Dielectric’s new FMP antennas represent the broadcast industry’s first slot cavity microstrip FM antenna product family, bringing novel benefits to high-power FM broadcasters. The FMP family carries over many traditional pylon TV antenna benefits, including optimal downward radiation, smaller size and lower weight.
FMP antennas reduce the number of parts used in equivalent ring-style antennas by more than 60%. The streamlined componentry also improves reliability over the long term as there are far fewer parts to repair or replace.
Pylon antennas have cylindrical design attributes that, while optimal for TV systems, translated to narrow bandwidth characteristics that were impractical for FM signals. Dielectric’s engineering breakthroughs introduce techniques to increase that bandwidth, making full-band FM operation in pylon antennas a reality. Dielectric’s patented parasitic dipole adds a vertical component to the existing horizontal signal, creating more pattern options for FM broadcasters including elliptical and circular polarisation. It also contributes to the substantial bandwidth increase.
Dielectric’s FMP designs use full-wavelength spacing between antenna elements. This reduces the number of antenna elements required compared to ring-style designs, which require half-wavelength spacing to cover the full FM band. FMP antennas are built in four-layer building blocks and can be increased to eight or 12 bays for higher power requirements and elevation pattern gains. Click here to find out more about Dielectric’s FMP antennas.