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How should I start if I want to design a compact antenna for 2 meter band using the principle of meander antenna? I noticed meander antennas are frequently used in mobile devices and notebooks for 2.4 and 5.5 GHz devices (Bluetooth, Wifi) as well as various kinds of mobile phones.

I would like to get to something, preferably flat or pen-shaped, and I wanted to try meander antenna because they are reportedly the most efficient radiators with regard to their small physical dimensions.

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    $\begingroup$ do you have a reference design ? please update your question with a link or formulas/drawing/picture. Do you have a particular problem with that design, or a question about that particular design ? please update your question. The more detail about what you are asking, the better the answers will be $\endgroup$ Feb 23, 2018 at 13:38
  • $\begingroup$ See this question. $\endgroup$ Feb 23, 2018 at 16:26
  • $\begingroup$ This is not a precisely defined design. Rather an interesting idea for experiment. The original inspiration came from HF meander antennas (physically short antenna for impractically long wavelength for a "normal" dipole or vertical), but BT and wifi antennas inspired me to try to build something flat, maybe on a piece of PCB, but for much lower frequencies (2m or 70 cm) and make it usable in restricted conditions, e.g. on a window. $\endgroup$ Feb 24, 2018 at 21:30
  • $\begingroup$ @JindrichVavruska Please don't add signatures to your posts. If you want, you can put your call sign in your display name or about me section in your profile. $\endgroup$
    – Kevin Reid AG6YO
    Feb 24, 2018 at 23:01

2 Answers 2

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  1. Start with a straight dipole or monopole
  2. Put kinks in it
  3. Add or subtract length as necessary

It usually ends up somewhere between 50% to 60% of the straight-wire length.

You could find the appropriate length by modelling or trial and error. KK4OBI has a chart which will get you close.

Although if you want something pen-shaped, the typical "rubber-ducky" antenna that comes with most mobile radios is a wire wound in a helix, which could be described as a "helical meander antenna", or an antenna that meanders in three dimensions instead of two. The reason they aren't used more frequently in consumer electronics is they can't be printed on a PCB. I doubt you will find much difference in performance between a meander antenna and a helical antenna of similar size.

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  • $\begingroup$ Yep, thanks. I am now kind of struggling with 4nec2 (having used it for a long time... forgot how to create a new file, it's not in menu...) Hopefully I will be able to create the design. I'd actually prefer something flat rather than barrel shape. I think rubber-duckies work fine for their shape, this would be an attempt to get something not too big and yet maybe a little bit more efficient. $\endgroup$ Feb 24, 2018 at 21:36
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I think the easiest way is to start with a working design (Google is full of it) for an other band and upscale (or downscale) it for the 2m band.

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    $\begingroup$ Thanks, actually scaling a 2.4 GHz PCB design up to 430 or 145 MHz might work. $\endgroup$ Feb 24, 2018 at 21:36

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