Wire Antenna : Design, Working, Types & Its Applications

　　An antenna is a metallic device, used to transmit & receive radio electromagnetic signals, where these signals represent some information. Radios are mainly designed for wireless communication to broadcast both microwave & radio signals. 

     Generally, antennas are available in different sizes & shapes. There are many reasons to use antennas, but the main reason is to provide a simple way to transmit signals or data. There are different types of antennas available like Yagi Uda, Aperture, reflector, wire antenna, and many more. This article discusses one of the types of antenna like wire antenna – working with applications.

　　Wire Antenna Definition

　　A wire Antenna is a type of radio antenna that includes a long wire suspended over the ground. The wire in the antenna picks up the signals & radiates them further. In this antenna, the wire antenna length has no relation to its wavelength. The wire is simply connected to the transmitter or the receiver through the tuner of an antenna to transmit or receive the signals. These antennas are well known due to their ease of installation & portability. The wire antenna diagram is shown below.

　　How Does Wire Antenna Work?

　　The antenna with a long wire is a combination of several half-wave dipoles; so, its operation principle is the same as the half-wave dipole antenna. So the length of these antennas is greater as compared to the half wavelength. So, when a long conducting wire is simply excited by the input voltage, afterward the charge carriers will drift based on half of the applied signal. If the first half of the signal is applied, then charge carriers will experience attractive force whereas if a negative half cycle is used, then charge carriers will experience repulsion. So this charge carrier’s cumulative action in the conductor produces an unstable electric field. Therefore the signal is radiated in this way at the other end through the long wire antenna.

　　The antenna with long wire is more as compared to half wavelength long. When the length of the long wire antenna is increased, then directivity will also get better. It is notable in the case of an antenna with a long wire that is; for the lowest frequency of operation, generally, the length is considered as half wavelength & outside feeding is provided at the end.