Modular interchangeable high power helical antennas?

Abstract

Helical antennas are very appealing for their conformal and relatively small geometries. Moreover, helical antennas can be impulse excited, producing several cycles of resonant energy at a designed frequency, or resonantly-driven by a frequency matched resonator. Applied Physical Electronics, L.C. has previously reported results from impulse excited helical antennas. Those efforts have been continued to result in a family of interchangeable antennas sourced by a common compact pulse power source. This paper describes the system, including the pulse power and the helical antenna loads, supported by simulations and experimental results.