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ASH Transceiver Antenna Impedance Matching

In many low power radio applications, a small physical form factor is required (i.e., a
RKE transmitter). In such applications a full sized quarter wavelength antenna becomes
impractical; the antenna must be shorter. Short antennas usually present a capacitive load,
with the real part of the antenna impedance less than 50 ohms. If such an antenna is
connected to the ASH transceiver using the tuning inductor values for a 50 ohm load
(given in the data sheet), the antenna will be miss-matched to the ASH transceiver. The
result will be reduced transmission range. In order to get the best range with a short
antenna, the antenna must be tuned to provide the correct impedance match. This
application note discusses the methods to tune a short antenna and sites several examples.
1. Check the antenna impedance
Before starting to tune the antenna, it is necessary to check the antenna impedance. A
network analyzer is usually used for antenna impedance measurements and matching.
a. Preparation for calibration: Solder a pigtail (a SMA connector with a piece of
coaxial cable) to the test PCB. Keep the coaxial cable very short. If a long cable is
necessary, you can add ferrite beads to the cable to prevent it from radiating. Keep the
test antenna away from the cable and the network analyzer to reduce field reflections.
At this point the antenna should be disconnected from the transceiver, and the center
conductor of the cable should not be connected to the antenna or the transceiver. See
Fig. 2(b). The other simple way is to first calibrate just the pigtail without the PCB.
b. Calibration: Set the network analyzer to the Smith Chart display (of S
11
) and set the
sweep center frequency to the operating frequency of the ASH transceiver. Connect
the SMA connector with the coaxial cable and the PCB to the network analyzer (see
Fig. 1(a)) and calibrate for an open. Then connect the coaxial cable center
conductor to the shield and calibrate for a short. Connect a 50 ohm resistor from the
coaxial cable center conductor to GND for load and then done. It is then best to
recheck the calibration result for open and short again.
PCB
GND
ASH Transceiver
SMA Con.
Network analyzer Printed Antenna
S11
PCB
(a) (b)
Fig. 1
2
c. Check the antenna impedance: Solder the central conductor of the coaxial cable
pigtail to the test antenna. See Fig. 2(a). Check the antenna impedance with the
network analyzer. Normally, the impedance of a short antenna will be lower than
50 ohms and it will be capacitive. The antenna impedance will appear somewhere on
the lower half of the Smith chart. See Fig. 2(b).
PCB
GND
ASH Transceiver 0 1
SMA Con. Printed Antenna
(a) (b)
Fig. 2
2. Use Smith Chart and Admittance Chart for Antenna Tuning
The normal way to tune the antenna is by adding series or parallel inductors and/or
capacitors. The Smith chart and Admittance chart can help you to determine the tuning
method.
The Smith chart is useful for the series tuning components. On the Smith chart, the
impedance is increased from 0 to along with the horizontal diameter from the left to the
right. The center is 50 ohms. Adding a series inductor will move the impedance point
clockwise, and adding a series capacitor will move the impedance counterclockwise (Fig.
3 (a)).
The Admittance chart is useful for the parallel parts. Adding a shunt inductor will move
the impedance counterclockwise; adding a shunt capacitor will move in the clockwise
direction (Fig. 3 (b)).
Series inductor Parallel inductor
+ jX -jB
0 R (50 ) 1 G 0
1
- jX +jB
Series capacitor Parallel capacitor
(a) Smith Chart (b) Admittance Chart
Fig. 3
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2. Antenna Tuning Example
1). Special Examples for Printed Antennas
If you are lucky, the antenna characteristic impedance will be located on (or very close
to) the 1 circle on the Smith chart or Admittance chart (see Fig. 4), where the tuning will
be very easy.
Series inductor Parallel inductor
+ jX -jB
Ant. 1 Ant.3
0 R 1 1 G 0
50
Ant. 2 Ant. 4
- jX +jB
Series capacitor 1 Circle Parallel capacitor
(a). (b).
