DESIGN OF YAGI-UDA ANTENNA

Members:
 ADAN, Lilian Mae L.
 OCHOA, King Matthew P.
 TEJADILLA, Rex Albert P.
 VERGARA, Kristian Ysrael A.

Theory

The Yagi-Uda antenna or Yagi Antenna

is one of the most brilliant antenna designs. It is
simple to construct and has a high gain, typically
greater than 10 dB. The Yagi-Uda antennas
typically operate in the HF to UHF bands (about
3 MHz to 3 GHz), although their bandwidth is
typically small, on the order of a few percent of
the center frequency. You are probably familiar
with this antenna, as they sit on top of roofs
everywhere. An example of a Yagi-Uda antenna
Fig.1 Typical Yagi-Uda Antenna
is shown below.
element is equal to half the wavelength; thus, the
The Yagi antenna was invented in Japan,
length of the reflector is 0.525 times the
with results first published in 1926. The work was
wavelength and the director next to the driven
originally done by Shintaro Uda,but published in
element is 0.475 times the wavelength. The
Japanese. The work was presented for the first
spacing of the reflector and the driven element is
time in English by Yagi (who was either Uda's
25 percent of the wavelength while the spacing
professor or colleague, my sources are
from the driven element to the first director is
conflicting), who went to America and gave the
12.5 percent of the wavelength. For the
first English talks on the antenna, which led to its
succeeding spaces, each gap decreases by 2.5
widespread use. Hence, even though the antenna
percent.
is often called a Yagi antenna, Uda probably
invented it. Prof. Uda performed several
The advantages of a Yagi-Uda antenna
experiments. Starts with single reflector, a driven
are:
and a single director and up to 30 directors. He
 Excellent sensitivity;
found that highest gain is possible with the
reflector of length equal to λ/2 located at a  F/B ratio is excellent;
distance λ/4 from the driven element, along with  Useful as transmitter antenna at HF for
director of length approx. 10% less than λ/2 TV reception;
located at a distance λ/3 from the driven element.  Almost unidirectional radiation pattern;
and
Figure 1 shows the structure of a typical  The antenna is broadband by using of
Yagi antenna is composed of three significant folded dipole.
elements: the reflector, the driven element, and
the directors. It has a fixed operating frequency The disadvantages of a Yagi-Uda
with a gain that is about 7 to 8 dB. The lengths of antenna are:
each element decrease by 5 percent from the
reflector to the director at the end of the boom. It  It has limited gain;
should be noted that the length of the driven  It has limited bandwidth;
  The gain of the antenna increases with
reflector and director.
Building a Yagi-Uda Antenna
Fig. 2 Yagi-Uda Antenna
To make a Yagi-Uda antenna, the
following materials are needed:
 14 AWG bare solid copper wire
 1x1 strip of wood cut to length
 Pliers
 Metric ruler
 1.6 mm drill bit and drill
 Round file
 Pencil
The following are the steps for the
construction of the Yagi-Uda antenna:
1. Find out the frequency that shall be
received by the antenna. It is conventional to
use an online Yagi antenna design program to
find the size of all the antenna parts to prevent
greater error. Each program starts with the
frequency you wish to receive. From there,
follow instructions to find the sizes you need.
Print out the page with the spacing and sizes
for each part for reference.
2. Draw a line on one side of the piece of wood
running down the exact center. The line
should run along the full length. The wood
must be straight with the line centered
perfectly.
3. Place a mark at the center line 5 cm from
the end of the piece of wood. Label that first
mark "1." This will be your starting point for
the rest of your measurements.
4. Starting at the mark labeled 1 (reflector
position), measure and mark the distance
along the center line to the driven element.
Continue down the line, marking in the
spacing for each of the director elements.
Make sure the director elements go in order of
largest to smallest heading away from the
driven element. Continue numbering the holes
from your starting mark of 1.
5. Drill a hole through the wood at each of the
marks you made. Make sure to drill straight
through so the drill comes out of the wood
centered on the other side.
6. Mark the numbers you used running down
a sheet of paper. This is where you are going
to place your cut pieces of copper wire once
they are cut. The lengths are slightly different,
and if mixed up the antenna's efficiency will
be compromised.
7. Cut one piece of copper wire at a time using
your wire cutters. Cut each piece a little
longer than the measurement you need. File
the rough edge off, giving you the correct
measurement needed. Place the cut piece of
copper wire beside the number on the piece of
paper to avoid confusion. The reflector is
number 1. The driven element is number 2 and
the directors start at number 3 going from
longest to shortest.
8. Working with one piece at a time, press the
copper wires through the corresponding
numbered hole on the piece of wood. Mark
it on the center using your ruler to make both
sides even. Do this for all the copper wires,
except for wire number 2. Number 2 is the
driven element and needs to be formed first.
9. The number 2 copper wire is the heart of
the antenna (dipole), so take your time with
this part. Feed the wire through the hole and
center it. The goal is to make the shape of a
paper clip. Using your pliers, bend one end
180 degrees so that the end is approximately
over the middle of the piece of wood. Do the
same with the other end of the wire. There
should be a 5mm gap between the two ends.
Make any adjustments to fit those
measurements. This piece is now called a
folded dipole.
10. Attach the appropriate connector for the
unit you are using to the open ends of your
folded dipole. Check with the manufacturer of
your unit to find out which adapter will work
best. TVs, radios and routers all have different
connectors.

References

[1] C.A. Balanis (2012). Antenna Theory:

Analysis & Design. John Wiley & Sons.
[2] Stutzman and Thiele (2012). Antenna Theory
and Design. John Wiley.
[3] T. A. Milligan (2005) Modern Antenna
Design. John Wiley. 2nd edition.
[4] It Still Works (n.d.). How to Build your Yagi
Antenna. Retrieved November 13, 2019,
from: https://itstillworks.com/build-yagi-
antenna-7557621.html