Transmilab Act 2
Transmilab Act 2
Transmilab Act 2
INTRODUCTION:
Very high frequency (VHF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency from 30 to
300 MHz, with corresponding wavelengths of ten meters to one meter. The next higher frequencies are
known as ultra-high frequency (UHF) and ranges between 300 MHz and 3 GHz, with corresponding
wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter.
Radio waves in the VHF and UHF bands travel mainly on line-of-sight propagation. VHF is the
first band at which wavelengths are small enough that efficient transmitting antennas are short enough to
mount on vehicles and handheld devices, a quarter wave whip antenna at VHF frequencies is 25 cm to 2.5
meter (10 inches to 8 feet) long. UHF wavelengths are also short enough that efficient transmitting
antennas are small enough to mount on handheld and mobile devices.
Antennas for VHF television reception are usually rabbit ears and whip antennas. High gain
antennas for UHF television reception are usually Yagi, log periodic, or reflective array antennas. At the
top end of the band, slot antennas become practical.
Rabbit Ears
The oldest and most widely used indoor antenna is the rabbit ears or bunny ears, which are often
provided with new television sets. It is a simple half-wave dipole antenna used to receive the VHF
television bands, consisting in the US of 54 to 88 MHz (band I) and 174 to 216 MHz (band III), with
wavelengths of 5.5 to 1.4 m. It is constructed of two telescoping rods attached to a base, which extend out
to about 1 meter length (approximately one quarter wavelength at 54 MHz), and can be collapsed when
not in use. For best reception the rods should be adjusted to be a little less than 1/4 wavelength at the
frequency of the television channel being received. However the dipole has a wide bandwidth, so often
adequate reception is achieved without adjusting the length. The half wave dipole has a low gain of about
2.14 dBi; this means it is not as directional and sensitive to distant stations as a large rooftop antenna, but
its wide angle reception pattern may allow it to receive several stations located in different directions
without requiring readjustment when the channel is changed. Dipole antennas are bi-directional, that is,
they have two main lobes in opposite directions, 180° apart. Instead of being fixed in position like other
antennas, the elements are mounted on ball-and-socket joints and can be adjusted to various angles in a
"V" shape, allowing them to be moved out of the way in crowded quarters. Another reason for the V
shape is that when receiving channels at the top of the band with the rods fully extended, the antenna
elements will typically resonate at their 3rd harmonic. In this mode the direction of maximum gain
(the main lobe) is no longer perpendicular to the rods, but the radiation pattern will have lobes at an angle
to the rods, making it advantageous to be able to adjust them to various angles
Advantages of rabbit ears antenna are input impedance is not sensitive, matches well with
transmission line impedance, has reasonable length, and length of the antenna matches with size and
directivity.
Disadvantages of rabbit ears antenna are not much effective due to single element and it can work
better only with a combination.
Whip Antenna
Some portable televisions use a whip antenna. This consists of a single telescoping rod about a
meter long attached to the television, which can be retracted when not in use. It functions as a quarter-
wave monopole antenna. The other side of the feedline is connected to the ground plane on the TV's
circuit board, which acts as ground. The whip antenna generally has an omnidirectional reception pattern,
with maximum sensitivity in directions perpendicular to the antenna axis, and gain similar to the half-
wave dipole.
Advantage of whip antenna is it delivers good performance with size less than dipole antenna and
the higher cost is the major disadvantage. Better ground plane is needed to achieve good performance.
B. UHF Antennas
Slot Antenna
The slot antenna was invented in 1938 by Alan Blumlein, while working for EMI. He invented it
in order to produce a practical type of antenna for VHF television broadcasting that would have
horizontal polarization, an omnidirectional horizontal radiation pattern and a narrow vertical radiation
pattern.
A slot antenna consists of a metal surface, usually a flat plate, with one or more holes or slots cut
out. When the plate is driven as an antenna by a driving frequency, the slot radiates electromagnetic
waves in a way similar to a dipole antenna. The shape and size of the slot, as well as the driving
frequency, determine the radiation pattern. Often the radio waves are provided by a waveguide, and the
antenna consists of slots in the waveguide. Slot antennas are often used
at UHF and microwave frequencies instead of line antennas when greater control of the radiation
pattern is required.
