Antennas & Propagation for Wireless Communications

Course 037

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Summary

This three day course provides participants with comprehensive coverage of a wide variety of antenna and propagation topics. The course provides an understanding of antenna property definitions, antenna design fundamentals and considerations, numerous antenna types and RF propagation fundamentals. The course also provides an overview of how antenna properties and propagation characteristics affect communication system performance. Topics covered include antenna performance properties, antenna specifications and data sheets, basic antenna types, elementary antennas, electrically small antennas, wireless device antennas, medical device antennas, low profile antennas, aperture and reflector antennas, circular polarized antennas, antenna arrays, propagation channel characteristics, antenna diversity and MIMO, and an overview of different antennas used in today’s wireless communication systems and markets.

Learning objectives

Upon completing the course you will be able to:

Understand the concepts associated with antenna performance, operation and classification.
Understand, evaluate and define antenna performance specifications.
Describe and understand a broad spectrum of antenna types.
Illustrate antenna operating principles with a factual knowledge of antenna theory.
Understand the basic performance trade-offs associated with antenna design.
Understand how to design basic antenna elements.
Understand basic principles associated with the implementation of antenna arrays.
Understand and describe how antenna performance and the RF propagation environment impact wireless communication system performance.
Understand the basic types of antennas that are used in today’s wireless communications markets.

Target Audience

Anyone working within the field of general RF systems, wireless, cellular and microwave systems will benefit from this comprehensive coverage of antenna properties and design. The course is well suited for design engineers and program managers who require an understanding of antenna principles and design concepts. Basic mathematical and computing skills are a prerequisite for this course. An electrical engineering background or equivalent practical experience is recommended but not required.

Outline

Day One

Basic RF Concepts

• Review of fundamental RF Concepts • Basic design and performance requirements of a wireless communication system

Basic Antenna Concepts

• Definitions of basic antenna properties - impedance, VSWR, bandwidth, directivity, gain, radiation patterns, polarization, etc.

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

Fundamental Antenna Elements

• The monopole • The dipole • The loop • The folded dipole • The slot

Microstrip Antennas

• Element types • Microstrip element design • Design trade-offs • Designing and 802.11 microstrip patch

Baluns

Ground Plane Considerations

• horizontally polarized antennas • Vertically polarized antennas • The impact of the surrounding environment on antenna performance

Circularly Polarized Antennas

• Achieving circular polarization • The helix antenna • The crossed dipole antenna • The microstrip patch • The quadrifilar helix

Day Two

Aperture Antennas

• Aperture design concepts • The horn antenna • The reflector antenna • The corner reflector

Impedance Matching

• Impedance matching networks

Broadband Antennas

• Monopole configurations • Feed considerations • Dipole configurations • Bandwidth improvement techniques

Frequency Independent Antennas

• The log-periodic antenna • The spiral antenna

Electrically Small Antennas

• Impedance, bandwidth and quality factor of antennas • Defining electrically small • Fundamental performance limitations • The small dipole • The small loop • Design and Optimization of small antennas

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

Friis and Link Budget

• The communication link • Understanding and calculating path loss • Receiver Sensitivity and antenna noise figure • Link budget calculations

Receive Properties of Antenna

• How does an antenna capture power • Aperture area and efficiency • Coupling between antennas

Fractal Antennas

• Fractal antenna types • Performance properties of fractal antennas

RFID Antennas

• RFID system basics • Performance properties of RFID antennas

Ultra Wideband (UWB) Antennas

• Time domain considerations in antenna design • Antenna performance requirements in UWB systems

Day Three

Low Profile Antennas

• The inverted L and inverted F antennas • The planar inverted F antenna (PIFA)

Device Integrated Antennas

• Antennas commonly used in wireless device applications

Propagation Channel Considerations

• RF path loss • Reflection, multipath and fading • Noise and interference • Polarization distortion • Diversity implementation • MIMO

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

Numerical Modeling of Antennas

• Software packages • Comparison with measurements

Antenna Design and Simulation Examples Using Commercial Antenna Design Software

Subject Areas:

Antennas

Everyone who works on a phased array radar system should take this course. The instructor is very good at explaining technical concepts at the appropriate level. This cannot be understated. J.M.

Excellent presentation of material. Good flexibility to clarify issues and questions that arise during presentation. Style of presentation is very comfortable and invites participation and questions by students. K.G.

The instructor was/is excellent. His knowledge and breadth of knowledge is impressive. He is extremely good at explaining complex ideas so they are understandable. W.Y.

My view of antennas changed after this course. The steps to analyze an antenna was one of the most important skills I learned. A.N.

Extremely knowledgeable on material. Lots and lots of great slides. M.C.

I liked the coverage of real-world applications to tie the theory to practical usage. M.Z.

The instructor was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and was able to draw on his industry experience to clearly answer students' questions. The information was presented in a way that was useful for early career employees and those with many years experience alike.

The instructor does a great job of explaining the material and keeping the course interesting.1

Great! This gentleman is an excellent lecturer, very interesting and always eager to answer questions and explain. I would highly recommend any class he would teach. Probably the best short course I have taken. G.H.

Extremely knowledgeable about theoretical and practical design considerations. Easily able to convey some complex topics in layman's terms. Obvious that Dr. Best has ample experience with design, simulation, and measurement. I really appreciated the balance between qualitative and quantitative. Dr. Best is easily able to transition between the two based on audience. A.C.

Excellent organization and presentation of course notes. Excellent continuity of relating course materials to real world examples and applications. Excellent procedure of hitting high points in the course material and providing more detailed material to be used as references later. Excellent annotation on slides, depth of knowledge on the subject. Excellent ability to zero in on specific areas of interest for class. R.J.

The topic was very interesting and the instructor was good at answering questions.

Dr. Best is extremely knowledgeable and experienced. I appreciated that hands on knowledge compared to someone that just drills math and theory.

As usual, great mix of theory and practical applications. C.A.

Very, very knowledgeable instructor. A.L.

Well organized presentation with many practical examples. Good balance between theory and simulation and practice. Instructor is very capable and a good presenter. D.C.

The instructor is a very good lecturer. Obviously very knowledgeable and personable also.

The instructor was very friendly and open to discussion and answering additional questions. He had lots of experience and was familiar with a wide range of antenna topologies and topics. The course material was presente in a very accessible and understandable fashion that provided intuition without getting too involved in the mathematics of a problem.

The subject covered exactly what I wanted. I've gotten answers to my questions and I really have come away with more useful knowledge. D.R.L.

The instructor is a really experienced antenna engineer with development and research experience for 30+ years. The intuition he developed during all those years is very useful for students like myself. He was passionate about the topic, clear to understand, and open to discussions. J.R.D.L.

Good pace, right amount of breaks. Terrific use of software. Good sense of humor, great instructor. J.C.

Friendly, good attitude, engages class in conversation about topics to keep attention. Adequately balances breaks to keep class fresh, with time management. Very helpful working through problems/questions during class and even on breaks if necessary. Very effective! Would take class with him again! The instructor and Besser Associates have exceeded my expectations with this course. J.K.

The instructor did an excellent job of covering materials and explaining when there were questions. M.C.