, respectively.
In radio and telecommunications a dipole antenna or doublet is one of the two simplest and most widely-used types of antenna; the other is the monopole. The dipole is any one of a class of antennas producing a radiation pattern approximating that of an elementary electric dipole with a radiating structure supporting a line current so energized that the current has only one node at each far end. A dipole antenna commonly consists of two identical conductive elements such as metal wires or rods. The driving current from the transmitter is applied, or for receiving antennas the output signal to the receiver is taken, between the two halves of the antenna. Each side of the feedline to the transmitter or receiver is connected to one of the conductors. This contrasts with a monopole antenna, which consists of a single rod or conductor with one side of the feedline connected to it, and the other side connected to some type of ground. A common example of a dipole is the rabbit ears television antenna found on broadcast television sets. All dipoles are electrically equivalent to two monopoles mounted end-to-end and fed with opposite phases, with the ground plane between them made virtual by the opposing monopole.
A whip antenna is an antenna consisting of a straight flexible wire or rod. The bottom end of the whip is connected to the radio receiver or transmitter. A whip antenna is a form of monopole antenna. The antenna is designed to be flexible so that it does not break easily, and the name is derived from the whip-like motion that it exhibits when disturbed. Whip antennas for portable radios are often made of a series of interlocking telescoping metal tubes, so they can be retracted when not in use. Longer whips, made for mounting on vehicles and structures, are made of a flexible fiberglass rod around a wire core and can be up to 11 m long.
In electromagnetics and antenna theory, the aperture of an antenna is defined as "A surface, near or on an antenna, on which it is convenient to make assumptions regarding the field values for the purpose of computing fields at external points. The aperture is often taken as that portion of a plane surface near the antenna, perpendicular to the direction of maximum radiation, through which the major part of the radiation passes."
A mast radiator is a radio mast or tower in which the metal structure itself is energized and functions as an antenna. This design, first used widely in the 1930s, is commonly used for transmitting antennas operating at low frequencies, in the LF and MF bands, in particular those used for AM radio broadcasting stations. The conductive steel mast is electrically connected to the transmitter. Its base is usually mounted on a nonconductive support to insulate it from the ground. A mast radiator is a form of monopole antenna.
A ‘T’-antenna, ‘T’-aerial, or flat-top antenna is a monopole radio antenna consisting of one or more horizontal wires suspended between two supporting radio masts or buildings and insulated from them at the ends. A vertical wire is connected to the center of the horizontal wires and hangs down close to the ground, connected to the transmitter or receiver. The shape of the antenna resembles the letter "T", hence the name. The transmitter power is applied, or the receiver is connected, between the bottom of the vertical wire and a ground connection.
A loop antenna is a radio antenna consisting of a loop or coil of wire, tubing, or other electrical conductor, that for transmitting is usually fed by a balanced power source or for receiving feeds a balanced load. Within this physical description there are two distinct types:
A monopole antenna is a class of radio antenna consisting of a straight rod-shaped conductor, often mounted perpendicularly over some type of conductive surface, called a ground plane. The driving signal from the transmitter is applied, or for receiving antennas the output signal to the receiver is taken, between the lower end of the monopole and the ground plane. One side of the antenna feedline is attached to the lower end of the monopole, and the other side is attached to the ground plane, which is often the Earth. This contrasts with a dipole antenna which consists of two identical rod conductors, with the signal from the transmitter applied between the two halves of the antenna.
Antenna measurement techniques refers to the testing of antennas in order to ensure that the antenna meets specifications or simply to characterize it. Typical antenna parameters are gain, bandwidth, radiation pattern, beamwidth, polarization, impedance; These are imperative communicative means.
The folded unipole antenna is a type of monopole mast radiator antenna used as a transmitting antenna mainly in the medium wave band for AM radio broadcasting stations. It consists of a vertical metal rod or mast mounted over and connected at its base to a grounding system consisting of buried wires. The mast is surrounded by a "skirt" of vertical wires electrically attached at or near the top of the mast. The skirt wires are connected by a metal ring near the mast base, and the feedline feeding power from the transmitter is connected between the ring and the ground.
A dual-band blade antenna is a type of blade antenna, which is a monopole whip antenna mounted on the outside of an aircraft in the form of a blade-shaped aerodynamic fairing to reduce air drag. It is used by avionics radio communication systems. The dual-band type uses a "plane and slot" design to allow efficient omni-directional azimuth coverage, enabling it to operate on two different radio bands.
In radio systems, many different antenna types are used whose properties are especially crafted for particular applications.