MXPA98006955A - Double tie tie antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a broadband antenna of small size employing very few elongated conductive elements separated (230) forming a cycle, the driving cycle having a pair of feed points located at the center point of the cycle length, and the conducting cycle forming a loop-shaped structure to provide the reciprocation over the entire frequency bands of very high frequency and ultra high frequency. The cycle is made from a conductive material of a paraboloid-shaped microwave reflector (10).

Description

BOW TIE ANTENNA BENDED FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to antennas for receiving transmission signals such as television signals.

BACKGROUND The conventional indoor television antenna used to receive the very high frequency bands employs a pair of telescopic elements that form a dipole with each of the elements, having a total length of from 120 centimeters to 180 centimeters. The two elements are usually mounted to allow the elements to disperse to increase or decrease the length of the dipoles and those elements are commonly known as "rabbit ears". In addition, it is usual to provide a separate antenna for the internal reception of the ultra high frequency television band. The internal ultra high frequency antenna is typically a cycle that has a diameter of approximately 19 centimeters. A problem associated with the conventional internal antenna system is that two separate antennas are required for the very high frequency and ultra high frequency transmission signals respectively, since none of them provide efficient reception over the frequency transmission frequency bands. high and ultra high frequencies whole. A second problem is that these conventional internal antennas are not sufficiently directive to discriminate against commonly encountered alternate path signals, and the result is often of ghosts in a television image. A third problem is that the "rabbit ear" antenna does not look good in indoor environments due to its long elements and overall configuration. There is a need for a structurally small and rigid antenna for efficient reception, over the transmission bands of very high frequencies and whole ultra high frequencies. In addition, there is another need for this antenna to be sufficiently directive to discriminate against multipath signals. In addition, there is another need for this antenna to be used indoors as well as in outdoor applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the described problems by providing an antenna comprising very close elongated conductor elements forming a cycle, the conducting cycle having a pair of feed points located at the midpoint of the cycle length, and forming the cycle conductor a bow tie structure to provide reception over the whole frequency bands of very high frequencies and ultra high frequencies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention will be better understood by referring to the annexed drawing in which: Figure 1 illustrates a modality of a dual-purpose antenna for receiving satellite and local transmission signals; Figure 2 illustrates a parabolic reflector mode of the antenna shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates a bent bow tie antenna that stands alone; Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of a dual-purpose system incorporating features shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3; Figure 5 shows, in the form of a schematic diagram, a mode of a voltage controlled antenna switch / amplifier; Figure 6 shows, in the form of a schematic diagram, one embodiment of a tone-controlled antenna switch / amplifier; Figure 7 shows, in the form of a schematic diagram, one embodiment of a power supply regulator circuit for generating control signals for a frequency converter and an antenna switch / amplifier; Figure 8 illustrates an antenna pattern associated with a switched bent bow tie antenna; Figure 9-a illustrates another embodiment of a dual-purpose antenna for receiving satellite and local transmission signals; Figure 9-b illustrates, in the form of a schematic diagram, high-pass filters shown in Figure 9-a; Figure 10 illustrates another embodiment of a dual-purpose antenna system that includes the features shown in Figure 9-a; Figure 1-a illustrates an embodiment of the reflector of the antenna system shown in Figure 10; and Figure 11-b illustrates one aspect of the reflector mode shown in Figure 11-a. In the different Figures, the same or similar elements shown are identified by the same reference numbers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 1 shows a satellite dish for receiving signals in a first frequency band, for example, microwave direct transmission satellite (DBS) signals, which has been modified to also receive signals in another frequency band, for example , signals of very high frequency and ultra high frequency of terrestrial transmission stations. The dual-purpose antenna shown in Figure 1 includes a parabolic reflector 100, the frequency converter 11, and the support arm of the frequency converter 120. The frequency converter ll can be, for example, a conventional converter for blocking low noise (LNB). The parabolic reflector 100 reflects and focuses microwave transmission signals transmitted from a direct transmission satellite (DBS). The converter support arm 120 places the frequency converter 11 at the focal point of the reflected microwave signals. These parabolic reflectors can be manufactured using the process known as "injection molding". In this process, in order to form a