Is horizontal or vertical polarization better?
A straight dipole antenna will have different polarizations when mounted either horizontally or vertically. Thus, a horizontally polarized antenna will perform better when mounted near a ceiling, whereas a vertically polarized antenna will perform better when mounted near a side wall.
Should a dipole antenna be vertical or horizontal?
You need to have a vertically polarized antenna for it to be effective. If you have repeaters (or other simplex) stations you’d like to work in all directions, then a good vertical omnidirectional antenna is the best bet.
What is a vertically polarized antenna?
Vertical polarisation: This form of antenna is typified by the vertical elements within the antenna. It could be a single vertical element. One of the reasons for using vertical polarisation is that antennas comprising of a single vertical element can radiate equally around it in the horizontal plane.
What does vertically Polarised mean?
The simplest way to describe polarization is the direction in which the electric field of a radio wave oscillates while it propagates through a medium. Conversely, for vertical polarization, the electric field will oscillate up and down in a vertical plane.
How big is the Cross Polarisation loss on a dipole?
For a yagi or a dipole this matches the orientation of the elements of the antenna. For many years, the “conventional orientation” for VHF and HF beams has been horizontal. Cross-polarisation losses, in other words a V-pole antenna at one end and a H-pole antenna at the other end, can be large, up to 30 dB is often quoted.
Why are horizontal dipoles more efficient than vertical dipoles?
Again by convention, but the convention arises because (if I understand correctly) horizontal dipoles typically have more gain, and because a horizontal dipole is a simple, efficient freestanding antenna.
What’s the difference between vertical and horizontal antenna polarisation?
Fig. 2: Dick Coates (ZS6BUN) explaining the difference between vertical and horizontal polarisation of antennas and their effect on propagation. “Just recording audio or video of contacts with different antenna polarisations does not provide any reliable proof.
Are there any dipoles that cover multiple bands?
There are even variations of the dipole that can cover multiple bands, like trap dipoles, parallel dipoles and off-center-fed (OCF) dipoles. One of the disadvantages of a horizontal dipole is length, especially on the low frequencies.