A parametric study of helix antenna for S-band satellite communications

The input impedance and radiation characteristics of spaceborne helix antenna using in the LEO microsatellite formation flying are studied theoretically by the method of moments (MoM) in this paper. A helix antenna model with finite ground plane is simulated by the MoM based on the Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis function. The effects of several design parameters, including turn number, pitch, and helix radius, on the current distribution, input impedance, and radiation pattern are studied. In addition, the edge effect of ground plane is analyzed in detailed.