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The Design and Applications of the Yagi Antenna

More than one hundred years ago, two men invented Yagi antenna. Have

you ever heard of this antenna? It was invented back n 1926 in the Tohoku

Imperial University by Shintaro Uda with Kiyoshi Kawakami, and Hidetsugu

Yagi, as well as other colleagues present at the same university.

This antenna became the first designed antenna to be able to exploit the

benefits of having to receive multiple direction signals to remove jamming

or noise wit high directionality, high gain, as well as a continuous line of

sight. This pair Uda and Yagi were now referred to as “fathers of antennas.”

Our article will be explaining the basics of Yagi antenna, its component,

design considerations, applications, and more.

Table of Contents

What is Yagi Antenna?

Yagi antenna can also be called Yagi Uda Antenna. This can be described

as a directional antenna which has at least two resonant parallel

components that acts as half wave dipoles. The antenna is mainly formed

from three components.

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These include directors, driven element, and reflector, whereby one driven

component forms connectivity with either the receiver or transmitter

through the transmission lines or with other types of parasitic

components. Generally, parasitic elements can be described as the

reflector as well as some directors (the longer element).

The shorter elements (parasitic elements) aren’t connected electrically to

the receiver or transmitter. However, they serve as passive resonators

that work with these driven elements. Generally, Yagi antennas are

created to work effectively In UHF and HF ranges and they offer functional

frequency that falls within 30 MHz and 3 GHz, even when its bandwidth is

small or very minimal. The unique design of these antennas is done to

have great gain values that are higher than 10 decibels.

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Components of the Yagi Antenna

UWB Antenna

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Yagi antenna are composed of three main components

Reflector

The reflector’s length is usually 5% higher compared to the driven element.

Most times, every Yagi antenna is made up of a reflector element present

at the backside of a driven element. This means it’s at sideways from the

area the greatest sensitivity will happen.

Furthermore, reflectors present at the back region of driven elements

reveals no obvious difference to the antenna’s performance. Whereas that

are designs that employ reflectors with some parallel rods or reflecting

plate, which resembles the reflecting plate. When this happens, there

would be a little increase in the performance of the device and therefore

reduce the level of radiation. In addition, the pattern of the design will

reduce the interference range.

Driven Element

Driven element offers the required current needed for the radiation of

electromagnetic energy in space. Usually, they have similar strength as

half wavelength at intended operating frequencies. Other elements can be

described as electrical multiples of the half length of a wavelength

ensuring their resonation at one frequency as its driven element. This

additional length or a multiple of the half wavelength can be achieved

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through the insertion of a capacitance or inductance in every parasitic

element that can increase the electrical length without having to change

the physical length.

Director

Whenever there are more directors or just one direction, the directors’

length is shorter compared to driven components. Also, the directions’

positioning will stay in-front of a driven component, meaning it stays in a

direction having a high sensitivity level.

Most times, there’s a gain of about 1 dB across every director element in a

forward path even when this level is decreased in cases where we have

more directors. The directors present will determine the number of lobes

that appear on this antenna’s radiation pattern. The more the love present,

then narrower they would become. This means it is possible for them to

focus on just one specific direction

The Working and Construction of the Yagi Antenna

This section will be explaining the design of Yagi Antenna as well as its

mode of operation.

The Design of Yagi Antenna

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In the past decades, you can find Yagi antennas most times on roof of

houses. The parasitic dipoles and components form the Yagi antenna

collectively. The antenna could have more directors and it helps in

enhancing the directionality of the antenna. You can consider the feeder

to be a folded dipole, and then the reflector has an additional length

which is usually situated at the end parts of the antenna.

For the Yagi antenna design, its structure takes the form of center rod

whereby the components can be placed. Its active components are

referred to as driven component whereby the transmission line features

an internal connection via a black stud. These single materials found at the

driven component’s back end is referred to as the reflector whereby it

reflects the full energy present in the radiation pattern’s direction. The

remaining components present before thee driven components are

referred to as directors that help to reflect beams in the required angle’s

direction

Working Principle of the Yagi Antenna

Before you get into operating the Yagi antennas, let us first consider how

the antenna works. Antennas can be described as devices which receive as

well as send signals. Whenever these incoming signals get to the antenna’s

input terminal, the AC (alternating current) will be created across the

terminals to respond to incoming waves.

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The alternating current (AC) is usually coupled with the receiver’s input

terminal through a waveguide or coaxial cable. In summary, this receiver

antenna will receive electromagnetic waves, which it then converts to

electrical signals. The transmitter antennas, on the other hand, help in

converting the electrical signals in to the electromagnetic waves.

The antennas come with different sizes and shapes. This depends on the

application. For typical design for antennas, its conductors are usually

bent in at least one geometric shape like folded dipoles or horizontal

dipoles.

Yagi antennas are mostly folded dipole antennas. Whenever, there is a

supply or extrinsic excitation into the dipole, the flow of current across

active components help in creating the voltage across the parasitic

components that ensures the current flow across it.

Furthermore, the component having more length compared to the

wavelength/2 reveals inductive features ensuring the reflector

component’s current lags its induced voltage. Also, the component or

director’s short length induces the capacitive features ensuring that the

flow of current across this director leads its induced voltage.

Transmission of Yagi antenna

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As the director’s position is found in-front of that driven component, the

director includes the field of the driven component in an opposite

direction (which is away from its position). Whenever multiple directors

are available, then each director will provide an excitation to the

subsequent one.

Furthermore, the reflector helps to add the field of the driven component

in its direction (near it). This takes place to reduce losses as a result of

backward radiated signals. In order to achieve extra gain, employ

additional directors in the direction of the beam.

Fundamentally, this induced current and voltage flow as a result of an

induced voltage passing across this component usually differs relating to

the distance between the active and parasitic components altogether with

reactance phenomenon that is linked to these components.

What has to be observed here is that during the operation of Yagi antenna,

if there is an increase in the spacing present between the driven

component and director, then there is an increase n the need for

capacitive reactance ensuring that correct and precise phasing is offered

at the director. This is why the length of the component director is usually

maintained a little in order to achieve the capacitive reactance.

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Yagi

Antenna?

Advantages

 With the Yagi antenna, you can be sure of high gain

 Because directors are utilized, it possesses high directional function

and features

 Yagi antennas are very power efficient

 Constructing and maintaining them isn’t complex

 Its pricing is inexpensive

 Great sustainable levels for different high frequency activities

Disadvantages

 To get high gains while using the Yagi antenna, this antenna will be

lengthier

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 For one antenna, the gain level must limit to 20 decibels or else that

device would become extremely large and its beamwidth would

become reduced

 This antenna is very prone to interference, noise, as well as

atmospheric conditions therefore the device’s performance

becomes reduced.

What are the Applications of the Yagi Antenna?

Yagi antennas have a few applications. These are

 Defense applications

 TV signal reception because the antenna has great receiving

capability

 Serves the astronomical domain effectively

 Utilized in radio astronomy

Conclusion

In summary, Yagi antenna can be described as a directional antenna

which has at least two resonant parallel components that acts as half

wave dipoles. The antenna is mainly formed from three components.

These include directors, driven element, and reflector. In the past decades,

you can find Yagi antennas most times on roof of houses. The parasitic

dipoles and components form the Yagi antenna collectively. For the Yagi

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antenna design, its structure takes the form of a center rod whereby the

components can be placed.

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4. How to Design PCB Antenna

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