GlobalSpec has asked its users about the latest design trends and features related to Antennas. They have also shared their product applications and tips on how to buy and use these products.
See the entire survey
What new technologies are influencing antenna design?
75 answers
Phase array antennas, utilization of higher frequency ranges, satellite spot beam technology
~Technical Support/Services, Paris, France
The use of lightweight materials in the antennas. This creates lighter antennas, which reduce the structural load on a structure.
~Angelina W., Project Manager, St. Louis, MO
In my opinion, software simulation of antennas are the main influence, because we can do everything before building an antenna. For example, we can simulate all situations and parameters of antenna.
~Engineering, Other, Campinas, Brazil
That 'new' technology influencing antenna design greatly depends upon the specific product application. For example, the requirements for a Very Low Frequency antenna by the US Navy will be vastly different than the antenna requirements for an Apple iPhone.
~Stephen Y, Managing Partner, TAK-tenna LLC, Fair Haven, NJ
The Simulation software has really helped improve antenna design by optimizations. Build techniques have improved over the years, new composite materials and metamaterials that actually work well, such as Frequency selective surfaces.
~Bryan W, Design Engineer, Salt Lake, UT
More sophisticated simulation software, allowing more complex designs to be more quickly developed and assessed.
~H S, Engineering Consultant, Ashburn, VA
Several new applications are growing now, such as compact integrated antennas and smart antennas.
~Francesco Zaccarini, R&D engineer, PhD., Vailate (CR), Italy
Computer aided design, simulation, micro-mechanics, nano-technology, optical technologies.
~Lajos H, Journalist, Budapest, Hungary
New material, System integration needs, Low cost needs, EM simulation tools.
~Richard L, Design Engineer, Lowell, MA
CNC manufacturing, computer design and precision, new light-weight materials.
~Gary S, Marketing/Sales, Surrey, Canada
GSM
smart antenna
cellular mobile antenna
under water antenna
~Osama Alokour, Engineer, Irbid, No
Mobile Telephony
Portable equipment
Wi-Fi
Satellite transmissions
~Daniel M, ITS Engineer, Auckland, New Zealand
New data on an aether, the new materials, new microwave components
~Vladimir Chepyzhenko, General Management, Molodechno, Belarus
Rendering in material of antenna and minimizing the spillover loss.
~Engineering, Other, Noida, India
Remotely continuously tuned antennas and broadband antennas.
~Joseph S, Retired -hobbyist, Princeton, NJ
Digital applications and software creating smart antennas.
~Ronald R, Engineering Consultant, Dayton, OH
Cheaper electronic components, re-use of COTS technology.
~Engineering, Design, St. Louis, MO
Directional licensing, type of materials, cell services.
~Frank L, Engineer, Bay Shore, NY
Digital TV and Digital Radio in broadcast stations.
~Alejandro Carrasco, Engineering Consultant, Panama
CAE modeling tools, rapid prototyping techniques.
~Engineering, Design, Kilsyth, Australia
Controlled impedance materials, fractal geometry.
~Shane J, Sr. Staff Systems Engineer, Mesa, America
Fractal shaped ant. and MEM ant. systems, arrays
~Yuri B, Research & Development, Moscow, Russia
Mobile technology, Indoor and outdoor coverage.
~Rakesh M, Engineering Consultant, New Delhi, India
Design software. Improved coax and materials.
~Technical Support/Services, Windsor, CO
Cellular phones
Wireless data communication
~Bruce Oliasani, Technical Support, Memphis, TN
Satellite Communication
Data Communication
~Technical Support/Services, Bridgetown, Barbados
Printed circuit antennas, patch antennas.
~David T, Engineer, London, UK
Folded patch chip antenna for short range.
~David H, Engineering Consultant, San Francisco, CA
Phase shifting
Automatic Beam steering
~Martin B, Marketing/Sales, Denmark
Miniaturization, multi-band operations.
~Renzo A., Engineering Consultant, Genova, Italy
MIMO, multiband and carbon nanotube.
~Tom S, Engineer, Bethpage, NY
LTE, MIMO, small form factor devices.
~Kevin B, Senior Engineer, Product Development, Basking Ridge, NJ
Low noise parts for active antennas.
