Dipole enhanced characteristics using nonconventional metallic reflectors

The earliest cellular antennas were fairly simple radiation platforms such as omnis, corner reflectors and panel antennas. In these halcyon days of low subscriber densities, seemingly infinite available bandwidth (courtesy of the single PSTN-owned carrier philosophy) and humble subscriber demands, these simple antennas fared well. A number of factors changed all this in the late eighties. The mass appeal of the mobile market started to bite, dramatically increasing subscriber densities. The era of the single PSTN-owned cellular operator drew to a close, heralding a new age of competitive deregulation, with multiple operators each allowed a specific narrow spectrum. Network planners began to feel the squeeze. To meet new network demands, entirely new antennas systems were required-antennas with improved flexibility, more precise cell coverage and reduced total cost. In this paper the radiation characteristics of simple antenna forms i.e. dipoles were highly improved using non-conventional reflectors. Consequently any antennas used in base stations that can be mounted with the same technique can be highly improved with a relatively low cost.