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LF: <Tech>More antenna results

To: [email protected]
Subject: LF: <Tech>More antenna results
From: "James Moritz" <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 20:04:09 +0000
Organization: University of Hertfordshire
Reply-to: [email protected]
Sender: <[email protected]>
Dear LF Group,

I have now added a further 130 or so points to my spreadsheet of field strength measurements. The original measurements were for an 8m high inverted L on 136kHz; for the new results I repeated the 136kHz experiments with the antenna in 17.5m high inverted V configuration, and also on 71.62kHz using both configurations of antenna. The top wire length was 40m in both cases.

As before, plotting ERP vs. distance shows that at distances greater than 1km, and up to the maximum distance measured (about 6km) the ERP calculated from the field strength is fairly constant for each antenna and frequency. At distances below 1km, there is a rapidly rising trend in ERP as the distance decreases, indicating that near field effects are dominating the field strength. Again as before, there were no obvious directional effects when ERP was plotted against bearing from the transmitter.

The same antenna current of 2A was used in all experiments; the average ERPs obtained are given below. I also used EZNEC to calculate the radiation resistance, and so, using the measured antenna current, calculate the expected ERP. I have also included rough measurements of the loss resistance for each antenna (excluding the loading coil):


8m inv L, 136kHz
Rrad = 0.0198ohm
ERP (calculated) = -8.5dBW ERP(from FS measurements) = -11.2dBW
difference (measured - calculated) = -2.7dB
Rloss=35ohms


17.5m inv V, 136kHz
Rrad = 0.0464ohm
ERP (calculated) = --4.8dBW ERP(from FS measurements) = -5.8dBW
difference (measured - calculated) = -1.0dB
Rloss = 27ohms


8m inv L, 71.62kHz
Rrad = 0.0058ohm
ERP (calculated) = -13.8dBW ERP(from FS measurements) = -17.8dBW
difference (measured - calculated) = -4.0dB
Rloss=63ohms


17.5m inv V, 71.62kHz
Rrad = 0.0129ohm
ERP (calculated) = -10.3dBW ERP(from FS measurements) = -12.5dBW
difference (measured - calculated) = -2.2dB
Rloss = 47ohms


Some conclusions can be drawn about the "missing decibels" (ie. the difference between measured and calculated ERPs). The fact that the measured ERP is constant at distances greater than 1km indicates that the decibels must already be missing by this distance, ie. the losses occur within the near field of the antenna. There is less difference between calculated and measured ERP for the higher inverted V antenna than for the inverted L. This is consistent with the intuitive idea that the missing power is absorbed by objects obstructing the antenna - the higher antenna benefits because there are less obstructions for the signal as it propagates into the surrounding space. An interesting thing is that, with a vertical transmitting antenna tuned against ground (ie. an "electric" antenna) and a ferrite rod receiving antenna (ie, H field sensing), the apparent field strength rises sharply at short distances. The usual statement seems to be that in the near field of the electric antenna, the H field is proportionally smaller and the E field larger than in the far field - ie E/H is greater than 120pi ohms.

It would now be interesting to try a similar series of measurements with a transmitter in an urban QTH, since the "missing decibels" losses seem to be much larger in these conditions.

If anyone would like to look at the data I have collected so far, I have put it all together on on one spreadsheet, which I can E-mail in Microsoft Excel, plain text, and various other formats.

Cheers, Jim Moritz
73 de M0BMU


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