The Yagi antenna or Yagi-Uda antenna / aerial is one of the most successful RF

antenna designs for directive antenna applications.

The Yagi or Yagi-Uda antenna is used in a wide variety of applications where an
RF antenna design with gain and directivity is required.
The Yagi has become particularly popular for television reception, but it is also
used in very many other domestic and commercial applications where an RF
antenna is needed that has gain and directivity.
Not only is the gain of the Yagi antenna important as it enables better levels of
signal to noise ratio to be achieved, but also the directivity can be used to reduce
interference levels by focussing the transmitted power on areas where it is needed,
or receiving signals best from where the emanate.

Typical Yagi Uda antenna used for television reception

Yagi antenna history

The full name for the antenna is the Yagi-Uda antenna. The Yagi antenna derives
its name from its two Japanese inventors Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda. The
RF antenna design concept was first outlined in a paper that Yagi presented in
1928. Since then its use has grown rapidly to the stage where today a television
antenna is synonymous with an RF antenna having a central boom with lots of
elements attached.
The design for the Yagi antenna appears to have been initially developed not by
Yagi who was a student, but his colleague Professor Shintaro Uda. However all the
original papers were all in Japanese and accordingly the design was not publicised
outside Japan.
It was Hidetsugu Yagi who wrote papers in English and as a result the design is
often incorrectly only attributed only to Yagi.
Yagi himself did not aim to steal the publicity, in view of his English papers, and as
a result the design now bears the names of both men and is known as the Yagi-Uda
antenna.

Yagi antenna - the basics

The Yagi antenna design has a dipole as the main radiating or driven element.
Further 'parasitic' elements are added which are not directly connected to the
driven element.
These parasitic elements within the Yagi antenna pick up power from the dipole
and re-radiate it. The phase is in such a manner that it affects the properties of the
RF antenna as a whole, causing power to be focussed in one particular direction
and removed from others.

basic concept of Yagi Uda antenna

The parasitic elements of the Yagi antenna operate by re-radiating their signals in a
slightly different phase to that of the driven element. In this way the signal is
reinforced in some directions and cancelled out in others. It is found that the
amplitude and phase of the current that is induced in the parasitic elements is
dependent upon their length and the spacing between them and the dipole or driven
element.
 Yagi Uda antenna showing element types
There are three types of element within a Yagi antenna:

 Driven element: The driven element is the Yagi antenna element to which
power is applied. It is normally a half wave dipole or often a folded dipole.
 Reflector : The Yagi antenna will generally only have one reflector. This is
behind the main driven element, i.e. the side away from the direction of
maximum sensitivity.

Further reflectors behind the first one add little to the performance. However
many designs use reflectors consisting of a reflecting plate, or a series of
parallel rods simulating a reflecting plate. This gives a slight improvement in
performance, reducing the level of radiation or pick-up from behind the
antenna, i.e. in the backwards direction.

Typically a reflector will add around 4 or 5 dB of gain in the forward

direction.
 Director: There may be none, one of more reflectors in the Yagi antenna.
The director or directors are placed in front of the driven element, i.e. in the
direction of maximum sensitivity. Typically each director will add around 1
dB of gain in the forward direction, although this level reduces as the
number of directors increases.

The antenna exhibits a directional pattern consisting of a main forward lobe and a
number of spurious side lobes. The main one of these is the reverse lobe caused by
radiation in the direction of the reflector. The antenna can be optimised to either
reduce this or produce the maximum level of forward gain. Unfortunately the two
do not coincide exactly and a compromise on the performance has to be made
depending upon the application.
 Yagi antenna radiation pattern

Yagi antenna advantages

The Yagi antenna offers many advantages for its use. The antenna provides many
advantages in a number of applications:

 Antenna has gain allowing lower strength signals to be received.

 Yagi antenna has directivity enabling interference levels to be minimised.
 Straightforward construction. - the Yagi antenna allows all constructional
elements to be made from rods simplifying construction.
 The construction enables the antenna to be mounted easily on vertical and
other poles with standard mechanical fixings

The Yagi antenna also has a number of disadvantages that need to be considered.