A slot antenna's main advantages are its size, design simplicity, and convenient adaptation to
mass production using either waveguide or PC board technology. The disadvantages are slot antennas
have low radiation efficiency, high cross-polarization levels and heavy compared to its dipole equivalents.
A reflective array antenna is an antenna consisting of a feed and an array of reflecting elements
arranged on a surface and adjusted so that the reflected waves from the individual elements combine to
produce a prescribed secondary radiation pattern. It is used in both VHF and UHF frequency bands but is
mostly used for UHF reflectors.
Reflective array antennas usually have a number of identical driven elements, fed in phase, in
front of a flat, electrically large reflecting surface to produce a unidirectional beam of radio waves,
increasing antenna gain and reducing radiation in unwanted directions. The larger the number of elements
used, the higher the gain; the narrower the beam is and the smaller the sidelobes are. The individual
elements are most commonly half wave dipoles, although they sometimes contain parasitic elements as
well as driven elements. The reflector may be a metal sheet or more commonly a wire screen. A metal
screen reflects radio waves as well as a solid metal sheet as long as the holes in the screen are smaller
than about one-tenth of a wavelength, so screens are often used to reduce weight and wind loads on the
antenna. They usually consist of a grill of parallel wires or rods, oriented parallel to the axis of the dipole
elements.
Some advantages of a reflective array antenna are: low losses, ease of manufacture in flat panels,
low cross polarization and the possibility of an electronic control of the beam. Some disadvantages are:
limited coverage to 120 degrees in both azimuth and elevation; lower frequency agility can be achieved;
ray deflection is possible only in single plane using linear array configuration; very complex and requires
phase shifter with advanced electronic controls and; expensive.
C. VHF/UHF Antennas
Yagi-Uda Antenna
A Yagi-Uda antenna, also called a beam antenna or parasitic array, is named for its inventors
Shintaro Uda and Hidetsugu Yagi of Japan. It is a directional type antenna with a single dipole, a
reflector, and multiple elements. It is very widely used as a high-gain antenna on
the VHF and UHF bands. It has moderate to high gain which depends on the number of elements used,
typically limited to about 20 dBi, linear polarization, unidirectional (end-fire) beam pattern with
high front-to-back ratio of up to 20 dB.
The advantages of a Yagi-Uda antenna are its high gain, directivity, narrow bandwidth, low cross
polarization, lightweight, simple, and inexpensive. The disadvantages are it is limited to a maximum gain
of around 20dB, has a limited bandwidth, and need of longer length for high gain levels.
A modern Yagi tv antenna with 17 directors and 1 reflector.
Log-Periodic Antenna
One form of antenna that is able to provide gain and directivity along with a wide bandwidth is
known as the log periodic antenna. Although larger than an equivalent Yagi or other directive design for
an equivalent level of gain, it provides the capability to operate on many different frequencies. It is
mainly used in rooftop terrestrial television antennas and operates in VHF and UHF bands. One widely
used design for television reception combined a Yagi for UHF reception in front of a larger LPDA for
VHF.
The most common form of log-periodic antenna is the log-periodic dipole array or LPDA, The
LPDA consists of a number of half-wave dipole driven elements of gradually increasing length, each
consisting of a pair of metal rods. The dipoles are mounted close together in a line, connected in parallel
to the feedline with alternating phase. Electrically, it simulates a series of two or three-element Yagi
antennas connected together, each set tuned to a different frequency.
Some advantages of a log-periodic antenna are its high directivity, wider bandwidth and the
radiation resistance and antenna pattern are independent on frequency. The drawbacks, however, are its
low polarization, heavy weight, and lower gain compare to Yagi antenna.
A log-periodic antenna.
References
(n.d.). Antenna theory – slot. Retrieved from https://www.tutorialspoint.com/antenna_theory/
antenna_theory_slot.htm
(n.d.). Advantages of phased array antenna | disadvantages of phased array antenna. Retrieved from
https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-
Phased -Array-Antenna.html
(n.d.). Retrieved
frohttps://www.tutorialspoint.com/antenna_theory/antenna_theory_half_wave_dipole.htm.
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