Antennas and Power
Antennas do not increase nor decrease the power applied to
them. They can only transmit or receive the amount of
power that is applied to them. It is possible to have some
power loss before or after the signal leaves the antenna. An
example of this is "line loss: which is a decrease in power due
to imperfect connections and imperfect conductivity to
cabling materials. It is, however, possible to increase the
power output in a certain direction. But the total power
emitted will always be the same as the amount applied to the
antenna minus the amount lost due to line loss, ohmic loss,
reflection loss etc…
dBi – (decibels relative to an isotropic {spherical}
radiation pattern)
An isotropic antenna is a theoretical antenna that radiates
in the shape of a perfect sphere.
dBm –(decibels relative to one milliwatt)
dBm is a commonly used unit of measurement in the RF
industry that expresses radio frequency power relative to a
1 mW point of reference.
dBd –(decibels relative to a _ wave dipole
antenna)
dBd is gain with respect to a _ wave dipole antenna. Some
commercial antenna companies use dBd to rate their
antennas.
EIRP –(Effective isotropically radiated power)
The mathematical product of (1) the power supplied to the
antenna and (2) its gain.
Gain
Gain is given in dB (decibels). If an "I" is added as in 3dBi,
this rating is relative to an "isotropic" antenna. An isotropic
antenna is a theoretical antenna that radiates in the shape
of a perfect sphere. If a "d" is added as in 3dBd, this rating
is relative to a "dipole" antenna. A dipole antenna with a
rating of 2.14dB is equivalent to a 0dBd antenna.
Line-of-sight
This refers to the fact that some electromagnetic wave
frequencies require a clear line of sight between transmitter
and receiver. This is largely because higher frequency
electromagnetic waves, such as those in the 2.4 GHz range,
do not bend around or penetrate objects as well as some
lower frequency signals.
Multipath, Reflection, or Physical Interference
Because of the electromagnetic properties of waves used to
transmit data, large metal objects in the immediate
transmission path of the antenna will likely cause
distortion of the signal and should therefore be avoided.
Omni-directional
An omni-directional antenna radiates evenly horizontally
around the antenna in a plane parallel to the earth. These
antennas do not always radiate evenly vertically around the
antenna in a plane perpendicular to the earth. By giving up
vertical coverage, above and or below the antenna and
refocusing that signal around the antenna, it is possible to
achieve gain with an omni-directional antenna.
Omni-gain
Wavelength and operating frequency determine the size of
the antenna. By using a longer antenna, you do not achieve
greater overall coverage, but you can achieve greater
distance in a focused direction. For example, omni-
directional antennas with gain achieve some measure of
gain in the horizontal plane.
4
Basic Antenna Concepts