Effects of Meandering on Dipole Antenna Resonant Frequency

In low-frequency applications, antenna designers find that it is beneficial to adjust the resonant frequency while preferably maintaining the physical size as a means of improving the antenna's radiation resistance, which in turn improves the radiation efficiency. The closer the resonant frequency is to the frequency of operation, the more efficient the antenna is. Addition of bends is one such technique for increasing the electrical size of a dipole antenna while maintaining the same overall physical length. This letter presents a study of the effects of bends on the resonant frequency of a dipole antenna in the VHF frequency range. A broadband equivalent circuit model for a straight dipole from previous work is adapted to a three-bend meander dipole antenna, and its performance is compared to that of a straight dipole having the same overall physical length. The predicted frequency response of the broadband model is calculated using circuit simulation software and compared to results from computational electromagnetic modeling and network-analyzer measurement of prototype straight and meandered dipole antennas.