Practical design of a broadband modified monopole by the use of staircase parasitic rings

The present paper discusses the use of parasitic elements to significantly increase the bandwidth of an antenna. In a recent work, the use of staircase metallic rings around a monopole antenna was proposed, leading to bandwidth increments of almost 10 times. However, there were a few shortcomings regarding implementation and experimental validation of that approach. This text reassesses it, with special attention to practical aspects. More specifically, a solid dielectric base is proposed to sustain the rings around the monopole. A prototype has been assembled and tested, with increase in bandwidth comparable to the one achieved in that work.