Antennas are fundamental to RF communications, serving as the bridge between electronic circuits and open space. Over the decades, various antenna designs have been developed to meet the needs of specific applications with different RF requirements, such as frequency range, directionality, gain, and physical constraints.

These designs range from basic dipoles and monopoles to complex phased arrays and microstrip patches. Each design has its own set of advantages tailored to specific applications, whether in satellite communications, broadcasting, or handheld devices. The below table offers a closer look at different antenna configurations, detailing their characteristics and applications. Follow each link to learn more about each design.

Types of Antenna Designs

Design Definition
Backfire

An antenna consisting of a radiating feed, a reflector element, and a reflecting surface such that the antenna functions as an open resonator, with radiation from the open end of the resonator.

Batwing

Batwing, or Super Turnstile antennas are a specialized type of crossed dipole antenna, a variant of the turnstile antenna. Two pairs of identical vertical batwing-shaped elements are mounted at right angles around a common mast. Element “wings” on ...

Bi-Quad

Quad antennas are a type of loop antenna with a square geometric shape. The length of each edge is a multiple of the antenna wavelength, most commonly chosen to be λ / 4. A Biquad antenna is a simple evolution of the standard quad, where the ...

Biconical

A type of radio frequency (RF) antenna distinguished by its two conical conductive elements, or rods, which are adjoined at their vertices to a shared transmission line. Similar in function to a dipole antenna, the biconical antenna showcases a ...

Bow-Tie

A type of RF antenna identifiable by its distinctive 'bow-tie' shape, formed by two triangular pieces of conductive material arranged with their vertices touching. The shape results in a wider bandwidth, or range of frequencies the antenna can ...

Cassegrain Reflector

A specialised type of directional antenna, notable for its use of two reflectors - a primary parabolic reflector and a secondary hyperbolic or ellipsoidal reflector. Named after the Cassegrain optical telescope design, this antenna works by focusing ...

Ceiling

A type of antenna, also known as a dome antenna, primarily designed for use in In-Building Coverage (IBC) systems. Typically featuring a monocone suspended over a ground plane, it can provide single or dual polarisation depending on design. In dual ...

Collinear

An antenna configuration that involves arranging multiple dipole antennas in a 'collinear' or 'in-line' manner, usually along a common axis. The primary intention behind this design is to increase the antenna's gain and directivity, which is its ...

Combination Planar

A multi-element antenna design that houses two or more planar or printed circuit board (PCB) antennas within a single protective housing, or radome. The individual antennas within the assembly can operate at different frequencies or polarisations ...

Corner Reflector

A type of directional antenna design that utilises a corner reflector - a three-dimensional structure formed by two flat conducting surfaces intersecting at a right angle. The antenna element is placed in front of this corner, causing the reflector ...

Crossed Dipole

A type of antenna configuration that involves two dipole antennas positioned at right angles to each other and typically fed in phase quadrature. Also known as a turnstile antenna, its design enables it to radiate a circularly polarised wavefront ...

Dipole

A straightforward yet fundamental type of antenna that consists of two conductive elements such as metal wires or rods, which are arranged end to end with a small gap between them. The transmitter or receiver is connected at the center. A dipole ...

Dipole Array

A more complex antenna configuration that consists of multiple dipole antennas, typically arranged and combined in a regular pattern. By controlling the phase and amplitude of each individual dipole, the overall radiation pattern of the array can be ...

Discone

A unique antenna design that combines a disc and a cone - the two elements that give this antenna its name. The disc and cone are usually arranged vertically with the disc at the top and the cone below, resembling an upside-down ice cream cone. The ...

DRA

Also known as a Surface-Mounted Device (SMD) Antenna, a DRA is a type of radio frequency antenna that utilises a piece of dielectric material to radiate or receive signals. Unlike conventional antennas that use metal elements to resonate at a ...