Efficient small switchable ribbon monopole antenna for VHF/UHF maritime applications

This paper describes the development of a small ribbon monopole antenna for UHF and VHF frequency maritime applications. A LC-matching circuit is used to switch from UHF to VHF band, without degrading the antenna's performances. Experimental and numerical results demonstrate that the proposed antenna exhibits a bandwidth of approximately 12.3% and 4% for UHF (420 MHz) and VHF (167 MHz) respectively. The total efficiency of the antenna was measured with two methods (reverberation chamber and Wheeler cap): it was higher than 90% in the both UHF and VHF bands.