Wideband monopole antenna for public safety radio

To provide multiple services, a software-definable public safety radio needs to be able to provide continuous coverage with an antenna matched to a wide range of frequencies with one unswitched, continuous split. This is to enable the radio to perform wide band scanning across the band. With a helix and parasitic monopole design, a wide band antenna, whose bandwidth extends beyond the current APCO public safety frequency band, is achievable. A simple implementation of the design, using stripped coaxial cable in place of the parasitic monopole, is presented. The measured bandwidth and the resulting dimensions show that the design is feasible.