Modelling the installed performance of vehicle mounted antennas using TLM

Time-domain simulation techniques such as "transmission-line modelling" (TLM) are found to be particularly suitable in broad-band electromagnetic modelling of vehicles for the analysis of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). In addition, these same models could equally well be used to investigate and optimise the installed performance of vehicle mounted antennas. The results of a preliminary study, based on simple monopole antennas and a representative vehicle-like geometry, are used to illustrate the potential benefits of such analysis.