microwave reflector, a conductive metallic paint (for example nickel or copper paint) is applied to the front surface of the parabolic member, which is usually made of a lightweight insulating material ( for example, plastic or fiberglass). In accordance with the principles of the invention, a reflector for receiving direct transmission satellite signals also includes an antenna element for receiving very high frequency and ultra high frequency band signals. For parabolic reflectors produced using injection molding, an antenna element for receiving very high frequency and ultra high frequency band signals is formed on the surface of the parabolic member by masking the conductive paint as described in detail below. It has been experimentally determined that incorporating a very high frequency and ultra high frequency antenna element with a parabolic reflector as described below does not degrade the relative function of the microwave reflector. The process of forming very high frequency / ultra high frequency antenna elements on the surface of the parabolic member includes removing the conductive paint to produce fine edge lines 12 in Figure 1. These edge lines separate the antenna pattern from very frequency. high / ultra high frequency of the rest of the conductive material. As predicted by theory and verified by experiments, these fine lines do not adversely affect the overall performance of the reflector as long as its width remains approximately one tenth (or less) of the wavelength of the microwave transmission signals. As a reference, see Johnson, Richard C. and Jasi, Henry, "The Paraboloidal Grid Reflector," in the Antenna Applications Reference Guide, (McGraw Hill, 1987). For example, in regard to the digital satellite service RCA (DSS) available in the United States of America, the transmission signals are transmitted between 12.2 and 12.7 GHz (the K4 part of the Ku band). In accordance with the above, the available line width will be approximately 2.5 millimeters or less. However, experiments have shown that microwave reception does not degrade so much when the line is less than 3.0 millimeters. Another aspect of the invention involves the structure of the very high frequency / ultra high frequency antenna element. The structure is depicted in Figure 2-a and is referred to herein as a "bow tie" antenna. It has been found that the bent bow tie antenna does not require adjustment to receive television transmission signals in all the entire high frequency and ultra high frequency television bands (54-870 MHz in the United States of America). This is because the bent bow tie antenna exhibits a wide frequency bandwidth, which extends well to the lower edge of the very low frequency (54 MHz) low frequency transmission television frequencies. It is known, for example from Antennas by John D. Kraus (see for example, pages 340-358 of McGraw Hill, 2nd edition, 1988) that a biconical antenna in the form of a bow tie has a relatively wider frequency bandwidth than a classic dipole antenna. Figure 2-d shows experimental results that indicate that the loop antenna has a bandwidth significantly wider than conventional designs such as the biconical antenna in the form of a bow tie or a bent dipole antenna. As described above, an easily bent bow tie antenna can be formed on a parabolic reflector using the injection molding process. This is desirable for the mass production of dual-purpose antennas. In addition, the cost for providing the very high frequency / ultra high frequency antenna is significantly reduced as compared to providing a separate antenna assembly that is unible to the parabolic assembly. The physical dimensions of an exemplary bent bow tie antenna have been determined experimentally and are shown in Figure 2-a. In particular, for a satellite dish 100 having a width of 46 centimeters (18 inches), the length 220 of the folded bow tie antenna element is 46 centimeters (18 inches) and the width 210 is 23 centimeters (9 inches). inches). The conductive paint also contributes to the broadband nature of the bow tie antenna bent into a paraboloid. Any conductive paint is not perfectly conductive due to inherent resistance. For example, the bent bow tie antenna made of nickel paint on a paraboloid 46 centimeters in diameter (18 inches) has a total resistance of approximately 17 ohms. It might seem that this resistance would degrade the performance of the bow tie antenna bent because the resistance can weaken the received signals. However, this resistance could, in fact, increase the overall performance of the bent bow tie antenna because the resistance provides better impedance matching of the antenna across the entire band of very high / ultra high television frequencies. The resistance works like a broad band load for the antenna. The improvement provided by better impedance matching of the antenna exceeds the signal loss caused by the resistance. The compromise between signal loss and impedance matching could be optimized by varying the resistivity of the conductive paint. If a larger parabolic reflector is used, greater improvement in the reception of very high frequency / ultra high frequency signals can be obtained using an array of bent bow tie antenna elements. For example, a paraboloid greater than 46 centimeters in size could be used so that the two folded bow tie antenna elements of the size described with respect to Figure 2-a could be accommodated in a vertically stacked array as shown in the Figure 2-b. Electrically integrating the signals received from the multiple elements would provide an additional gain of 3 decibels.