 For high gain levels the antenna becomes very long

 Gain limited to around 20dB or so for a single antenna

Typical Yagi Uda antenna used for television reception

The Yagi antenna is a particularly useful form of RF antenna design. It is widely
used in applications where an RF antenna design is required to provide gain and
directivity. In this way the optimum transmission and reception conditions can be
obtained.
Yagi Antenna Theory: How does a Yagi Antenna Work
Some of the Yagi antenna theory can be complicated, but a basic understanding of
how a Yagi antenna works can be given sufficient for design purposes.
The different elements of the Yagi antenna react in a complex and interrelated way
to provide the overall performance.
In order to be able to develop a Yagi antenna it is necessary to have at least a basic
understanding of the Yagi antenna theory.

Yagi antenna theory - the basics

The key element to the Yagi theory is the phases of the currents flowing in the
additional elements of the antenna.
The parasitic elements of the Yagi antenna operate by re-radiating their signals in a
slightly different phase to that of the driven element. In this way the signal is
reinforced in some directions and cancelled out in others. As a result these
additional elements are referred to as parasitic elements.
In view of the fact that the power in these additional elements is not directly
driven, the amplitude and phase of the induced current cannot be completely
controlled. It is dependent upon their length and the spacing between them and the
dipole or driven element.
As a result, it is not possible to obtain complete cancellation in one direction.
Nevertheless it is still possible to obtain a high degree of reinforcement in one
direction and have a high level of gain, and also have a high degree of cancellation
in another to provide a good front to back ratio. The Yagi antenna is able to provide
very useful levels of gain and front to back ratios.

Yagi Uda antenna showing element types

To obtain the required phase shift an element can be made either inductive or
capacitive.

 Inductive: If the parasitic element is made inductive it is found that the

induced currents are in such a phase that they reflect the power away from
the parasitic element. This causes the RF antenna to radiate more power
away from it. An element that does this is called a reflector. It can be made
inductive by tuning it below resonance. This can be done by physically
adding some inductance to the element in the form of a coil, or more
commonly by making it longer than the resonant length. Generally it is made
about 5% longer than the driven element.
 Capacitive: If the parasitic element is made capacitive it will be found that
the induced currents are in such a phase that they direct the power radiated
by the whole antenna in the direction of the parasitic element. An element
which does this is called a director. It can be made capacitive tuning it above
resonance. This can be done by physically adding some capacitance to the
element in the form of a capacitor, or more commonly by making it about
5% shorter than the driven element.

It is found that the addition of further directors increases the directivity of

the antenna, increasing the gain and reducing the beamwidth. The addition
of further reflectors makes no noticeable difference.

In summary:
Reflectors - longer than driven element = Inductive
Directors - shorter than driven element = Capacitive

Yagi Uda antenna showing direction of maximum radiation

Yagi Antenna Gain & Directivity
One of the chief reasons for using a Yagi antenna is the gain it provides.
The Yagi or Yagi-Uda antenna gain is of great importance, because it enables all
the transmitted power to be directed into the area where it is required, or when
used for reception, it enables the maximum signal to be received from the same
area.
Gain for reception and transmission are equal when a passive antenna is used - i.e.
one without any active elements.

Yagi gain / beamwidth considerations

It is found that as the Yagi gain increases, so the beam-width decreases. Antennas
with a very high level of gain are very directive. Therefore high gain and narrow
beam-width sometimes have to be balanced to provide the optimum performance
for a given application

Yagi-Uda antenna gain vs beam-width

Yagi-Uda antenna gain considerations

A number of features of the Yagi design affect the overall gain:

 Number of elements in the Yagi: One of the main factors affecting the Yagi
antenna gain, is the number of elements in the design. Typically a reflector is
the first element added in any yagi design as this gives the most additional
gain. Directors are then added.
 Element spacing: The spacing can have an impact on the Yagi gain,
although not as much as the number of elements. Typically a wide-spaced
beam, i.e. one with a wide spacing between the elements gives more gain
than one that is more compact. The most critical element positions are the
reflector and first director, as their spacing governs that of any other
elements that may be added.
 Antenna length: When computing the optimal positions for the various
elements it has been shown that in a multi-element Yagi array, the gain is
generally proportional to the length of the array. There is certain amount of
latitude in the element positions.

The gain of a Yagi antenna is governed mainly by the number of elements in the
particular RF antenna. However the spacing between the elements also has an
effect. As the overall performance of the RF antenna has so many inter-related
variables, many early designs were not able to realise their full performance. Today
computer programmes are used to optimise RF antenna designs before they are
even manufactured and as a result the performance of antennas has been improved.

