Helical antenna

Dr. Walaa Sahyoun

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Introduction
• The most popular helical antenna (helix) is a
travelling wave antenna in the shape of a
corkscrew that produces radiation along the
axis of the helix antenna
• These helix antennas are referred to as axial-
mode helical antennas
• The benefits of this helix antenna is it has a
wide bandwidth, is easily constructed, has a
real input impedance, and can produce
circularly polarized fields
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Introduction
• The helical antenna is a very high gain antenna with narrow beamwidth
• It is a conductor wounded in a screw shape
• It is usually connected by a coaxial line with inner conductor connected
to the helix, which the outer conductor is connected to the ground
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Design
• The parameters of the helix antenna are defined below.
▫ D - Diameter of a turn on the helix antenna.
▫ C - Circumference of a turn on the helix antenna (C=pi*D).
▫ S - Vertical separation between turns for helical antenna.
• α pitch angle, which controls how far the helix antenna
grows in the z-direction per turn, and is given by

▫ N - Number of turns on the helix antenna.

▫ H - Total height of helix antenna, H=NS.
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Design
• When α = 0°, then the winding is flattened and the helix reduces to a
loop antenna of N turns
• When α = 90°, then the helix reduces to a linear wire.
• When0°< α < 90°, then a true helix is formed with a circumference
greater than zero but less than the circumference when the helix is
reduced to a loop (α = 0°)
• The radiation characteristics of the antenna can be varied by
controlling the size of its geometrical properties compared to the
wavelength
• The input impedance is critically dependent upon the pitch angle
and the size of the conducting wire, especially near the feed point,
and it can be adjusted by controlling their values
• The general polarization of the antenna is elliptical. However circular
and linear polarizations can be achieved over different frequency
ranges
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Radiation mode
• The helical antenna can operate in many modes;
however the two principal ones are the normal
(broadside) and the axial (end-fire) modes.
• Normal mode (C<<λ) has its maximum in a plane normal
to the axis and is nearly null along the axis. The pattern
is similar in shape to that of a small dipole or circular
loop
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• Axial mode ( 𝜆 < 𝐶 < 𝜆) has its maximum along the
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axis of the helix, and it is similar to that of an end-fire
array
• The axial (end-fire) mode is usually the most practical
because it can achieve circular polarization over a wider
bandwidth and it is more efficient
• Axial mode is used for satellite communication
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Normal mode
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Normal mode
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Normal mode
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Normal mode
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Gain increases
Axial Mode with frequency
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Axial Mode
For circular polarization, the orthogonal components of the E-field must be 90 degrees out of phase. This occurs in
directions near the axis (z-axis) of the helix.
The axial ratio for helix antennas decreases as the number of loops N is added, and can be approximated by

For an N=10 turn helix, that has a 0.5 meter circumference as above, and an pitch angle of 13 degrees
(giving S=0.13 meters), the gain is 8.3 (9.2 dB)
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Axial Mode
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Approximation Theory
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Helical Antenna Modes

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Helical Antenna – Exercices

Design a five-turn helical antenna which at 400 MHz operates in the normal mode. The spacing between turns is
λ0/50. It is desired that the antenna possesses circular polarization. Determine the
(a) Circumference of the helix (in λ0 and in meters)
(b) Length of a single turn (in λ0 and in meters)
(c) Overall length of the entire helix (in λ0 and in meters)
(d) Pitch angle (in degrees).
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Helical Antennas – Exercices

Design a five-turn helical antenna which at 300 MHz operates in the axial mode and possesses circular polarization in the
major lobe. Determine the
(a) near optimum circumference (in λ0 and in meters)
(b) spacing (in λ0 and in meters) for near optimum pitch angle design
(c) input impedance
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Helical Antennas – Exercices

Design a five-turn helical antenna which at 300 MHz operates in the axial mode and possesses circular polarization
in the major lobe. Determine the
(d) half-power beamwidth (indegrees), first-null beamwidth (in degrees), directivity (dimensionless and in dB),
and axial ratio
(e) VSWR when the antenna is connected to 50- and 75-ohm coaxial lines
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Helical Antenna – Exercices

Design an end-fire right-hand circularly polarized helix
having a half-power beamwidth of 45◦, pitch angle of
13° and a circumference of 60 cm at a frequency of 500
MHz. Determine the
(a) turns needed
(b) directivity (indB)
(c) axial ratio
(d) lower and upper frequencies of the bandwidth over
which the required parameters remain relatively
constant
(e) input impedance at the center frequency and the
edges of the band from part (d)
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Reference
C. A. Balanis, “Antenna Theory, Analysis & Design”, John Wiley & Sons, 3rd
edition, 1996