Antennas by type
| Type | Typical gain | Pattern | Bandwidth | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dipole (half-wave) | 2.15 dBi | Omni (donut) | Narrow | Reference; amateur radio |
| Quarter-wave monopole | ~5 dBi (over GP) | Omni | Narrow | AM, car radio, whip |
| 5/8-wave monopole | ~6 dBi | Omni (low angle) | Narrow | VHF / UHF base |
| Folded dipole | 2.15 dBi | Omni | Narrow | 300 Ω match, TV |
| Yagi-Uda | 6–20 dBi | Directional | Narrow | TV, HAM DX, repeaters |
| Log-periodic | 6–10 dBi | Directional | Wide (decade) | Broadband TV, spectrum analyzers |
| Patch / microstrip | 6–9 dBi | Hemispherical | Narrow | GPS, WiFi, cellular |
| Helix (axial mode) | 8–15 dBi | Beam (circular pol.) | Narrow | Satellite uplink / downlink |
| Parabolic dish | 20–55 dBi | Pencil beam | Medium | Microwave, radar, VSAT |
| Horn | 10–25 dBi | Beam | Broadband | Feed for dish, test |
| Biquad | 10–12 dBi | Directional | ~15% BW | DIY WiFi |
| Slot | ~8 dBi | Hemispherical | Narrow | Flush-mount, aircraft |
| PIFA / inverted-F | 0–3 dBi | Near-omni | Narrow | Phones, IoT |
| Chip antenna | −3 to 2 dBi | Varies | Narrow | BLE, sub-GHz IoT |
| Fractal / compact | 0–5 dBi | Varies | Multi-band | Multi-band handhelds |
Polarization notes
- Vertical: most mobile, FM broadcast, WiFi (orientation varies).
- Horizontal: classic broadcast TV (US), amateur HF DX.
- Circular (LHCP / RHCP): GPS, satellite — orientation-independent.
- Cross-polarized links suffer ~20 dB loss — always match polarization.
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