Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I Background and History
1 Introduction to Radio Communication
Part II Fundamentals
2 Radio-Wave Propagation
Radio Waves
The Electromagnetic Wave: A Brief Review
Isotropic Sources
The Earth’s Atmosphere
EM Wave Propagation Phenomena
Propagation Paths
Ionospheric Propagation
Propagation Predictions
The Magic of Radio
3 Antenna Basics
Circuit Fundamentals
Fields
The Hertzian Dipole
The Half-Wave Dipole
Standing Waves
Velocity of Propagation and Antenna Length
Antenna Resistance and Losses
Half-Wave Dipole Feedpoint Impedance
4 Transmission Lines and Impedance Matching
Types of Transmission Lines
Transmission Line Characteristic Impedance
Other Transmission Line Characteristics
Transmission Line Responses
Standing Wave Ratio
Impedance Matching in Antenna Systems
5 Antenna Arrays and Array Gain
All-Driven Arrays
Parasitic Arrays
Ground Effects
Part III High-Frequency Building-Block Antennas
6 Dipoles and Doublets
The Dipole Feedpoint
The Dipole Radiation Pattern
Tuning the Dipole Antenna
Other Dipoles
Summary
7 Large Wire Loop Antennas
λ/2 Large Loops
1λ Large Loops
2λ Bisquare Loop Antenna
Near-Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) Antenna
8 Multiband and Tunable Wire Antennas
Multiband Antennas
Tuned Feeder Antennas
Longwire Antenna
Off-Center-Fed Dipole
9 Vertically Polarized Antennas
Vertical Dipole
Grounded Vertical Monopole
Elevated Ground-Plane Antenna
Vertical versus Horizontal Polarization
Supporting the Vertical Antenna
Part IV Directional High-Frequency Antenna Arrays
10 Wire Arrays
Longwire Antennas
Arrays of Longwires
Bobtail Curtain
Half-Square
20-m ZL-Special Beam
11 Vertical Arrays
Directivity and Phasing
Two-Element Array
360-Degree Directional Array
Four-Square Array
Receive-Only Vertical Arrays
Grounding
12 The Yagi-Uda Beam Antenna
Theory of Operation
Three-Element Yagi Antennas
Yagi Antennas with Four or More Elements
Yagi Construction
Wire Yagis
Multiband Yagis
Yagis with Loaded Elements
Feeding the Yagi
Moxon Beam
Stacking Yagi Antennas
Rolling Your Own
Further Reading
13 Cubical Quads and Delta Loops
Cubical Quad
Delta Loop
Diamond Loop
Concluding Thoughts
Part V High-Frequency Antennas for Specialized Uses
14 Receiving Antennas for High Frequency
Beverage or “Wave” Antenna
Phased Beverages
Snake or BOG Antenna
Receiving Loops
The EWE Antenna
Pennants, Flags, and the K9AY Loop
Longwire Antennas
15 Hidden and Limited-Space Antennas
Hidden Antennas
Limited-Space Antennas
16 Mobile and Marine Antennas
Mobile Antennas for VHF and UHF
Mobile Antennas for HF and MF
Marine Radio Antennas
17 Emergency and Portable Antennas
Improving Radiator Efficiency
Reducing Ground Losses
Selecting the Right Polarization
Temporary Supports
Summary
Part VI Antennas for Other Frequencies
18 Antennas for 160 Meters
Vertical Monopoles
Horizontal Antennas
Inverted-L Antennas
Receiving on the Transmit Antenna
19 VHF and UHF Antennas
Ground-Plane Vertical
Coaxial Vertical
-Wavelength 2-Meter Antenna
J-Pole Antennas
Collinear Vertical
Grounds for Ground-Plane Verticals
Yagi Antennas
Halo Antennas
Quad Beam Antennas
VHF/UHF Scanner Band Antennas
VHF/UHF Antenna Impedance Matching
20 Microwave Waveguides and Antennas
Waveguides
Microwave Antennas
21 Antenna Noise Temperature
Noise Factor, Noise Figure, and Noise Temperature
22 Radio Astronomy Antennas
General Considerations
Listening to “Ol’ Sol”
Signals from Jupiter
Ring Antenna
DDRR
Helical Antennas
Multiple Helical Antennas
Interferometer Antennas
23 Radio Direction-Finding (RDF) Antennas
Field Improvisation
Loop Antennas for RDF
Sense Antenna Circuit
RDF at VHF and UHF
Fox Hunting
Shortwave and AM BCB “Skip” RDF
Doppler RDF Antennas
Wullenweber Array
Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) Array
Switched-Pattern RDF Antennas
Summary
Part VII Tuning, Troubleshooting, and Design Aids
24 Antenna Tuners (ATUs)
ATU Circuit Configurations
Transmatch Circuit
Baluns
Ferrite Core Inductors
25 Antenna Modeling Software
Under the Hood
A Typical NEC-2 GUI
Recently Added Features
Other Considerations
Terrain and Propagation Modeling Software
Summary
26 The Smith Chart
Smith Chart Components
Smith Chart Applications
27 Testing and Troubleshooting
A Review of SWR
Impedance Bridges
RF Noise Bridges
Dip Oscillators
RF Wattmeters and VSWR Meters
SWR Analyzers
Vector Network Analyzers
Dummy Loads
Documenting Antenna System Measurements
Part VIII Mechanical Construction and Installation Techniques
28 Supports for Wires and Verticals
Antenna Safety
Wire Antenna Construction
Supporting the Wire Antenna
Installing Vertical Antennas
29 Towers
Types of Towers
Tower Fundamentals
Guyed Towers
Bracketed Towers
Foldover Towers
Crank-up Towers
Self-Supporting Towers
Tower Bases
Guy Wires and Anchors
Erecting the Tower
Rotators, Masts, and Thrust Bearings
Preowned Towers and Accessories
Required Reading
30 Grounding for Safety and Performance
Grounding for Lightning Protection
Grounding for Power Distribution Safety
Station Grounding
Grounds for Antenna Efficiency
31 Zoning, Restrictive Covenants, and Neighbors
Public Sector Restraints
Private Sector Restraints
Final Thoughts
For Additional Reading
Appendices
Appendix A Useful Math
Appendix B Suppliers and Other Resources
Index
