How do you tell if an antenna needs a ground plane?
How do you tell if an antenna needs a ground plane? To function as a ground plane, the conducting surface must be at least a quarter of the wavelength (λ/4) of the radio waves in radius. In lower frequency antennas, such as the mast radiators used for broadcast antennas, the Earth itself (or a body of water such as a salt marsh or ocean) is used as a ground plane. What are the effects of ground on the radiation of monopole antenna? The general effect of electrically small ground planes, as well as imperfectly conducting earth grounds, is to tilt...