A reconfigurable printed dipole for quad-band wireless applications

This paper is aimed at describing a low-cost, compact, nearly omnidirectional antenna working at 4 different frequencies (0.5, 0.9, 1.8 and 2.1 GHz). Several configuration of tunable antennas have been presented in the past, some indeed only on a limited frequency range, by varying lumped loads, some truly reconfigurable antennas, whose geometry is varied by solid state switches, or MEMS up to extremely flexible, and costly, MEMS-based fully reconfigurable planar antennas. Particular care must also be taken in considering the effect of the control lines for the switches, which needs to be shielded, or to be made of non conducting materials, like optical fibers to avoid negative effects on radiation. Since the latter approach is more costly, conventional control lines are used here, and their effect fully considered