Some distinguished early readers offer enthusiastic reviews for the revised second edition of The Art and Science of Ultrawideband Antennas. “Schantz introduces time domain methods in antenna engineering and microwave techniques, which relate to ultrawideband signals in this expanded second edition. The book is delightfully illuminating, and includes well-researched historical […]
Antenna
12 posts
This week, I’ll be presenting my paper on “A simple procedure for measuring gain of very electrically small antennas” at the 2014 Loughborough Antenna and Propagation Conference. Gain measurements of very electrically small antennas (VESAs) present special challenges. These antennas radiate with poor efficiency, and great care is needed to […]
Previously, ÆtherCzar shared the story of the Lightsquared’s Skyterra-1 satellite with the 22m reflector antenna – largest ever deployed in space on a commercial satellite (Orbiting 22m Dish Antenna to Provide 4G Service). Then, the satellite suffered a glitch in which the reflector antenna only deployed 98%. Some sources indicated […]
Technically this is more about antenna maintenance than design and engineering, but let’s not quibble. The video embedded below shows climbers ascending a 1768 ft antenna tower explaining the features of the antenna design. I feel acrophobic just watching it. But talk about a workplace with a view – in […]
Here’s an interesting antenna idea: use a column of sea water as a monopole antenna: Hat Tip: Steve Werner.
Mark Papermaster, formerly Senior VP of Devices Hardware Engineering and in charge of iPhone4 hardware has left Apple. No word on whether his departure is more antenna fall-out. Here’s the Ars Technica coverage. As TechCrunch points out, “The iPhone4 Antenna Issue Won’t Die – Because Apple Won’t Let It.”
From the “continuing-to-beat-a-dead horse” department, the antenna blogging world’s top story refuses to die: According to Simon Tonks, the consultant who led the testing, “Our tests indicate that the ‘death grip’ issue is real, and is worse for the Apple iPhone 4 than for other smartphones.” I summed up my […]
Apple has been justly criticized for not responding promptly to the iPhone’s antenna problems, and for problems in the way they handled the crisis. But with so many piling on Apple for their iPhone antenna problems, I’d like to reiterate and expand on what I said Monday: The antenna design […]
Apple’s competitors were not happy with Steve Job’s attempt to paint the iPhone’s antenna problems as similar to those faced by other smart phones. This Wireless Week piece presents feedback from Samsung, RIM, HTC, Motorola, and Nokia. An industry source I contacted declined to comment, saying his company’s testing was […]
Apple resolved the iPhone antenna problem as anticipated on Friday by handing out plastic bumpers free to customers. The MSRP $29 bumpers are of negligible cost to the company and well worth the expense to solve the problem. The antenna design on the iPhone really is quite clever and innovative. […]
Apple will hold a press conference later this morning on the iPhone antenna problem. This comes in the wake of a Consumer Reports test confirming that the problem with the antenna and not just a software problem as Apple had originally claimed. When a finger makes contact with the gap […]
Gizmodo’s latest scoop – photos of a prototype iPhone 5 with improved antenna.This is a spoof, but it does raise interesting questions about the sacrifices accepted in antenna performance for the sake of aesthetics. I actually *would* do this to my cell phone because the factor of four improvement in […]