Ultrawideband Compact Lightweight Biconical Antenna With Capability of Various Polarizations Reception for Modern UAV Applications

This article presents the results of numerical modeling, optimization, fabrication and performance measurements of a new biconical antenna for modern unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. The developed antenna effectively combines a set of fundamental constructive and electromagnetic requirements, which include compact structure and small total dimensions, lightweight, and ultrawideband operating frequency range with the capability of receiving or transmitting both circular, horizontal, vertical, and one of slant linear polarizations. For the first time, an effect of multiple resonance reflections in the structure of biconical antenna with a polarizer and deterioration of antenna’s matching and gain characteristics at a series of frequencies was detected by measurements. Theoretical analysis of the observed resonances has been carried out in this article. Possible ways to exclude resonances are given. In the most part of operating frequency range 2–18 GHz, the developed antenna provides voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) less than 2 and gain higher than 3 dBi for the -45° slant polarization, while the +45° slant polarization is discriminated by more than 15 dB.