Antenna and Propagation

ANTENNA AND PROPAGATION
DIRECT CURRENT (DC):
Current and direction constant
ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC):
Current and direction varies with time
1
ANTENNA AND PROPAGATION (Contd)
AC PROPERTIES:
Wavelength ( - lambda ) :
Length of one cycle or wave. Unit: Meter.
Frequency (F) :
Number of cycles/second. Unit: Hertz (Hz)
Time Period (T) :
Time taken to complete one cycle. Unit: Second
Angle or Phase
2
1 KHz = 1,000 Hz
1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz
1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz
E.g.
12 MHz = 12000 KHz

2182 KHz = 2.182 MHz
House electricity is AC 50 Hz
3
RADIO WAVES
Above 20 KHz
travels for long distance
Radiated in the form of electromagnetic
waves
speed or velocity of Radio wave, C = 3 x 10 8

meters / second
Wave Length, = C / F
Find out wavelength of 300 MHz. 4

Half wave antenna :
For any frequency of radiation, the best

antenna length should be half of its wave
length (wavelength / 2).
e.g. if your frequency is 100 Mhz, the
wavelength will be 3 meters (3 x 108 / 100 x
106 = 300 / 100 = 3 mtrs).
So the antenna should be 3/2 = 1.5 mtrs
( half-wave length ). 5
Such antenna will be the most efficient antenna.
Marconi used quarter wave antennas.
Connection to Half-wave antennas is made at the

centre of the antenna.
Hence, it is known as dipole antenna.
Marconi antennas are connected to the radio at

the bottom of the antenna. 6
HALF WAVE ANTENNA QUARTER WAVE ANTENNA
DIPOLE ANT MARCONI ANT
BIGGER SIZE SMALLER SIZE
USED IN HIGHER FREQ. USED IN LOWER FREQ. LIKE

LIKE VHF MF & HF
BECAUSE HIGHER THE BECAUSE LOWER THE

FREQUENCY SHORTER FREQUENCY LONGER THE
THE WAVELENGTH WAVELENGTH
7
Find out the half wave antenna for 15

MHz and VHF Ch.16
8
Antenna length should MATCH with the

frequency of operation
When matched, MAXIMUM CURRENT
flows from the transmitter to the
antenna thereby maximum radiation
possible.
Maximum radiation means LONGER
RANGE of communication
9
When mismatched, current is

REFLECTED BACK to the transmitter,
which may damage the transmitter &
also range becomes short.
Horizontal wire antenna : tied between
two masts : T type or inverted L
type.
Whip antenna ( MF/HF in GMDSS ) :
vertical flexible antenna
10
Vertical Dipole Antenna ( VHF ).

Yagi Antenna horizontal folded dipole
( TV )
Active Antenna with amplifier ( at the
base of the antenna ) as in NAVTEX
and Satcom antennae.
11
NOTE : Length of different antennae

(may differ from manufacturer to
manufacturer) are :
MF / HF Tx 8M (whip)
MF / HF Rx 6 M (whip)
VHF 1 M (whip)
NAVTEX 1.5 M (vertical active
antenna)
12
FEEDER CABLE
The cable connecting transmitter or
receiver to the antenna
Coaxial cable, Ribbon cable etc.
Coaxial cables Centre CORE wire
which is covered by thick DIELECTRIC
covered by SHIELD which is covered
by outer INSULATOR
13
CENTRE CORE carries the signal

SHIELD is connected to ground
(earthed) thereby signal is protected
from the noises.
14
CO-AXIAL CABLE
The resistance to the flow of AC is called
IMPEDENCE (Z), measured in OHMS.
Co-axial cables used for MF / HF / VHF, GPS
and networking in computers are of 50
OHMS.
Few communication systems use 75 OHMS
co-axial.
e.g. Co-axial cable used for cable T.V.
15
SOLAS REQUIREMENT
One set of spare main antenna should
be carried.
Antenna rigging plan to be placed near
the GMDSS console.
Antenna maintenance should be
carried out monthly once.
or after discharging / loading or after
heavy weather.
16
PROPAGATION
Traveling or spreading of radio waves
in the atmosphere or space is called
PROPAGATION
3 types of propagation :
GROUND WAVE or SURFACE WAVE
SKY WAVE
DIRECT WAVE or LINE OF SIGHT or
SPACE WAVE
17
GROUND WAVE PROPAGATION

