A wide-band circularly polarized wide-gap antenna loaded with a Y-shaped metal strip for L-band application

A wide-band circularly polarized wide-gap antenna loaded with a Y-shaped metal strip applied to L-band is proposed in this paper. The Y-shaped metal strip coupling motivates the wide gap to achieve wide-band circularly polarized radiation. Both the simulated results by CST Microwave Studio and the measured results indicate that the antenna impedance bandwidth (reflection coefficient less than -10 dB) and axial ratio bandwidth (AR < 3 dB) are 35.9% (1.1-1.71 GHz). The antenna produces a dual circularly polarized radiation with gain of 0.8-3.2 dBic. The equivalent current array model of the antenna is also presented, which well explains the radiation characteristics of the antenna. The introduction of the metal reflecting plate makes the antenna a directional one, whose gain is above 4 dBic within the band. This design enables the satellite communication for most frequency bands with high gain, which has a vast potential for future development.