SCHOOL OF COMPUTER &

COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING

EKT 341/4 ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION

Lecturer:
En. Rosmizi bin Abd Rahim
Dr. Mohd Faizal Bin Jamlos

PLV:
Puan Hazila Othman

1
Marks allocation:

Final Exam : 50%

Written Tests : 20%
Mini Project : 10%
Laboratory : 15%
Quiz, Assignment & others : 5%

2
 Network Analyzer

Introduction

Agilent Technologies offers a wide range of both scalar and

vector network analyzers for characterizing components from
DC to 110 GHz. These instruments are available with a wide
range of options to simplify testing in both laboratory and
production environments.

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Types of Network Analyzer
Scalar Vector
• Magnitude only • Phase and Magnitude
• Broadband Detector • Tuned Detector with
with higher noise floor lower noise floor
• Lower Price • Higher Price
• Normalization – Less • Complete Error
Accurate Correction – More
Accurate
• Measures RL, SWR,
Gain/Loss • Measures all

4
Network Analyzers Vs Spectrum Analyzers
.

SPECTRUM ANALYZER 9 kHz - 26.5

8563A GHz
Amplitude Ratio

Amplitud
Measures Measures

e
known signal unknown
signals
Frequency Frequency

Network analyzers: Spectrum analyzers:

 measure components, devices,  measure signal amplitude characteristics

circuits, sub-assemblies carrier level, sidebands, harmonics...)

 contain source and receiver  can demodulate (& measure) complex signals

 display ratioed amplitude and phase  are receivers only (single channel)

(frequency or power sweeps)  can be used for scalar component test (no

 offer advanced error correction phase) with tracking gen. or ext. source(s)

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Why Use S-Parameters?

 relatively easy to obtain at high frequencies

 hard to measure total voltage & current at the device ports at high

frequency
 measure voltage traveling waves with a vector network analyzer

 don't need shorts/opens which can cause active devices to oscillate or

self-destruct
 relate to familiar measurements (gain, loss, reflection coefficient ...)
 for RF design, S-parameters are easily imported and used for circuit
simulations in electronic-design automation (EDA) tools like Agilent's
Advanced Design System (ADS). S-parameters are the shared language
between simulation and measurement.

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 Measuring S-Parameters
S b2
Incident 21 Transmitted
a1
Z0
S 11
Forward Reflected DUT Load
b1 a2 = 0

Reflected b1
S 11 = = a
Incident 1 a2 = 0 b2
S 22 = Reflected
b = a a1 = 0
Transmitted 2 Incident 2
S 21 = = a
Incident 1 a2 = 0 b
Transmitted 1
S 12 = = a
Incident 2 a1 = 0

a1 = 0 b2
Z0 S 22
DUT
Load Reflected Reverse
a2
b1 Transmitted S 12 Incident

Vector Network Analyzer 7

Basic Antenna
Parameters

8
 Antenna Parameters

• Radiation Pattern
• Input Impedance and Impedance Matching
• Return Loss / Reflection Coefficient ?
• Bandwidth
• VSWR
•Demo

Antenna Parameters 9
 Radiation Pattern of generic
directional antenna
Minor Lobe:
All the lobes other then the main
Main Lobe:
lobe are called the minor lobes.
This is the radiation lobe
These lobes represent the
containing the direction of
radiation in undesired directions.
maximum radiation.

HPBW (3dB
Beamwidth) :
The half power
Back Lobe: beamwidth (HPBW)
This is the minor can be defined as the
lobe diametrically angle subtended by
opposite the main the half power points
lobe. of the main lobe.
Side Lobes:
These are the minor lobes adjacent to the main lobe
and are separated by various nulls. Side lobes are
generally the largest among the minor lobes.

***In most wireless systems, minor lobes are undesired. Hence a

good antenna design should minimize the minor lobes.

Antenna Parameters 10
 Input Impedance
The input impedance of an antenna is defined as “the impedance
presented by an antenna at its terminals or the ratio of the voltage to the
current at the pair of terminals ”.

An ideal antenna solution has an impedance of 50 ohm all the way from
the transceiver to the antenna.

Hence the impedance of the antenna can be written as:

where

Antenna Parameters 11
Smith Chart Review

Constant X

Z L = Zo Constant R

G= 0

Z L = 0 (short) ZL = (open)

G= 1 ±180
O
G =1 0
O

Smith chart

Antenna Parameters
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 Return Loss (RL)
The Return Loss (RL) is a parameter which indicates the amount
of power that is “lost” to the load and does not return as a
reflection.

RL is a parameter similar to the VSWR to indicate how well

the matching between the transmitter and antenna has taken
place.

The RL is given as :

For perfect matching between the transmitter and the antenna,

Γ = 0 and RL = ∞ which means no power would be reflected back,
whereas a Γ = 1 has a RL = 0 dB, which implies that all incident
power is reflected.

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 Return Loss (RL)

Return Loss

A very good antenna might have a value of -10dB (90 % absorbed &
10 % reflected).

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 Bandwidth
The range of frequencies on either side of the center frequency where the
antenna characteristics like input impedance, radiation pattern,
beamwidth, polarization, side lobe level or gain, are close to those values
which have been obtained at the center frequency.

The bandwidth of a broadband antenna can be defined as the ratio of the

upper to lower frequencies of acceptable operation.

The bandwidth of a narrowband antenna can be defined as the percentage

of the frequency difference over the center frequency.

The equations as follows:

Antenna Parameters 15
 Bandwidth

Bandwidth (BW) can be

measured by looking at the
frequency range where
reflection coefficient value
dropped below than -10 dB.

Antenna Parameters
16
 VSWR
VSWR is a measure of impedance mismatch between the
transmitter and the antenna. The higher the VSWR, the
greater the mismatch. The minimum VSWR, i.e., that
which corresponds to a perfect impedance match, is unity.

The result is presented as a figure

describing the power absorption of
the antenna. A value of 2.0:1 VSWR,
which is equal to 90 % power
absorption, is considered very good
for a small antenna.

Antenna Parameters 17
 Half Wave Dipole Antenna

Vertical Position Horizontal Position

Vector Network Analyzer 18

Radiation Pattern

hazila_2010
 Yagi Antenna

Radiation Pattern

Vector Network Analyzer 20

 THE END

Vector Network Analyzer 21