In this mode of propagation the radio
wave travels over the surface of the
earth following the earths curvature.
Normally, VLF / LF / MF use ground
wave propagation.
18
SKY WAVE PROPAGATION :

In this mode of propagation the radio
wave traveling towards sky is reflected
back to the earth by the ionosphere
layers.
HF uses this mode of propagation.
19
LINE OF SIGHT (DIRECT WAVE OR

SPACE WAVE) PROPAGATION :
The radio wave travels directly from the
transmitting AE to the receiving AE in a
straight path.
VHF and above use this mode of
propagation.
20
When a wave is radiated from the

vertical antenna, it is radiated in all
directions called as omni-directional.
The wave initially follows all the 3
modes of propagation.
21
But, depending on the frequency

radiated, one of the 3 propagation takes
the lead and achieves the maximum
distance and it is called as, the
propagation mode for that particular
frequency.
22
ITU Frequency Spectrum
BAND BAND FREQUENCY MODE OF
NAME NAME RANGE PROPAGATION
() (f)
Long wave VLF 3 30 KHz
(LW)
LF 30 300 Ground Wave
KHz
Medium MF 300 3000 Ground Wave

Wave KHz ( 3 MHz ) ( Sky wave at
( MW ) night )
23
Short
Wave HF 3 30 Sky Wave
( SW ) MHz
VHF 30 300
MHz
Micro
wave UHF 300 Line of sight
( W ) 3000 MHz
( 3 GHz )
SHF 3 30 GHz
24
ANTENNA AND PROPAGATION (Contd
GROUND WAVE PROPAGATION
( VLF / LF / MF )
Very long range: VLF: 12,000 miles (approx)
LF : 8000 miles (approx)
MF: 400 miles (approx)
Though range of VLF / LF is very long it is

not used in ships due to :
25
Requirement of very long antenna and very
high power Transmitter of 750 Kilo watts
and above.
Used for submarine communication,
because it can travel in the water.
MF is used for maritime communications.
E.g. 2182 KHz RT,
518 KHz NAVTEX
(A.I.R. stations in India, use MW band)
26
MF in day time follows ground wave

propagation. Range up to about 150 NM.
MF night time follows ground wave plus sky

wave propagation. Range more than 400
NM.
27
Earth is a good attenuator of electricity.

So, it attenuates or absorbs the radio waves.
Sea is a good conductor of electricity.

It reflects the radio waves.
Communication range is high over SEA and

less over the Ground.
28
SKY WAVE PROPAGATION ( HF ):

HF 3 MHz to 30 MHz short wave ( SW )
HF marine bands : 4,6,8,12,16 & 22 MHz
Range depends on ionosphere condition

and height of the layer reflecting it.
Day time 8, 12, 16, and 22 MHz using D, E,

F1, F2 layers. 29
Night time 4, 6 and 8 MHz using F layer.
8 MHz is useful for 24 hours (all day

and night).
Fading is the main problem in HF.
30
Skip distance :
The distance between Tx and the first sky

wave reflected back point on earth.
Skip or dead zone :
The area within the skip distance where

neither the sky wave nor the ground wave is
available. 31
MUF ( Maximum Usable Frequency ): This
is the maximum frequency which can be
used to a particular distance at a particular
time.
OTF (Optimum Traffic Frequency) / OWF
(Optimum Working Frequency) 15
percent less than the MUF or 85 percent of
MUF or 0.85 x MUF.
32
Critical Frequency : It is the frequency

which can be reflected back to earth
by the ionosphere even if it is
transmitted vertically upwards ( 90
degrees ). Advantages of CF is no
skip zone and no skip distance.
Generally frequencies of 8 MHz or
less are considered as CF.
33
Fading : The variation in received

signal strength or loss of signal due
to various reasons.
34
LINE OF SIGHT PROPAGATION:

