Fabrication of low-cost spherical-circular antennas for educational purposes

Planar microstrip antennas are customary components in modern communication systems, being the subject of a variety of analytical and numerical methods developed for their investigation. On the other hand, when conformed onto spherical structures, antenna analysis and fabrication become both challenging [1], even in the classroom environment where production is not a concern. Hence, in this paper, a low-cost procedure for fabricating a spherical-circular antenna prototype that can be effectively utilized by students in advanced classes is discussed. The prototype´s electromagnetic characteristics can first be quickly estimated using the LAP (Laboratory of Antennas and Propagation)-developed CAD [2] resulting in minimal optimization time with the HFSS software [3].