Course Details

Course Information Package

Course Unit TitleANTENNAS AND WAVE PROPAGATION
Course Unit CodeAEEE511
Course Unit Details
Number of ECTS credits allocated7
Learning Outcomes of the course unitBy the end of the course, the students should be able to:
  1. Manage the fundamental properties of antennas (gain, input impedance, bandwith, directivity, mutual coupling etc) in order to construct a wireless communication link.
  2. Design an antenna array in order to achieve the required beamwidth for the desired specification and be able to use an antenna as part of a transceiver circuit.
  3. Analyze the fluctuation over time, season, weather of the maximum propagation range and the link quality in order to improve the performance of the designed system.
  4. Interpret the radio propagation conditions in a mobile or time variant environment considering the multipath, flat or frequency selective fading, using simple link budget models like Okumura or Hata models
  5. Compare the frequencies used for satellite communications and appraise the potential improvement in the system’s throughput, exploiting the concept of polarization and depolarization in satellite links, frequency reuse techniques and technical aspects for real life satellite communication applications such as satellite TV, GPS
  6. Justify the constantly increasing need for developing special interest topics, in wireless communications, such as PAN networks using UWB and WiMAX technologies or AdHoc sensor/RFID networks
Mode of DeliveryFace-to-face
PrerequisitesNONECo-requisitesNONE
Recommended optional program componentsNONE
Course Contents

Antennas

Characteristics:  Dimensions, gain (dB), polarization, F/B ratio, VSWR, radiation diagrams, input impedance. Types: Directional, omnidirectional , monopoles, dipoles, patch etc

UHF communications

Electromagnetic field. Ground and surface waves. Direct waves:  Direct LOS, Fresnel theory, free space loss, Sky waves (Ionosphere)

Key concepts : Structure of the Ionosphere:  D, E, F1, F2. Critical frequencies:  MUF, LUF. Propagation effects: Daily, seasonal, geographic, sunspots, interference, weather, solar flares. Propagation indices:  K, Ap, Solar flux, Sunspot number.  Tropospheric waves

RF communications (WLAN, GSM)

Link Budget. Line-of-sight (LOS) path loss models. Fresnel zone. Path loss and free space path loss. Okumura model. Hata model. Antenna gain. Frequency considerations. Atmospheric, weather and rain attenuation. Terrain factors

Multipath loss. Rician and Raleigh fading considerations. Cochannel interference. Transmission line loss

A typical link budget calculation for a cellular network

Radio Propagation in a Mobile Environnent

Multipath fading. Rician, Raleigh and Nakagami fading. Threshold crossing rate and average fade duration. Delay spread. Doppler shift effects. Coherence time and coherence bandwidth. Local variability models

Satellite Communications Propagation

Frequency, rain, repeaters, tall buildings

Special topics of wireless communications

RFIDs/sensors networks

UWB/WiMAX communications

Recommended and/or required reading:
Textbooks
  • M. P. M. Hall , Les W. Barclay, M. T. Hewitt, “Propagation of Radiowaves”
  • G.S.N. Raju, “Antenna and wave propagation”, 2005 (Pearson Education)
References
  • C. A. Balanis, “Antenna Theory”, 2nd. Edition (John Wiley Publishers)
  • K.A.Bakshi, A.V.Bakshi, U.A.Bakshi, “Antenna And Wave Propagation”, 2008
Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The taught part of course is delivered to the students by means of lectures, conducted with the help of computer presentations. Lecture notes and presentations are available through the web for students to use in combination with the textbooks. The structure of the course teaching is based on lectures (3 hours per week) in a classroom. 

During the lectures several related exercises are solved on the board with participation of the students. Several problems are left unfinished for the students to complete at home. Other problems are used as assignments. Topic notes are compiled by students, during the lecture which serve to cover the main issues under consideration. Students are also urged to use the textbook assigned to the course. Related homework problems are also assigned from the textbook as a turn in assignment or for homework practice. Also, students are advised to use the reference books for further reading and practice in solving related exercises.

Assessment methods and criteria
Assignments10%
Tests30%
Project 20%
Final Exam40%
Language of instructionEnglish
Work placement(s)NO

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