Meander Dipole Antenna for Low Frequency Applications

This paper introduces printed Meander dipole antenna with dual bands operating at 73 MHz and 145.75 MHz for low frequency and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) applications. The antenna is implemented on FR4 substrate with an overall size of 61.3 X6.45 cm
²
(0.15λ
_°
× 0.015λ
_°
). A 70% reduction in length is realized with the proposed antenna design compared to a regular dipole operating at the lower band. The reflection coefficient for the measured antenna is -15 dB and -18.5 dB at 73 MHz and 145.75 MHz with bandwidth of 2 MHz and 6.6 MHz, respectively. The antenna exhibits omnidirectional radiation characteristics at both bands with radiation efficiency up to 87%. The proposed structure is fabricated, measured and compared to simulated results. Measurements are in good agreement with simulation results. Moreover, measurements and simulations for antenna in proximity to soil as well as with buried objects are also presented.