Mast Antenna Enhances Satellite Radio Reception

TO IMPROVE DIGITAL satellite-radio reception, a novel topology has been proposed for a vehicular circular-polarization mast antenna. This antenna does not require a groundplane. In addition, leftand right-hand circular polarization are possible ...

Nancy Friedrich

March 19, 2009

TO IMPROVE DIGITAL satellite-radio reception, a novel topology has been proposed for a vehicular circular-polarization mast antenna. This antenna does not require a groundplane. In addition, leftand right-hand circular polarization are possible with the same design by inverting the symmetry of the printed dipoles. This antenna was proposed by Yves Cassivi and Yves Demers from MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (Montreal, Canada), Jean-Jacques Laurin from Ecole Polytechnique (Montreal, Canada), Yan Brand of Eutelsat (Paris, France), and Peter de Maagt with the ESA/ESTEC (Noordwijk, The Netherlands).

The short monopole antenna comprises a periodically slotted coaxial line radiating in linear polarization. Control of the antenna's main beam and width are provided by the number of slots along the structure, their periodicity, and the tuning of the terminating load. The antenna has a frequency bandwidth of more than 1.7 percent in which VSWR is less than 2.0:1. See "A Novel Circularly Polarized Periodically Loaded Mast Antenna for Vehicular Satellite Radio Reception," IEEE Transactions On Antennas And Propagation, November 2008, p. 3396.

About the Author

Nancy Friedrich

RF Product Marketing Manager for Aerospace Defense, Keysight Technologies

Nancy Friedrich is RF Product Marketing Manager for Aerospace Defense at Keysight Technologies. Nancy Friedrich started a career in engineering media about two decades ago with a stint editing copy and writing news for Electronic Design. A few years later, she began writing full time as technology editor at Wireless Systems Design. In 2005, Nancy was named editor-in-chief of Microwaves & RF, a position she held (along with other positions as group content head) until 2018. Nancy then moved to a position at UBM, where she was editor-in-chief of Design News and content director for tradeshows including DesignCon, ESC, and the Smart Manufacturing shows.