~Engineering, Consulting, Schiphol, Netherlands
Beam forming
Smart Antenna System
~Mohammed L, Facilities Manager, Abuja, Nigeria
Patch antennas and antenna arrays
~Engineer, Brasilia, Brazil
Fractals, metamaterials, plasma.
~Research & Development, Rome, NY
MEMS, microwave semiconductors
~Mh Yam, Research & Development, Cedar Rapids, IA
LTE, MIMO, new frequency bands.
~Engineer, Boston, MA
Dielectrics, Fractal design
~Larry F, Research & Development, MInneapolis, MN
Broadband, high power, low swr
~Rene Q, Mechanic, Pasadena, CA
Very simple & wide coverage
~Engineering, Design, Seoul, Korea (South)
Reduction in physical sizes.
~Frank D, Retired from full time employment, Christchurch, New Zealand
Monitors active designs.
~Chris Lebrocq, Purchaser, UK
Smaller with wide band.
~Ronald James Chuter, Retired, Aldershot, United Kingdom
Not involved in design.
~Patrice Z, Project Manager, Nice, France
In ear monitoring.....
~Chuck B, Wireless Coordinator, Murfreesboro, TN
Wider frequency range
~Engineer, Cupertino, CA
The computer design.
~Mladen Golubic, Technical Support, Zagreb, Croatia
CAD; Yagi Calculator.
~Thomas M., Student, Nyeri, Kenya
MIMO, Phased Arrays
~Engineer, Abbotsford, Australia
Wimax; Interference
~Engineering, Other, Pretoria, South Africa
Satellite and GPS.
~Peter G, Licensed Radio Experimenter, Dundalk, Ireland
Magnetic loop, EH
~Engineering, Design, Stavern, Norway
Software modeling
~Paul Anderson, Manufacturer, Grand Blanc, MI
Active components
~Joachim Claus, Research & Development, Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany
Inexpensive LNA'S
~Benjamin Z, Engineering Consultant, Mt. Solon, VA
Computer software
~Other, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Simple, strong
~Sang yong Kim, Quality Control, Seoul, Seoul
Miniaturization
~Engineering, Consulting, Pereira, Colombia
Wideband small
~Jing Gao, Research & Development, Yokohama, Japan
EM Simulation
~Math P, Research & Development, Brunssum, The Netherlands
Metamaterials
~Alan H, Senior Compliance Engineer, Christchurch, NZ
Strip antenna
~Peter C, Unemployed, Tamworth, England
Metamaterials
~Alessio C, Research & Development, Brescia, Italy
Multi-band
~Niyaz Adil, Engineer, Kirkuk, Iraq
Materials
~Don S, Engineer, Tampa, FL
Mmic, SIW
~Mateusz Mazur, Project Manager, Gdansk, Poland
Satellite
~Benjamin Perez, Research & Development, Hialeah, FL
Software
~Engineering, Other, Fort Belvoir, VA
Wifi 2.4
~Juan Newton, Design Engineer, Sevilla, Spain
Digital
~Engineering, Faculty/Staff/Student, Porth, Great Britain
Digital
~Technical Support/Services, Amity, AR
Demand
~Other, Ratliff City, OK
Wi-Fi
~Rolando Rodriguez, Project Manager, Montreal, Canada
UWB
~Chris L, Engineering Consultant, London, UK
From your perspective, which companies are creating the most innovative antennas?
50 answers
TECOM Industries. They design Antennas for all frequency bands, with ancillary products in an extended range, including Marine, military and satcom, and are leaders in GPS systems.
~Peter G, Licensed Radio Experimenter, Dundalk, Ireland
Probably cellphone-related companies - antennas for multiple bands, package constraints, environmental uncertainties (from associated electronics packages, user effects).
~H S, Engineering Consultant, Ashburn, VA
Depends upon applications:
for satellite systems RSI-Vertex, Alcatel Aliena
for Broadband Microwave ARA, Patriot
for MW backhaul Tongyu, Shanglu, Cathrine
~Rakesh M, Engineering Consultant, New Delhi, India
Channel Master, Northern Satellite Corporation, Telkom Telmor in aerial antennas Fuba Laminas pl
~Technical Support/Services, Thessaloniki, Greece
In space constrained applications, the WiFi antenna designs are very interesting.
