In this post, we investigate the difference between balanced and unbalanced cables and antennas, and explain the purpose of a balun.
What’s New
Designing Bluetooth Antennas
While the basic principles of antenna design of course apply to Bluetooth, it is important to keep in mind the way in which Bluetooth devices are often used.
Circuit Boards and Antennas
When designing an antenna for a circuit board, it is easy to overlook the importance of the board shape and the location of the components.
Why Use Ferrite on Cables for Testing?
In this post we look into why ferrite is so often added to RF cables when antenna testing, and how the ferrite is often critical for obtaining accurate data.
VSWR in Antenna Design
VSWR is an important antenna parameter in antenna design that is related to how much of the power sent to the antenna is reflected back to the source.
Why 50 Ohms?
Why 50 ohms represents the best compromise between low attenuation and maximum power transfer, leading to its becoming a standard impedance for RF work.
What is the Significance of Lambda/4
Lambda/4 is the ideal length for the arms or the height of many antennas. In this post we explain why this size is so important electrically for most antennas.
How Do You Determine What Type of Antenna You Need?
How do you determine what type of antenna you need for an application? Each antenna type has different characteristics suitable for some applications and not for others.
How Antennas are Made
How Antennas are Made: Potential problems to be aware of in the manufacturing process that could impact future performance.
Directivity and Antenna Gain
The more directive the antenna, the more the signal that the antenna radiates is concentrated into a smaller region, resulting in higher antenna gain.
Why Are Antennas Necessary?
In this post we discuss why discreet antennas are used to ensure proper functioning of a wireless device, and how anything that radiates and receive RF actually is acting an antenna itself.
Antenna Performance Issues
It sometimes happens that after incorporating a known-to-be-good antenna into a device, the device fails to perform as hoped. Here are some possibilities as to what can cause this.
Chip Antennas
When using a chip antenna, it is important to keep in mind that most chip antennas are not complete in and of themselves, but rely on PC board geometry in order to function.
The Chu Limit
The Chu-Herrington theorem states that for an antenna of a given size there is a minimum limit to the Quality Factor (Q). This limit is called the Chu Limit.
Detuning Effect of Small Devices Carried on the Person
A common trouble with an otherwise good antenna design is that the human person can de-tune things simply by being in close proximity, causing substandard coverage.
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