A VHF Microstrip Antenna With Wide-Bandwidth and Dual-Polarization for Sea Ice Thickness Measurement

A VHF microstrip patch antenna was developed to achieve a bandwidth of 45 MHz (30%) from 127 to 172 MHz with dual-linear-polarization capability. This microstrip antenna, having a size of 117 cm times 117 cm times 27 cm, used low-dielectric-constant foam substrates and dual-stacked patches with capacitive probe feeds to achieve the required wide bandwidth. Four such capacitive feeds were used to achieve dual polarizations with less than -20 dB of cross-polarization level. Twenty-four shorting pins were uniquely used here on the lower patch to achieve 40 dB of isolation between the two polarization ports. This antenna has a measured gain of 8.5 dB at 137 MHz and 10.3 dB at 162 MHz. One advantage observed here at the low frequencies of VHF is that more electrical structures can be easily integrated into the microstrip antenna to improve its performance.