A printed monopole loaded with a non-Foster matching network in the VHF band; radiation considerations

Loading an electrically small antenna (ESA) with non-Foster active matching networks (MN) is an interesting way to obtain broad impedance bandwidth. Locating one of these active networks in the antenna structure itself can be advantageous especially when the application requires a compact design. The introduction of the so called sensitivity (Sens) parameter allows finding a suitable placement for the MN. Some radiation considerations can be described, according to the antenna plus MN topology chosen at a low sensitivity point.