Design and performance analysis of a Parabolic-Inverted Helix antenna and link budget optimization

In the modern communication technology, the development of very small size, low-cost, low-profile, high-gain and high directivity antennas is a must. In this paper, the design and performance of a Parabolic-Inverted Helix along with the link budget optimization have been analyzed for the C-band applications. The proposed antenna system has a gain of 20.14dB, directivity of 20.30dBi; return loss value of -23.707989dB, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) of 1.1396164, bandwidth of 61.6MHz, antenna efficiency of 96.36% and 3dB angular beamwidth i.e., the Half Power Beamwidth (HPBW) of 65.1deg. The resonant frequency of the antenna is 5.8755 GHz. This antenna can be used for C-band applications like satellite communications transmissions, Wi-Fi, cordless telephones, weather radar systems and other wireless systems. This antenna system is designed and simulated in the CST Microwave Studio. Link budget optimization is performed in order to analyze the critical factors in the transmission chain and to optimize the performance characteristics. The link budget determines what size antenna i s to use, power requirements and in general, the overall customer satisfaction.