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Antenna Types and Antenna Characteristics

In mobile communications two main categories of antennas used are Omni and Directional antenna here I write about antenna characteristics and use. ANTENNA TYPES Omni directional antenna *These antennas are mostly used in rural areas. *In all horizontal direction these antennas radiate with equal power. *In the vertical plane these antennas radiate uniformly across all azimuth angles and have a main beam with upper and lower side lobes.

Directional antenna *These antennas are mostly used in mobile cellular systems to get higher gain compared to Omni directional antenna and to minimize interference effects in the network. *In the vertical plane these antennas radiate uniformly across all azimuth angles and have a main beam with upper and lower side lobes. *In these types of antennas, the radiation is directed at a specific angle instead of uniformly across all azimuth angles in case of Omni antennas. ANTENNA CHARACTERISTICS

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Radiation Pattern *The main characteristics of antenna are the radiation pattern. *The antenna pattern is a graphical representation in three dimensions of the radiation of the antenna as a function of angular direction. *Antenna radiation performance is usually measured and recorded in two orthogonal principal planes (E-Plane and H-plane or vertical and horizontal planes). *The pattern of most base station antennas contains a main lobe and several minor lobes, termed side lobes. *A side lobe occurring in space in the direction opposite to the main lobe is called back lobe.

Antenna Gain *Antenna gain is a measure for antennas efficiency. *Gain is the ratio of the maximum radiation in a given direction to that of a reference antenna for equal input power. *Generally the reference antenna is an isotropic antenna. *Gain is measured generally in decibels above isotropic (dBi) or decibels above a dipole (dBd). *An isotropic radiator is an ideal antenna which radiates power with unit gain uniformly in all directions. dBi = dBd + 2.15 *Antenna gain depends on the mechanical size, the effective aperture area, the frequency band and the antenna configuration.

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*Antennas for GSM1800 can achieve some 5 to 6 dB more gain than antennas for GSM900 while maintaining the same mechanical size.

Front-to-back ratio *It is the ratio of the maximum directivity of an antenna to its directivity in a specified rearward direction. *Generally antenna with a high front-to-back ratio should be used. First Null Beamwidth *The first null beamwidth (FNBW) is the angular span between the first pattern nulls adjacent to the main lobe. *This term describes the angular coverage of the downtilted cells.

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Antenna Lobes *Main lobe is the radiation lobe containing the direction of maximum radiation. *Side lobes Half-power beamwidth *The half power beamwidth (HPBW) is the angle between the points on the main lobe that are 3dB lower in gain compared to the maximum. *Narrow angles mean good focusing of radiated power. Polarization *Polarization is the propagation of the electric field vector. *Antennas used in cellular communications are usually vertically polarized or cross polarized. Frequency bandwidth *It is the range of frequencies within which the performance of the antenna, with respect to some characteristics, conforms to a specified standard. *VSWR of an antenna is the main bandwidth limiting factor. Antenna impedance *Maximum power coupling into the antennas can be achieved when the antenna impedance matches the cables impedance. *Typical value is 50 ohms. Mechanical size *Mechanical size is related to achievable antenna gain. *Large antennas provide higher gains but also need care in deployment and apply high torque to the antenna mast.

Airplux Technologies Limited Customize Antennas from 100MHz-40GHz Website: www.airpluxhk.com Email: info@airpluxhk.com Skype: airplux