Radiation Parameters of

Antenna
HPBW & FNBW
Null
Side Lobe Level
Radiation Intensity (RI)
Directive Gain & Power Gain
Directivity
EIRP or ERP
Effective Aperture (Area)

Antenna Beamwidth
Peak (i.e. maximum) GAIN

Angle between the 3 dB down

points is the beamwidth of the
antenna

Half Power Beam Width

(HPBW)
Beam Width ,

Directivity
Resolution
Improves
Bigger the

Antenna,
Smaller the
Beam Width

Isotropic Radiator
Isotropic Source

Distance R
Pt

Watts

Surface Area of

sphere = 4R2

Power Flux Density:

Pt
F
2
4R

W/m2

Power Gain of Antenna

Universal antenna constant
G/Ae = 4/2
where

G = Power gain of the antenna,

Ae= Effective antenna area,
= Operational wavelength,
Ae= A,
= Efficiency,
A = Physical area of antenna.

Received Power
EIRP Pt Gt
2
F

W/m
2
2
4R
4R

Pr Pt Gt Gr

4R

Pt Gt Ar
Pr F x Ar
4R 2
Ae Aphy x
4Ae
Gain 2

EIRP Receiving Antenna Gain

Power Received
Path Loss

Friis transmission equation,

Term

[4R/]2

is known as Free Space Loss

Spreading loss, not power lost by absorption

LFS= Free Space Loss=20log10(4R/) dB

LFS = 32.4 + 20 log10d + 20 log10f
d km & f MHz

Radiation Pattern
Top view

Side view

Comparison of Polar and XY

plot
90

120

60

-5

150

30
-10

180

210

antenna directivity in db

-15

-20

330
-25

240

300
270

-30

50

100

150
200
vertical plane angle

250

300

350

Radiation Pattern Lobes

Radiation Pattern Lobes

Major Lobe: Lobe

containing the
direction of maximum
radiation.

Minor Lobe: Any lobe

except major lobe

Side Lobe: Lobe in any

direction other than

intended direction

Back Lobe: Lobe

whose axis makes

1800 w.r.t. to the main
beam of an antenna.

Diagram of side lobe

Up side lobe
suppression

Down side lobe

suppression

Front-to-back Ratio
Front-to-back ratio is the ratio of the maximum power of

the front beam to that of the back beam.

The higher the front-to-back ratio, the better the
performance of the antenna in directional reception.
The front-to-back ratio of an omni-directional antenna is
1

Back
radiated
power

Front
radiated
power

Dual Polarized antennas

Two antennas is integrated, effecting two waves independent of each other.

V/H
Dual polarization

Cross (+/- 45)

Dual polarization

Beam down tilt

Intended for:
coverage control
Reduce Interference

Adjustment of tilt angle

Antennas are tilted to direct the beam to the ground.

No tilt

Electrical tilt

Mechanical tilt

Antenna Bandwidth
Antennas, receiving or transmitting, work

within a certain range of frequencies (or

within a certain bandwidth)
Generally, working at the central frequency,
antennas result the most power
Deviating from the central frequency, the
antenna will produce less power.
Def.1 When the gain of the antenna
drops by 3 dBi;

Antenna Bandwidth
Def.2 Bandwidth refers to the working
bandwidth of the antenna when the
VSWR is specified.
In mobile communication,
Def.2 is adopted, namely, bandwidth refers to
the working
bandwidth when VSWR1.5.

Operating beyond the optimal wavelength, the

antenna will suffer in performance.
Operating within the operating frequency band,
the antenna works somehow acceptably with
little sufferance in performance.

Optimal performance at the

frequency of 850MHz.

820
MHz

890
MHz

wavelengt
h element

Half-wavelength is 180mm at 820MHZ;

half-wavelength is 170 mm at 890MHZ.
The antenna get an optimal performance at 850MHz with half-wavelength 175mm.
The bandwidth of the antenna is 890 - 820,hence 70MHz.

Antenna Bandwidth
Antenna BW: The range of frequency over which

antenna can operate correctly.

Generally, the BW is represented in terms of

percentage of the centre frequency of the band.

(Highest Freq. Lowest Freq.)

BW
X 100%
Center Freq.
Microwave Frequency antenna Broad band

antenna

Resonant & Nonresonant

Antennas

Resonant Antenna size integer multiple of

(/2)

ln ,
2

n 1,2,3,............

Standing wave antenna

always bidirectional radiation pattern

Narrow band antenna
Nonresonant Broad band antenna
Directional antenna