A LHCP Printed Cross Dipole Antenna for Glacial Environmental Sensor Networks

A left hand circularly polarized antenna called SPD-PCD (Symmetric phase difference - printed cross dipole) has been designed, developed, and experimentally validated for use with glacier telemetry surface receivers. The antenna is portable and easy to fabricate. It provides a gain of 5.9 dBic at 433 MHz, a 57 % -10 dB fractional bandwidth, and a -3 dB angular width of 60° in the vertical planes. The antenna offers good circular polarization with the axial ratio remaining below 1.1 dB between 330-580 MHz. The co-polarization is at least 10 dB stronger than cross-polarization within a beam width of 80° in both the vertical planes. This work also validates the 433 MHz band is suitable to achieve communication ranges of up to 2300 m through ice