Design considerations for a Telepoint antenna

The design of an antenna for personal communication mobile services has to meet many varied criteria. Whilst performance is an obvious critical parameter, consideration is also required on aesthetic, in particular size constraints, and naturally, cost. The paper describes some of these criteria in relation to an antenna designed for such an application, namely the Telepoint Service. The antenna was to be used not as a mobile antenna, but as one for the permanently sited base stations. The objective was to create a unit which not only acted as an antenna but as an RF combiner for up to four channels. The general requirements for the antenna design are outlined, and the evolution of the design to one using microstrip antennas described.<>