Multiband Dipole Omnidirectional Antennas
Multiband Dipole Omnidirectional Antennas for Military Applications
A multiband dipole omnidirectional antenna has a number of defining features:
Omnidirectional means that the antenna transmits with approximately equal gain in all directions in the horizontal (azimuth) plane. This is useful for receiving signals from (and transmitting to) all directions.
Multiband means that the antenna can transmit to, or receive from, multiple frequency bands in a single compact antenna
Dipole means that the antenna has two radiating elements, typically symmetric relative to each other
The ideal multiband dipole omnidirectional antenna is one which is ultra-broadband, sometimes referred to as ultrawideband. Ultrawideband means that the antenna’s frequency range, defined by the condition that the Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) is < 3, has a ratio of 10:1, i.e. the maximum frequency is 10x or more that of the minimum frequency.
The ideal multiband dipole omnidirectional antenna is also ultra-lightweight, and compact, to make the most efficient use of the available parameters on a military platform. Ultra-lightweight is particularly vital for multiband dipole omnidirectional antennas on military platforms such as aircraft (UAVs especially) and man-portable/team-transportable. Such a multiband dipole omnidirectional antenna also tends to have lower visual profile, and can be produced to be extremely rugged, when using techniques such as selective laser sintering (SLS).
Hence the best multiband dipole omnidirectional antenna for your application is typically one which is ultra-broadband (ultrawideband), ultra-lightweight, compact and rugged.
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