In Figure 2-a, the elements of the bent bow tie antenna 230 are divided from the central feed points 13 and 14 to the respective ends 15 and 16 which substantially coincide with the outer edge of the reflector 100. The two elements they are connected on the side 17. On the other side, the two elements are separated at the respective feed points 13 and 14. In addition to forming on the surface of the paraboloid 100 in Figure 1 and 2-a, a structure can be designed of antenna loop antenna as an antenna that stands alone as shown in Figure 3. For a type antenna that stands alone, it is preferable to make the antenna smaller than the modality described above formed in a paraboloid of 46 centimeters because A smaller antenna can be easily placed in many different places. Figure 3 illustrates one embodiment of a smaller bent bow tie antenna 30 which is a compromise between function and size. Experimental results have shown that acceptable performance is obtained when antenna 30 is 46 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide. The elements of the antenna 30 can be constructed using various techniques such as acid etching the antenna structure on a conventional circuit board or sticking aluminum or copper sheets on a non-conductive sheet of substrate material. For the reception of television signals and other transmission signals, it is preferable to have an antenna operate with some degree of directivity. This is because the directional antenna provides not only greater signal magnitude but also rejects undesirable multiple path signals and other interferences. The bent bow tie antenna has a "shape of eight" antenna pattern. For optimal reception of very high frequencies / ultra high frequencies, as illustrated in Figure 2-c, the antenna should be placed so that a lobe of the pattern is pointed towards the television signal transmission antenna of very high frequency / ultra high frequency. One way to point the antenna towards a plurality of transmit antennas is to rotate the antenna mechanically. However, if the bent bow tie antenna is incorporated with the parabolic reflector as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2-a, physically turning the antenna is undesirable because an antenna to receive direct transmission satellite signals is fixed typically in a position that points towards a particular satellite. In addition, physically rotating an antenna involves a significant additional cost for rotating devices. Moreover, it will take about 10-20 seconds to rotate the antenna from one direction to the opposite (ie, 90 degrees). Adjustment of the antenna may be needed to find the optimal direction of the antenna whenever a user changes channels.

Another aspect of the invention eliminates the need to rotate the antenna by providing a switchable bent bow tie antenna system. As shown in Figure 4, a switchable bow tie antenna system includes an orthogonal combination of two bent bow tie antennas. The bent bow tie antenna of smaller size 430 is installed under the support arm of frequency converter 120. Three output signals (ie, output of the smaller bow tie antenna bent 430, antenna output of bow tie bent 230 in the paraboloid, and the output of the frequency converter 11) are applied to the switch / amplifier 40 separately. Two balun transformers (balanced / unbalanced) 4: 1 50, 60 are provided for the two respective bow tie antennas folded for impedance matching purposes. The terminals for the feed points 13, 14 are placed on the back of the reflector 10, and the balun transformer 50 is attached below the paraboloid. In response to a control signal generated by the control circuit 60, the switch / amplifier 40 selects the output signal of the bent bow tie antenna which is pointed towards a very high frequency / ultra frequency signal transmission antenna high desired. The control of the switching operation is described in more detail below. A single coaxial cable can carry a plurality of different signals such as (1) microwave signals converted downward; (2) transmission signals of very high frequencies / ultra high frequencies; (3) direct current energy for the frequency converter 11 as well as for the switch / amplifier 40; and (4) a switching control signal for the switch-amplifier 40. This allows a simple installation of the entire dual-purpose antenna system. Exemplary wire connections are shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows an exemplary circuit 500 for switch / amplifier 40 in the form of a schematic diagram. The switch / amplifier 500 includes the amplifiers 520, 530; the switching circuits DI, D2; the switching control circuit 510; and the diplex filters 560. As described below, the switching operation in the circuit in Figure 5 is controlled by a direct current level. In Figure 6 another exemplary circuit 600 is shown which responds to an AC switching control signal, for example, a 22 kHz signal, as described below. Each switch / amplifier mode 40 provides a very fast selection between bent bow tie antennas 230, 430. In Figure 5, two identical amplifiers 520, 530 include transistors Q3 and Q4. Each of the amplifiers provides approximately 10 decibels of gain. The analysis of conventional computation and design techniques can be used to adjust the gain, the input and output impedance over the television bands of very high frequency / ultra high frequency of frequencies (54 to 870 MHz). The input filters, Ul and U2, reject potential interference below 55 MHz. The switching is carried out by PIN diodes DI and D2 in response to alternately applying power to each amplifier 520 and 530. The switching of the voltage supply circuit 510 is arranged so that when node V2 is at 8 volts, node VI becomes zero volts. Accordingly, when the node V2 is 8 volts, the collector of the transistor Q3 (ie, the anode of the PIN diode D2) becomes 5 volts due to Rl, and that of the transistor Q4 (the anode electrode of the diode). PIN DI) becomes zero volts. This forward polarizes the PIN diode D2 to a conductive state for the radio frequency signals. Therefore, the amplified signals from the input A are routed to the output terminal 530. On the other hand, DI is reverse biased and blocks the signals from the input B. Furthermore, since voltage supply is not applied to the transistor Q4"the amplifier 530 does not provide any positive gain to the signals from the input B and, in fact, attenuates the signal which also isolates the input B from the output terminal 530. Alternatively, when the node V2 is zero volts, the node VI becomes 8 volts. Under these circumstances, the above operation will be reversed, and the signals from the input B are amplified and directed to the output terminal 530. As mentioned above, a direct current power supply circuit in a television system (e.g. satellite tuner or a television receiver) could supply a direct current power voltage for the switch / amplifier 40 via the center conductor of a coaxial cable. In the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6, such as a direct current energy voltage (e.g., between 10 and 25 volts) is separated from the very high frequency / ultra high frequency transmission signals by the L5 inductor and is supplied to input 515 of REG regulator. REG regulator provides a regulated direct current power voltage (eg, 8 volts) for the entire switching circuit / amplifier. In response to the antenna switching control information (i.e., the direct current energy voltage variation) transmitted from the television system as described in more detail below, the control circuit 510 provides different bias voltages Direct current for the PIN DI, D2 diodes respectively. The DC voltage of the television system is supplied not only to the input of the regulator REG but also to the base electrode of the transistor Q2 via the voltage divider 511 which includes the resistors R16, R17. The regulated direct current energy voltage is applied to the emitter electrode of transistor Q2. When the television system sends a lower DC power voltage (e.g., below 14.8 volts), the voltage divider 511 provides a lower bias voltage (e.g., below 7.4 volts) for the electrode. transistor base Q2 so that transistor Q2 becomes on (i.e., driver). Thus, the regulated energy voltage appears at node V2 and forward polarizes the PIN diode D2. On the other hand, Ql becomes turned off (ie, non-conductive), and node Vi becomes zero volts. Thus, neither the amplifier 530 nor the DI diode are supplied with power. It is noted that resistor R18 provides a base current for Q1 to ensure that Q1 is fully on when Q2 is turned off. For a higher direct current power voltage (for example, above 14.8), Q2 becomes non-conductive and Ql becomes conductive. The resistor R18 is added to provide stability for the control circuit 510 near its threshold level (e.g. 14.8 volts). The Diplex 560 filter includes 540 low pass filter and 550 high pass filter. The diplex filter 560 is designed to combine the very high frequency / ultra high frequency transmission signals (55 to 803 MHz) and the converted microwave signals ( 950 to 1450 MHz) so that they can be transmitted via the same conductor center of a single coaxial cable. More specifically, the low pass filter 540 for the very high frequency / ultra high frequency transmission signals (with a cutoff frequency of, for example, 803 MHz) includes inductance L6, L7, and capacitance Cll. The high pass filter 550 for the converted microwave signals (with a cutoff frequency of, for example, 950 MHz) includes inductance L8, capacitance C12, and C14. The inductance L9, IOL and capacitance C13 are provided to pass the direct current energy voltage to the frequency converter 11. Figure 6 shows the schematic diagram for another exemplary embodiment of the switch / amplifier 40. In this embodiment, a signal of Alternating current (for example, 1.5 volts PP at 22 kHz) is used to control the switching function of the switch / amplifier 40. The tone signal is generated in the television system using conventional oscillator techniques and applied to or removed from the central conductor of a coaxial cable. If the tone is present, the tone signal is applied to and rectified in the tone switching circuit 610 which includes the tone rectifier circuit of C9, D4, D5 and CIO. The rectified tone signal returns both transistors Q5 and Q2 drivers. Thus the regulated direct current voltage (e.g., 8 volts) is applied to node V2 'via transistor Q2. On the other hand, transistor Ql becomes non-conductive and node VI 'becomes zero volts. This causes the transistor Q3 and the PIN diode D2 to conduct and cut the transistor Q4 and the diode PIN DI. Therefore, the switching circuit / amplifier 600 selects the input A. Figure 7 shows a power supply circuit 700 having a capability of adding a tone signal to the conductive center of a coaxial cable. This direct current power supply circuit can be used in a television system (e.g., a satellite tuner or television receiver) to provide different direct current supply voltages to a frequency converter such as the converter 11 in Figure 1 and 4. In addition, the voltages generated by the circuit in Figure 7 can select the polarization of the signal (right or left circular polarization) that is received by the converter 11. Also the power supply circuit in the Figure 7 can provide direct current power for the switch / amplifier 600 shown in Figure 6. Certain aspects of the circuit shown in Figure 7 are known from the Patents of the United States of America Numbers: 5,563,500 and 5,578,916. Other features of the circuit shown in Figure 7 are described below. In Figure 7, a control signal having two control states is coupled to a resistor terminal 710. Each control state causes the circuit in Figure 7 to produce a different direct current voltage at the output terminal 730 in Figure 7. For example, a 0 volt control signal state produces 13 volts at terminal 730 while a 5 volt control signal state produces 17 volts at terminal 730. Typically, output terminal 730 is it couples to a frequency converter or LNB such as converter 11 in Figure 1 and 4 via the center conductor of the coaxial cable. Each voltage causes the converter 11 to receive a different signal bias, for example, 13 V causes the converter to receive circularly polarized signals to the right while 17 volts causes the converter to receive circularly polarized signals to the left. Also in Figure 7, a "tone" signal of 22 kHz is coupled via capacitor C5 to the positive input of the Ul amplifier. When the 22 kHz tone signal is present, the amplifier Ul and the transistors Q1 and Q2 couple the 22 kHz signal to the output signal at the terminal 730. The operation of the circuit is such that the signal in the terminal 730 includes both the 22 kHz signal, when present, and the selected direct current level (for example 13 volts or 17 volts). The presence or absence of the tone signal in the output signal is detected by the switching circuit in Figure 6 and is used to switch between the bent loop antenna antenna input signals. Thus, the circuit in Figure 7 produces an output signal at terminal 730 that combines the alternating current and direct current control signals to independently control signal polarization and antenna switching. In addition, the direct current voltage provided at terminal 730 is used to power the switching amplifier in Figure 6. The particular state of the control signal and the presence or absence of the 22 kHz tone is determined by a switching device. control in the television system, such as a microcontroller (not shown in Figure 7). As an example, a user activates a particular key on a remote control to select a particular signal bias or to initiate switching between bent bow tie antennas. Activation of the key generates a remote control signal that is received by the microcontroller. The microcontroller processes the remote control signal to select the appropriate function. For example, the microcontroller generates the appropriate status of the control signal supplied to the resistor R16 in Figure 7 or controls a switch to couple (or decouple) the 22 kHz signal to the C5 capacitor. It is noted that the switching operation of the switch / amplifier 40 can be initiated in several different ways. For example, a user may manually select one of the bow tie antennas folded one channel after another using a remote controller. Second, this selection can be made automatically with a microcomputer system that includes memory where the information about the channels coupled to the respective selections of the antenna is stored. As soon as the user selects any of the antennas for a particular broadcast television channel, the same antenna will automatically be selected again when choosing the same channel later. Third, the microcomputer system can also automatically select the best very high frequency / ultra high frequency antenna by measuring the automatic gain control signal (AGC) which indicates the level of the very high frequency / ultra high frequency television signals received. . This selection can be made during the operation called "autoprogram" of a television receiver. Preferably, the user may manually modify this selection later if necessary. The above automatic antenna selection methods would benefit the user by allowing a quick selection of channels, sometimes called "surfing channels".

Figure 7 illustrates an antenna pattern of a pair of switched orthogonal bent loop antennae. The dotted line represents the antenna pattern 230 in the paraboloid, and the solid line represents that of the antenna 430 mounted under the support arm of the frequency converter 120 shown in Figure 4. It has been determined that half of the multipath paths and potential interferences can be removed by switching two bent bow tie antennas compared to an omnidirectional antenna (ie, an antenna that has a 360 degree coverage). Figure 9-a illustrates another modality of the dual-purpose antenna. In Figure 9-a, a conductive screen is embedded in an insulating molding compound (e.g., plastic) to form the reflector in the form of a paraboloid 800. The screen is not capable of being easily formed in the form of a bow tie bent , so a simpler form should be used. A preferable implementation of the screen is to divide the screen into two parts with a minimum gap of less than 3.0 millimeters, as discussed above. The divided conductive screen is still capable of reflecting microwave signals, and the divided parts form dipole antennas of very high frequency and ultra high frequency type respectively. These shapes could also be formed with conductive paint as in the previous. In Figure 9-a, the conductive screens are divided horizontally as well as vertically. The lower section 930 of the screens is designed to operate as an ultra high frequency dipole antenna for optimum reception of ultra high frequency, and the upper section 940 in combination with the lower section 930 provides a very high frequency antenna. The lower section 930 is coupled with radiofrequency, within the very high frequency television frequencies, to the upper section 940 for optimum reception of very high frequency. The radio frequency (RF) filters 910, 920 are used as coupling means. Each of the filters can be a simple parallel resonant trap similar to that used for amateur radio dipole antennas or simply a high pass filter as shown in Figure 9-b. This variation can also be formed with a conductive paint. Some radiofrequency filtering can be developed by masking the conductive paint in the paraboloid. Figure 10 illustrates an exemplary antenna system for a conductive mesh type reflector. The output of the dipole antenna in the paraboloid can be coupled with a balun transformer and then one of the inputs of a diplex filter, such as the Channel Master model 4001 IFD. The other input of the diplex filter can also be coupled to the output of the frequency converter to receive microwave transmission signals from a satellite. The combined output of the diplex filter can be coupled with a television system via a single coaxial cable (instead of two). Here another diplex filter can separate the signals of very high frequency / ultra high frequency and the satellite signals of the combined signals so that a conventional television receiver of very high frequency / ultra high frequency and a satellite tuner are able to receive the two separate signals- respectively. It has been found that the mode of the very high frequency / ultra high frequency reception system shown in Figure 10 provides good signal reception in areas where the transmission stations are located very close (for example, within 30 kilometers). A further improvement of the reception of very high frequencies / ultra high frequencies can be carried out by joining radial rods to portions of the screen assembly as shown in Figure 11-a. The radial rods make the embedded dipole antenna work similar to a biconical antenna. A uniform input impedance (Ri) of an "infinite" biconical antenna is given by Ri = 120 ln cot Jhc / 2 (Ohm) where Jhc is as shown in Figure 11-b. For a finite biconical antenna, in which the length of the antenna element is less than a wavelength of the receiving frequency, the impedance of the input antenna becomes reactive. Thus, it may be desirable to increase the effective length of the "conical" section (ie, screen). The rods or wires can be added by extending radially from the back of the antenna. These rods can be at an angle Jhc as shown in Figure 11-b to control the input impedance of the antenna as well as to improve especially the reception of the lower frequency signals within the frequency band of frequency transmission very much. high / ultra high frequencies. A recent discovery of technology for the reception of the National Television Standard Committee (NTSC) known as "programmable digital equalizer", is especially advantageous for improving the dual-purpose antenna system. This is because the equalizer could further reduce the multipath and interference problems for the NTSC's local transmission signals. Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present description has been made by way of examples and that changes can be made in details of the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the dual purpose antenna can be used not only to receive digital / analog television signals but also to receive audio or digital / analog data signals.

Claims (5)

1. A broadband antenna comprising: elongated conductive elements not widely separated forming a cycle; the driving cycle having a pair of power points located at the midpoint of the cycle length, and the conducting cycle forming a loop-like structure to provide reception over the entire frequency bands of very high frequency and frequency ultra high

2. The broadband antenna in the claim 1 wherein: the elongated conductor cycle is formed from part of a conductive material of a parabolic microwave reflector; and the cycle is separated from the rest of the conductive material by a narrow, non-conductive gap so that the reflector maintains an optimal microwave reflection.

3. The broadband antenna in the claim 2 where: part of the rest of the conductive material forms elements of impedance transformation.

4. The broadband antenna in claim 2 wherein: part of the rest of the conductive material forms coupling means.

5. The broadband antenna in claim 2 wherein: a first part of the rest of the conductive material forms impedance transformation elements; and a second part of the rest of the conductive material forms coupling means.