Yagi gain vs number of elements

Although there is variation between different designs and the way Yagi-Uda
antennas are constructed, it is possible to place some very approximate figures for
anticipated gain against the number of elements in the design.

APPROXIMATE YAGI-UDA
ANTENNA GAIN LEVELS
NUMBER OF APPROX
ELEMENTS ANTICIPATED GAIN
DB OVER DIPOLE
2 5
 APPROXIMATE YAGI-UDA
ANTENNA GAIN LEVELS
3 7.5
4 8.5
5 9.5
6 10.5
7 11.5
It should be noted that these figures are only very approximate.
As an additional rule of thumb, once there are around four or five directors, each
additional director adds around an extra 1dB of gain for directors up to about 15 or
so directors. The figure falls with the increasing number of directors.

Yagi Front to Back ratio

One of the figures associated with the Yagi antenna gain is what is termed the front
to back ratio, F/B. This is simply a ratio of the signal level in the forward direction
to the reverse direction. This is normally expressed in dB.

Yagi front to back ratio

The front to back ratio is important in circumstances where interference or

coverage in the reverse direction needs to be minimised. Unfortunately the
conditions within the antenna mean that optimisation has to be undertaken for
either front to back ratio, or maximum forward gain. Conditions for both features
do not coincide, but the front to back ratio can normally be maximised for a small
degradation of the forward gain.
Yagi Feed Impedance
As with any other type of antenna, ensuring that a good match between the feeder
and the antenna itself are crucial to ensure the performance of the antenna can be
optimised.
The impedance of the driven element is greatly affected by the parasitic elements
and therefore, arrangements needed to be incorporated into the basic design to
ensure that a good match is obtained.

Feed impedance of Yagi driven element

It is possible to vary the feed impedance of a Yagi antenna over a wide range.
Although the impedance of the dipole itself would be 73 ohms in free space, this is
altered considerably by the proximity of the parasitic elements.
The spacing, their length and a variety of other factors all affect the feed
impedance presented by the dipole to the feeder. In fact altering the element
spacing has a greater effect on the impedance than it does the gain, and accordingly
setting the required spacing can be used as one design technique to fine tune the
required feed impedance.
Nevertheless the proximity of the parasitic elements usually reduces the impedance
below the 50 ohm level normally required. It is found that for element spacing
distances less than 0.2 wavelengths the impedance falls rapidly away.

Yagi matching techniques

To overcome this, a variety of techniques can be used. Each one has its own
advantages and disadvantages, both in terms of performance and mechanical
suitability. No one solution is suitable for all applications.
The solutions below are some of the main solutions used and applicable to many
types of antenna. There also not the only ones:
  Balun: A balun is an impedance matching transformer and can be used to
match a great variety of impedance ratios, provided the impedance is known
when the balun is designed.
 Folded dipole: One method which can effectively be implemented to
increase the feed impedance is to use a folder dipole. In its basic form it
raises the impedance four fold, although by changing various parameters it is
possible t raise the impedance by different factors.
 Delta match: This method of Yagi impedance matching involves "fanning
out" the feed connection to the driven element.
 Gamma match: The gamma match solution to Yagi matching involves
connecting the out of the coax braid to the centre of the driven element, and
the centre via a capacitor to a point away from the centre, dependent upon
the impedance increase required.

Balun for Yagi matching

The balun is a very straightforward method of providing impedance matching. 4:1

baluns are widely available for applications including matching folded dipoles to
75Ω coax.
Baluns like these are just RF transformers. They should have as wide a frequency
range as possible, but like any wound components they have a limited bandwidth.
However if designed for use with a specific Yagi antenna, this should not be a
problem.
One of the problems with a balun is the cost - they tend to be more costly than
some other forms of Yagi impedance matching. They may also be power limited
for a given size.

Folded dipole
The folded dipole is a standard approach to increasing the Yagi impedance. It is
widely used on Yagi antennas including the television and broadcast FM antennas.
The simple folded dipole provides an increase in impedance by a factor of four.
Under free space conditions, the dipole impedance on its own is raised from 75Ω
for a standard dipole to 300Ω for the folded dipole.
 Simple folded dipole antenna

Note on folded dipole:

The folded dipole is a from of dipole that has a higher impedance than the standard
half wave dipole - in the standard version it has four times the impedance.
However different ratios can be obtained by changing the mechanical attributes.

