Antenna Basics 1 Antennas Antenna Basics A proper understanding of antennas requires familiarity with electromagnetic fields, circuit principles, electronics, and signal processing CANDACE SURIANO, PH.D. Suriano Solutions JOHN SURIANO, PH.D. Nidec Motors Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA TOM HOLMESAgilent Technologies Tipp City, Ohio, USA QIN YU Alcatel-Lucent Columbus, Ohio, USA How does an antenna pick up a signal and convert it into something useful for the receiving circuit? What is the path of the current that an antenna takes to receive or transmit a signal? Why do antennas come in different types and shapes? What are the standard engineering terms associated with antenna technology? How is the signal from an antenna amplified? Most engineers may rarely touch on the subject of antennas, but the workings and functional characteristics of antennas are essential elements of EMC knowledge. It is the starting point for understanding many EMC requirements and test procedures and for solving EMC problems. Antenna basics can be derived from the basic principles of electromagnetics and electronic circuits. Even a preliminary understanding can prove invaluable in solving EMC problems. The electric and magnetic fields that make up the antenna are measured. Antennas have specific structures depending on the type of field to be detected. Antennas designed to pick up electric fields, such as shown in Figure 1(a), are made of rods and metal plates, while antennas designed to pick up magnetic fields, such as shown in Figure 1(b), are made of wire loops. Sometimes parts of electronic circuits have such properties that they become antennas unintentionally. Electromagnetic compatibility is concerned with mitigating the possibility of these unintentional antennas injecting signals into the circuit or affecting other circuits. Consider the antenna of a car radio. When an electric field (V/m) hits the antenna, it induces a voltage along its length relative to ground (m*V/m = V). The receiver detects the voltage between the antenna and ground. Another way to think of this antenna is as one lead of a voltmeter that measures the potential in space, with the other lead of the voltmeter being the circuit ground. What is the importance of antenna shape? Some antennas consist of…
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