~Shane J, Sr. Staff Systems Engineer, Mesa, America
In TV and FM broadcast antennas: Aldena, Kathrein, Rymsa, Sira
~Alejandro Carrasco, Engineering Consultant, Panama
Too many to list. Market is being driven by the innovators.
~David H, Engineering Consultant, San Francisco, CA
Cobham antennas (antennas), Ruckus Wireless (systems)
~Engineer, Abbotsford, Australia
TCI and Tmomson for MW&SW Broadcasting antennas.
~Mladen Golubic, Technical Support, Zagreb, Croatia
Wilson, predator 10k, maco, firestick astatic.
~Rene Q, Mechanic, Pasadena, CA
Cisco Systems (Wi-Fi)
GE
Foreign companies
~Bruce Oliasani, Technical Support, Memphis, TN
The U.S. DARPA and IDF signals intelligence.
~Other, Pensacola, FL
RF-systems Wellbrook Rohde & Schwartz
~Engineering, Consulting, Schiphol, Netherlands
Stepper, there a few others of that tye
~Joseph S, Retired -hobbyist, Princeton, NJ
Fractus, Many Chinese companies, Phasar
~Larry F, Research & Development, MInneapolis, MN
Antenova, Murata BAE, Selex Cirocomm
~Alan H, Senior Compliance Engineer, Christchurch, NZ
Small phased arrays, conformal arrays
~Engineering, Design, St. Louis, MO
Professional wireless and Sennhieser
~Chuck B, Wireless Coordinator, Murfreesboro, TN
Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Harris
~Mh Yam, Research & Development, Cedar Rapids, IA
Many ham radio antenna companies.
~Technical Support/Services, Windsor, CO
Aerospace and defense contractors.
~Baltimore, MD
Radio Frequency Systems
Katrein
~Martin B, Marketing/Sales, Denmark
R&S - but very expensive ARA
~Ami Lazar, Project Manager, Holon, Israel
Argus Antennas, RFS, Ericsson
~Engineering, Design, Kilsyth, Australia
Many companies, many amateurs
~Vladimir Chepyzhenko, General Management, Molodechno, Belarus
Sunol, Andrew, Mars, PCTel
~Engineer, Boston, MA
Cobham, Antenova, Fractus
~Renzo A., Engineering Consultant, Genova, Italy
Firestik, Wilson, RCA
~Nate V., Technical Support, Appleton, WI
Ellies,South Africa.
~Thomas M., Student, Nyeri, Kenya
Hi-Gain, Cushcraft.
~Math P, Research & Development, Brunssum, The Netherlands
Vertex RSI, Viasat
~Engineering, Other, Noida, India
L-3 communications
~Bryan W, Design Engineer, Salt Lake, UT
Joe Gunn, Maco
~L W, Retired, Palm Bay, FL
Fractal, Skycross
~Kevin B, Senior Engineer, Product Development, Basking Ridge, NJ
SWR-RF, Shivley
~Frank L, Engineer, Bay Shore, NY
Zimovations LLC
~Benjamin Z, Engineering Consultant, Mt. Solon, VA
WADE Antennas
~Field tech, New Woodstock, NY
Flann, Q-par
~Nikolay G, Production Engineer, Moscow, Russia
Ability HDTV
~Paul Anderson, Manufacturer, Grand Blanc, MI
CueDee; SWF
~Joachim Claus, Research & Development, Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany
RFS & Katrien
~Niyaz Adil, Engineer, Kirkuk, Iraq
AAE master
~Benjamin Perez, Research & Development, Hialeah, FL
Formation
~Juan Newton, Design Engineer, Sevilla, Spain
Poynting
~Engineering, Other, Pretoria, South Africa
RIM, CTE
~Richard L, Design Engineer, Lowell, MA
Andrews
~Ambakaderemo A, Technical Support, Lagos, Nigeria
Andrew
~Rolando Rodriguez, Project Manager, Montreal, Canada
Cobran
~Engineer, Olinda-PE, Brazil
Antel
~Angelina W., Project Manager, St. Louis, MO
AR
~Engineer, Cupertino, CA
