The effect of superstructure on the impedance and radiation characteristics of the naval HF monopole antenna

The antenna performance on a complex metallic platform largely depends on the structural elements. In this paper, the superstructure effect on the performance of an HF antenna is demonstrated by using an incremental approach. The change in the impedance and the radiation pattern are examined starting from an ideal monopole and ending with the antenna facing the full details of the platform. The impedance is especially investigated from the antenna tuning unit efficiency point of view. In order to exploit the changes in the 3D radiation pattern, a new metric is devised.