ECE 472 Antennas I Page 1

Designation Technical Elective

Analysis design, fabrication, measurement, and CAD applied to basic antenna
Catalog types. Fundamental parameters. Friis transmission equation. Impedance and
Data pattern measurements. Resonant micro strip and wire antennas. Arrays and line
source.
Prerequisites ECE 375
Lecture Three 50-minute sessions per week
Laboratory Eleven experiments, fifteen 2-hour lab sessions in total
Committee F. Harackiewicz, M. Sayeh, R. Viswanathan Credit Hours Î 4
Textbooks
Antenna Theory analysis and design 3rd Edition, Constantine Balanis, John Wiley & Sons, 2005,
ISBN: 0-471-66782-X
References
• Mathematical Handbook, Spiegel, McGraw Hill Schaum’s Outline, Mc-Graw Hill, 1998
• Microwave Engineering, David M. Pozar, John Wiley and Sons, 2004
Course Learning Outcomes / Expected Performance Criteria
Upon completion of the course, the students should be able to:
• Solve problems using the Friis transmission equation, Radar Range Equation and/or signal to noise
ratio equation. Understand figures of merit describing an antenna’s radiation pattern. Solve for
those figures using a given mathematical expression for a pattern and plot the patterns.
• Understand and derive duality equations. Understand figures of merit related to the antenna’s
impedance. Be able to calculate loss resistance for a thin wire antenna, radiation resistance from
fields radiated and terminal current, and radiation efficiency and mismatch loss.
• Use a VNA to measure antenna impedance and report and interpret results.
• Analyze a thin wire dipole or monopole antenna for its figures of merit and radiation pattern and
impedance given its physical description of geometry, materials and frequency of operation.
• Analyze a thin wire loop antenna for its figures of merit and radiation pattern and impedance given
its physical description of geometry, materials and frequency of operation. Design thin wire dipole,
monopole, or loop antennas to achieve given figures of merit and at a given frequency of operation.
• Use near field system to measure antenna pattern and report and interpret results.
• Analyze and design ideal linear and planar antenna arrays in terms of their radiation patterns. Use
pattern multiplication of given or calculated element patterns and calculated array factors.
• Both analyze and design ideal line source and continuous source antennas using methods of
Schelkunoff, Fourier, Woodward-Lawson and Taylor. Design, fabricate, test, measure and compare
theory to measured values for a microstrip patch antenna.
• Design, fabricate, test, measure and compare theory to measured values for an antenna or array of
microstrip-type (e.g. fractal, scanned array) antenna.

Professional Component {Credit Hours}

Mathematics - Sciences - General Ed. - Eng. Science 2 Eng. Design 2
 ECE 472 Antennas I Page 2
Prerequisites by Topic
Maxwell’s Equations. Vectors in rectangular and spherical coordinates. Plane Waves. Vector
Calculus. Trigonometry. Some programming experience.
Course Topics
• Phenomenological Description of Antenna Links: Input impedance, conductor losses, far-field
radiation, pattern, directivity, efficiency, gain, beam width, side-lobe level, polarization, effective
aperture, Friis equation, and antenna noise temperature {10 classes}
• Electromagnetic Antenna Principles: Maxwell’s equations, source-potential and potential-field
relationships, far-field approximations, reciprocity and duality {3 classes}
• Thin-Wire Antennas: Hertzian, small, half-wavelength, and finite-length dipoles; small
nonuniform-current, ferrite-core, and N-turn loops; monopole, image theory, ground effects,
reflection coefficients, curvature divergence factor {13 classes}
• Linear and Planar Arrays: Array factors of linear and planar arrays; broadside, end-fire, Hansen-
Woodyard end-fire, and scanning arrays; uniform and tapered amplitudes; side-lobe level /
beamwidth tradeoffs; design of binomial and Dolph-Chebyshev tapers {7 classes}
• Synthesis of Linear Arrays and Line Sources and Continuous Sources: Continuous Line and
Aperture Sources. Synthesis for null locations, pattern shaping, and SLLs using methods of
Schelkunoff, Fourier, Woodward-Lawson, and Taylor Line-Source {6 classes}
Laboratory Topics Hours
1. Introduction, choose lab times and teams 2
2. Animation-visualization of radiation problem using program in book 2
3. Measurement of antenna impedance using VNA: dipole, patch, horn 2
4. X-band horn antenna far-field relative gain pattern measurement 2
5. Directivity calculation and pattern plotting using program in book 2
6. Linear dipole antenna calculations using program in book 4
7. Circular loop antenna calculations using program in book 2
8. Design array antennas using program in book 2
9. Design, fabricate and measure pattern and impedance of a microstrip patch antenna 6
10. Fabricate and test the fractal or other antenna using dimensions given by TA 4
11. Review for the final exam 2
CAD and Computer Tools Used
Ansoft’s HFSS, Matlab, plotting packages
Assessment of the Contribution to Program Outcomes
Outcome Î 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Assessed Î x x x x x x

Last Review Spring Semester 2007

Course Coordinator Dr. F. Harackiewicz Signature