Abstract
A small antenna is one whose size is a small fraction of the wavelength. It is a capacitor or inductor, and it is tuned to resonance by a reactor of opposite kind. Its bandwidth of impedance matching is subject to a fundamental limitation measured by its "radiation power factor" which is proportional to its "effective volume". These principles are reviewed in the light of a quarter-century of experience. They are related to various practical configurations, including flush radiators for mounting on aircraft. Among the examples, one extreme is a small one-turn loop of wide strip, tuned by an integral capacitor. The opposite extreme is the largest antenna in the world, which is a "small antenna" in terms of its operating wavelength. In each of these extremes, the radiation power factor is much less than one percent.

This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit: