Antennas

Imagine holding your hand up and catching pictures, words, and information passing by. That is exactly what antennas do! To be precise, these electronic devices are metal rods or dishes that catch radio waves. Subsequently, they turn these waves into electrical signals and feed them into electronic devices such as TV sets, radios, or telephonic systems. Let us explore a little more about them to get a better idea.

Antennas are accessories that serve as the key to all forms of modern communication. They are electronic devices but are simpler than other electronic gadgets. Generally, they are transducers that convert voltage from a transmitter into a radio signal. Consequently, they pick these signals in the air and convert them back into a voltage for recovery in a receiver. Moreover, these devices are certainly a critical component in establishing and maintaining reliable radio or TV signals. If you’re currently on a hunt for an antenna, we’ll reveal everything you need to know about it. So, read on.

Get to know the different antenna types

Antennas are the fundamental components of any electrical circuit. They provide an interconnecting link between free space, transmitters, and receivers. For this reason, these devices play a prominent role when it comes to wireless communication systems. They convert the electronic signals to electromagnetic waves efficiently. When shopping for them online, keep an eye on their properties including the aperture, gain, bandwidth, and directivity. Effective length and polarisation are also essential characteristics that must be considered. Now, let us look at their various types.

Log-periodic antennas: one of the best outdoor TV antennae

Outdoor antennas are multi-element, directional narrow beams that work on a wide range of frequencies. They are a series of dipoles placed along their axis. Thus, these are also called log-periodic arrays. The series of dipoles place at differently spaced intervals of time, followed by a logarithmic function of frequency. The bowtie and log-periodic are two of their most common types. Well, with such precise construction, outdoor antennas are indeed one of the most sought-after types for televisions. Apart from televisions, you’ll also find them in a wide range of other applications.

Wire antennas: the perfect antennas for cars

Also known as curved or linear, wire antennas are very simple and cheap. What’s more, they come with an array of applications too. Generally, these types have four main categories: dipole, short-dipole, monopole, and loop. These are an ideal choice for cars, other vehicles, ships, aircraft, and so much more. And since wire antennas come in several varieties, each of them has a specific purpose and use. Keep in mind also that every antenna has peculiar features that help perform its function perfectly. For example, a special case of this dipole is the monopole. It is half of the dipole.

Over-the-air antennas

Helical varieties are one of the prominent types of sky wires under this category. Unlike the name, these have a relatively simple structure. For instance, they come with one or two wires, each wound up forming a helical structure. Moreover, they are usually backed by a shaped reflector and driven by an appropriate feed. Another antenna that makes use of the passive elements is the Yagi-Uda. This type is effective and is inexpensive. It can be constructed with one or more reflectors, folded dipole elements, and directors. All these play a crucial role in the easy transmission of signals.

Microwave antennas

These are critical elements of any microwave network. Thus, the antennas that operate in microwave frequencies are known as microwave antennas. You’ll find several types of them with various mechanical and electrical functions. However, a parabolic one is typically used for a terrestrial microwave network. Some other types used for this network include flat panel, yagi, sector, horn, and dielectric lens antennas. Each of these has different characteristics. Therefore, you must choose the most suitable one for specific systems and situations. Furthermore, you must also assess their quality thoroughly before buying them.

Reflector antennas

There are two major types of reflector sky wires. The corner reflector comprises one or more dipole elements placed in front of it. You can increase the directivity of a reflector antenna using reflectors. Alternatively, the radiating surface of the parabolic reflector has very large dimensions compared to its wavelength. However, you can examine certain factors of these sky wires by using ray optics. One of the most important properties of a reflector variety is the conversion of a diverging spherical wavefront into a parallel wavefront.