Omnidirectional antenna - definition of
Omnidirectional antenna - definition of
Omnidirectional antenna is a type of antenna that radiates or receives electromagnetic waves uniformly in a horizontal (azimuthal) plane, which means, that its directional characteristics in this plane are isotropic or close to isotropic. This means, that the antenna emits or receives signals with equal efficiency in all horizontal directions, which makes it particularly suitable for applications requiring full coverage of the surrounding space, without having to mechanically or electronically change the direction of radiation.
The most classic example of an omnidirectional antenna is a rod (monopole) antenna of λ/4, placed above an ideal conductive ground plane, which generates torus-shaped radiation pattern. In practice, omni-directional antennas can take various structural forms, including dipole antennas, colinear, helical or loop antennas, optimised for a specific frequency band and functional application.
In telecommunications systems, omnidirectional Antennas are commonly used in networks Wi-Fi networks, gSM systems, devices IoT, maritime and aeronautical radio communications, as well as in the transmission of telemetry. They have the advantage of being able to handle mobile or multi-directional signal sources without the need for complex directional tracking mechanisms. The radiation pattern in the vertical plane can be modified by using multi-element configurations, which allows gain to be achieved while maintaining omnidirectional characteristics in azimuth. An important parameter of omnidirectional Antennas is the directional gain, which depends on the effective height and current distribution along the radiating structure.
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