SUMMARY:

This course provides participants with comprehensive coverage of a wide variety of antenna and propagation topics related to numerous communication systems.  After completing the course, participants will:

• understand the relationship between an antenna’s physical properties and its electrical performance characteristics; be able to

• understand, evaluate and define antenna performance specifications;

• understand a broad spectrum of antenna types;

• understand the basic performance trade-offs associated with antenna design;

• understand basic principles associated with the  implementation of antenna arrays;

• understand the operating principles of basic  types of antennas that are used in today’s wireless communication systems. 

The course begins with a discussion of fundamental antenna concepts and definitions  used in  the antenna industry.  Antenna characteristics such as VSWR, radiation patterns,  directivity, gain, polarization, axial ratio, phase center, noise temperature, EIRP, etc. are  defined and their impact on wireless system performance is discussed.  A detailed \overview of different antenna typesincluding numerous wire antennas, microstrip antennas, electrically small antennas, circularly polarized antennas, low-profile antennas and aperture antennas is presented.  The basic design concepts and performance properties of passive and active antenna arrays are discussed.  RF propagation issues such as path loss, multipath fading, polarization distortion, noise and interference, and diversity implementation are described and their impact on system performance is discussed.  New topic areas such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems, Ultra Wideband (UWB) antennas and the use of Electronic Bandgap (EBG) Materials in antenna design are discussed in detail.  The workshop concludes with an overview of the different types of antennas used in today’s wireless communication systems. 

HANDOUTS:

Copies of the course outline slides (approximately 900 slides) will be provided along with relevant handouts when appropriate.

For additional information, please contact:  Steven Best at steven.best@comcast.net

LECTURE OUTLINE:

Lecture 1:  Fundamental Antenna Concepts

Basic Antenna Definitions and Characteristics

• Definitions of basic antenna properties (impedance, directivity, radiation patterns, polarization, etc.)

• Relationships between physical properties and electrical performance

Types of Antennas

• Resonant antennas · Traveling wave antennas · Frequency Independent antennas · Aperture antennas

• Phased arrays · Electrically small antennas · Circularly polarized antennas

Classification of Antenna Types

• By frequency

• By size

• By directivity

Lecture 2:  Fundamental Antenna Elements

Elementary Antenna Elements

• The monopole

• The dipole

• The loop

• The folded dipole

• The slot

Baluns

• Dipole antenna feed considerations

Ground Plane Considerations

• Vertically polarized element over ground

• Horizontally polarized element over ground

Microstrip Antennas

• Element types

• Microstrip element design

• Design trade-offs

Lecture 3:  Advanced Antenna Elements I

Circularly Polarized Antennas

• Achieving circular polarization

• The helix antenna

• The crossed dipole antenna

• The microstrip patch

• The quadrifilar helix

Aperture Antennas

• Aperture design concepts

• The horn antenna

• The reflector antenna

• The corner reflector

Omnidirectional Antennas

• Monopole configurations

• Dipole configurations

• Bandwidth improvement techniques

• The impact of the surrounding environment on antenna performance Broadband and Frequency Independent Antennas

• The log-periodic antenna

• The spiral antenna

• Broadband dipole antennas

Lecture 4:  Electrically Small Antennas

• Impedance, bandwidth and quality factor of antennas

• Defining electrically small

• The small dipole

• The small loop

• Design and Optimization of small antennas

• The significance of geometry and current vector alignment in determining antenna performance

Lecture 5:  Passive and Active Antenna Arrays

• Fundamental array theory

• Types of antenna arrays

• Feed network design considerations

• Beam steering and shaping concepts

• Performance trade-offs

• Microstrip patch arrays

• Dipole element arrays

Lecture 6:  Advanced Antenna Elements II

Fractal Antennas

• Fractal antenna types

• Performance properties of fractal antennas Antenna Phase Center Ultra Wideband (UWB) Antennas

• Time domain considerations in antenna design

• Antenna performance requirements in UWB systemsThe PIFA

• The inverted L and inverted F antennas

• The planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) Device Integrated Antennas

Lecture 7:  Advanced Antenna Topics

RFID Systems and Antennas

Electronic Bandgap Materials

• What are EBG materials?

• Limitations of perfectly conducting (PEC) ground planes

• Advantages of EBG ground planes Propagation Channel Considerations

• RF path loss

• Reflection, multipath and fading

• Noise and interference

• Polarization distortion

• Diversity implementation

MIMO Systems

Lecture 8:  Practical Antenna Implementation

Types of Antennas used in Communications Systems

• Wireless base station antennas

• Wireless handset and portable device antennas

• GPS antennas

• HF, UHF and VHF communication antennas

• Earth station and satellite communication antennas

LECTURER BIOGRAPHY:

Steven R. Best received the B.Sc.Eng and the Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1983 and 1988, respectively, from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB, Canada.  Dr. Best has over 17 years of experience in business management and antenna design engineering in both military and commercial markets.  He is the author or co-author of over 80 papers in various journal, conference and industry publications.  He also presents a three-day antenna design short course and is the author of a CD-ROM series on antenna theory and design.  He is currently with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/SNHA) at Hanscom AFB, MA, where his areas of interest include electrically small antennas, wideband radiating elements, conformal antennas, antenna arrays and communications antennas.  Dr Best is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a member of Sigma Xi and a member of ACES.  He is an Associate Editor for the IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters and a Member-at-Large for the IEEE Boston Section.

Prior to joining AFRL, he was President of Cushcraft Corporation in Manchester, NH from 1997 to 2002.  Cushcraft is a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of amateur radio and wireless communication antennas.  He was Director of Engineering at Cushcraft from 1996 to 1997.  Prior to joining Cushcraft, he was co-founder and Vice President and General Manager of Parisi Antenna Systems from 1993 through 1996.  Parisi specialized in the design, development and manufacture of both military and commercial communications antennas.   He was Vice President and General Manager of D&M/Chu Technology, Inc (formerly Chu Associates) from 1990 – 1993.  He joined Chu Associates as a Senior Electrical Engineer in 1987.  Chu Associates was a recognized leader in the field of specialized communications and radar antennas for both military and commercial markets. 

Decision (Run/Cancel) Date for  this Courses is Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Course Fee Schedule:

On-line Registration and Payment

On-line registration is closed for this course, but registration is still available on-site or by contacting the office at 781-245-5405

Copyright © 2004 IEEE Boston Section. All rights reserved.
Maintained by R M Stelting

Updated Thursday June 11, 2009