Fabrication of low-cost spherical-circular antennas for educational purposes

Planar microstrip antennas are customary components in modern communication systems, being the subject of a variety of analytical and numerical methods developed for their investigation. On the other hand, when conformed onto spherical structures, antenna analysis and fabrication become both challenging [1], even in the classroom environment where production is not a concern. Hence, in this paper, a low-cost procedure for fabricating a spherical-circular antenna prototype that can be effectively utilized by students in advanced classes is discussed. The prototype's electromagnetic characteristics can first be quickly estimated using the LAP (Laboratory of Antennas and Propagation)-developed CAD [2] resulting in minimal optimization time with the HFSS software [3].