Another advantage of using a folded dipole for Yagi impedance matching is that
the folded dipole has a flatter impedance versus frequency characteristic than the
simple dipole. This enables it and hence the Yagi to operate over a wider frequency
range.
While a standard folded dipole using the same thickness conductor for the top and
bottom conductors within the folded dipole will give a fourfold increase in
impedance, by varying the thickness of both, it is possible to change the impedance
multiplication factor to considerably different values.

Delta match

The delta match for of Yagi matching is one of the more straightforward solutions.
It involves fanning out the ends of the balanced feeder to join the continuous
radiating antenna driven element at a point to provide the required match.
 Delta match for dipole - often used for Yagi impedance matching
Both the side length and point of connection need to be adjusted to optimise the
match.
One of the drawbacks for using the Delta match for providing Yagi impedance
matching is that it is unable to provide any removal of reactive impedance
elements. As a result a stub may be used.

Gamma match
The gamma match is often used for providing Yagi impedance matching. It is
relatively simple to implement.

Gamma match for dipole - often used for Yagi impedance matching
As seen in the diagram, the outer of the coax feeder is connected to the centre of
the driven element of the Yagi antenna where the voltage is zero. As a result of the
fact that the voltage is zero, the driven element may also be connected directly to a
metal boom at this point without any loss of performance.
The inner conductor of the coax is then taken to a point further out on the driven
element - it is taken to a tap point to provide the correct match. Any inductance is
tuned out using the series capacitor.
When adjusting the RF antenna design, both the variable capacitor and the point at
which the arm contacts the driven element are adjusted. Once a value has been
ascertained for the variable capacitor, its value can be measured and a fixed
component inserted if required.
Yagi-Uda antenna is the most commonly used type of antenna for TV
reception over the last few decades. It is the most popular and easy-to-use
type of antenna with better performance, which is famous for its high gain
and directivity

Frequency range

The frequency range in which the Yagi-Uda antennas operate is around 30

MHz to 3GHz which belong to the VHF and UHFbands.

Construction of Yagi-Uda Antenna

A Yagi-Uda antenna was seen on top of almost every house during the past
decades. The parasitic elements and the dipole together form this Yagi-Uda
antenna.

The figure shows a Yagi-Uda antenna. It is seen that there are many
directors placed to increase the directivity of the antenna. The feeder is the
folded dipole. The reflector is the lengthy element, which is at the end of
the structure.
The figure depicts a clear form of the Yagi-Uda antenna. The center rod like
structure on which the elements are mounted is called as boom. The
element to which a thick black head is connected is the driven element to
which the transmission line is connected internally, through that black stud.
The single element present at the back of the driven element is
the reflector, which reflects all the energy towards the direction of the
radiation pattern. The other elements, before the driven element, are
the directors, which direct the beam towards the desired angle.

Designing
For this antenna to be designed, the following design specifications should
be followed.

They are −

ELEMENT SPECIFICATION

Length of the Driven Element 0.458λ to 0.5λ

Length of the Reflector 0.55λ to 0.58λ

Length of the Director 1 0.45λ

Length of the Director 2 0.40λ

Length of the Director 3 0.35λ

Spacing between Directors 0.2λ

Reflector to dipole spacing 0.35λ

Dipole to Director spacing 0.125λ

If the specifications given above are followed, one can design an Yagi-Uda
antenna.

Radiation Pattern
The directional pattern of the Yagi-Uda antenna is highly directive as
shown in the figure given below.

The minor lobes are suppressed and the directivity of the major lobe is
increased by the addition of directors to the antenna.

Advantages
The following are the advantages of Yagi-Uda antennas −
  High gain is achieved.

 High directivity is achieved.

 Ease of handling and maintenance.

 Less amount of power is wasted.

 Broader coverage of frequencies.

Disadvantages
The following are the disadvantages of Yagi-Uda antennas −

 Prone to noise.

 Prone to atmospheric effects.

Applications
The following are the applications of Yagi-Uda antennas −

 Mostly used for TV reception.

 Used where a single-frequency application is needed.