Low profile helmet mount GPS antenna

The need exists for a helmet-mounted antenna to replace existing helical antennas. This is to minimize body blockage to the received energy as well as prevent damage to the antennas. The existing antennas are prone to damage both because of the fragile nature of their construction as well as their location on the receiver. The authors describe a helmet-mounted antenna design with the following features: the gain specification at the center of the L₂ frequency band is met; the gain specification is met at the center of the L₁ band and is within 1.0 dB at band edges; ruggedness requirements are met; extreme environmental conditions can be tolerated; mass production at low unit cost is possible; and packaging can be easily modified to allow the unit to be used as a vehicle antenna