VHF or above ( microwave )
Frequencies above 30 MHz
Range depends on Tx / Rx antenna
height.
35
LINE OF SIGHT PROPAGATION (contd)
Range upto radio horizon, which is

slightly more than the visual horizon.
This is due to the slight bending effect
because of water vapour.
In terrestrial landline network the range
of the microwave is increased by using
microwave repeaters / towers at every
50 miles.
36
LINE OF SIGHT PROPAGATION
Sometimes due to heavy salty water

vapour over a long distance, the VHF
may travel for 100s of miles.
This is due to funneling or ducting
effect.
UHF or above can penetrate the
ionosphere without bending and can be
used for space communication.
37
SELECTION OF FREQUENCY
Decide on propagation and range :

make sure if night or day propagation,
calculate the distance between the Tx
and Rx. Choose the appropriate
frequency band.
38
Select the mode of communication or
emission : RT or Telex or DSC.
Select the priority : Distress or

Urgency or Safety or Routine.
39
FREQUENCY RANGE IN NM AT RANGE IN NM AT
DAY TIME NIGHT TIME
( 0700 1900 LT ) ( 1900 0700 LT )
VHF Upto 50 Upto 50
2 MHz (MF) 150 400
4 MHz Not preferrable Upto 600
6 MHz Not preferrable Upto 1000
8 MHz Upto 600 More than 1000
12 MHz Upto 1000 Not preferable
16 MHz More than 1000 Not preferable
22 MHz More than 1000 Not preferable

40
NOTE :
Range in miles are approximate
calculation only. In real communication
it may vary due to various factors.
16 and 22 MHz ranges are same, but 22
MHz is used during high sunspot or
peak sun hours.
For calculation, one degree = 60 NM
approx.
41
SELECTION OF FREQUENCY (contd)
2 MHz : During night time the range is

higher due to sky wave propagation.
4 & 6 MHz : During day time the sky
wave component of these bands are
absorbed by the ionosphere.
42
SELECTION OF FREQUENCY (contd)
8 MHz : It is a critical frequency. Can

be used during day & night time.
During night time the range is higher.
12, 16 & 22 MHz : During night time,
the sky wave component of these
bands are absorbed by the
ionosphere.
43

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ANTENNA AND PROPAGATION

DIRECT CURRENT (DC):

Current and direction constant

ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC):

Current and direction varies with time

Length of one cycle or wave. Unit: Meter.

Number of cycles/second. Unit: Hertz (Hz)

Time Period (T) :

Time taken to complete one cycle. Unit: Second

12 MHz = 12000 KHz

speed or velocity of Radio wave, C = 3 x 10 8

Find out wavelength of 300 MHz. 4

For any frequency of radiation, the best

Marconi used quarter wave antennas.

Connection to Half-wave antennas is made at the

Hence, it is known as dipole antenna.

Marconi antennas are connected to the radio at

DIPOLE ANT MARCONI ANT

BIGGER SIZE SMALLER SIZE

USED IN HIGHER FREQ. USED IN LOWER FREQ. LIKE

BECAUSE HIGHER THE BECAUSE LOWER THE

Find out the half wave antenna for 15

Antenna length should MATCH with the

When mismatched, current is

Vertical Dipole Antenna ( VHF ).

NOTE : Length of different antennae

CENTRE CORE carries the signal

GROUND WAVE PROPAGATION

SKY WAVE PROPAGATION :

LINE OF SIGHT (DIRECT WAVE OR

When a wave is radiated from the

But, depending on the frequency

Medium MF 300 3000 Ground Wave

Though range of VLF / LF is very long it is

MF in day time follows ground wave

MF night time follows ground wave plus sky

Earth is a good attenuator of electricity.

Sea is a good conductor of electricity.

Communication range is high over SEA and

SKY WAVE PROPAGATION ( HF ):

HF marine bands : 4,6,8,12,16 & 22 MHz

Range depends on ionosphere condition

Day time 8, 12, 16, and 22 MHz using D, E,

Night time 4, 6 and 8 MHz using F layer.

8 MHz is useful for 24 hours (all day

Fading is the main problem in HF.

The distance between Tx and the first sky

Skip or dead zone :

The area within the skip distance where

Critical Frequency : It is the frequency

Fading : The variation in received

LINE OF SIGHT PROPAGATION:

Range upto radio horizon, which is

Sometimes due to heavy salty water

Decide on propagation and range :

Select the priority : Distress or

VHF Upto 50 Upto 50

2 MHz (MF) 150 400

4 MHz Not preferrable Upto 600

6 MHz Not preferrable Upto 1000

8 MHz Upto 600 More than 1000

12 MHz Upto 1000 Not preferable

16 MHz More than 1000 Not preferable

22 MHz More than 1000 Not preferable