Design and experimental validation of a compact quadrifilar helix antenna in VHF band

A compact quadrifilar helix antenna is presented in the VHF band. The design and experimental validation on a low-cost realization are detailed in this paper. This design could be used on the telemetry link for the SVOM satellite project. Compared to the reference antenna, a significant height reduction of 48% is demonstrated. The measurement and simulation results reveal the capability of this design to improve slightly the naturally poor input matching of quarter wavelength quadrifilar helix antennas. A simple and low-cost manufacturing technique is also proposed to validate the design.