Fig. 4
The Fig. 4(a) shows the impedance of Ant. 1 and Ant. 2, where they are located on the
1 or unity (50 ohm reference) circle of the Smith chart. The Fig. 4(b) shows the
impedance of Ant. 3 and Ant. 4, located on the 1 circle of the Admittance chart. Since all
of the antennas are located on the 1 circle, tuning the impedance to 50 ohms can be done
with only one component.
a. Tuning Antenna 1: It is located on the up half on the 1 circle of the Smith chart as
an inductive load. (the inductance value can be read from the top right corner of the
network analyzer). Move it to the center with counterclockwise along with the 1
circle will tune it to 50 ohms. The easiest way is add a capacitor in series with the
antenna. (The capacitance can be calculated from the inductor value given by the
network analyzer). Start with the capacitor value from the calculation, and check the
impedance with the network analyzer. Adjust the value of the series capacitor untill
the antenna impedance is tuned close enough to the center (50 ohms).
b. Tuning Antenna 2: It is located on the lower half on the 1 circle of the Smith chart
as a capacitive load. The capacitance value can be read from the right top corner.
Moving it to the center clockwise along the 1 circle will tune it to 50 ohms. The
easiest way to do this is to add an inductor in series with the antenna. Adjust the value
of the series inductor and check the overall impedance with a network analyzer until
the antenna impedance is close to 50 ohms.
c. Tuning Antenna 3: It is located on the upper half of the 1 circle of the Admittance
chart as an inductive load. Moving clockwise to 50 ohms by using a shunt capacitor
will be the easiest way to tune it. Adjust the value of the shunt capacitor and check
the impedance with the network analyzer until the antenna impedance is close to
50 ohms.
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d. Tuning Antenna 4: It is located on the lower half of the 1 circle on the Admittance
chart as a capacitive load. Adding a parallel inductor will move it counterclockwise to
the center (50 ohms). Adjust the value of the parallel inductor and check the
impedance with the network analyzer until the antenna impedance is close to
50 ohms.
With standard value of the chip capacitors and inductors, it is difficult to tune the
antenna impedance to exactly 50 ohm. Normally a range from 30 ohms to 70 ohms will
be acceptable.
The following is a discussion for tuning antennas that are not located on the 1 circle.
2) Whip Antenna Tuning Examples
Whip antenna is a very good candidate for the ASH transceiver applications. For the
characteristic of the whip antenna, please see Page 4 of the ANTENNAS FOR LOW
POWER APPLICATIONS paper at www.rfm.com. The impedance of a whip antenna is
not only decided by its size, but also by the affects of metal objects near the antenna. For
example, if you mount the antenna on a big PCB with a large ground plane, or to a large
metal frame, the antenna inductance and impedance tends to be reduced. That may make
the antenna present a capacitance load. On the other hand, if you mount the same whip
antenna on to a very small PCB, the impedance will be higher and will be inductive. In
such a case the antenna will be miss-matched to the ASH transceiver. It should be tuned
to present a better match for good performance.
Example: Whip Antenna mounted on to a metal frame (capacitance load)
Mounting the whip antenna to a large metal frame will reduce the antenna inductance and
impedance. Fig. 4 shows a whip antenna where the PCB is mounted on to a metal frame,
and presents a capacitance load at X. There are a number of ways to tune the antenna to
50 ohms. We will introduce the four easiest methods for the tuning. On the Fig. 5, the
Smith chart and the Admittance chart are put together for easy understanding.
1 circle-A 1 circle-Z
B D
4 5 11 10
3 9
o
2 8
A C
1 7
X 6
Fig. 5
5
Method 1:
Step 1: Add a serial inductor, L1, to move the impedance from X to A along path 1
(A is just located on the 1 circle-A of the admittance chart).
Step 2: Add a shunt inductor, L2, to move from A to O along path 2.
Schematic:
L1
Whip antenna w. PCB
N.A. L2
GND
Method 2:
Step 1: Add a serial inductor, L1, to move the impedance from X passing through A
to B along path 1 - 3 - 4. (B is just on the 1 circle-A of the admittance chart).
Step 2: Add a shunt capacitor, C1, to move from B to O along path 5.
Schematic:
L1
Whip antenna w. PCB
N.A. C1
GND
Method 3:
Step 1: Add a shunt inductor, L1, to move the impedance from X to C along path 6 -
7 (C is just on the 1 circle-Z of the Smith chart).
Step 2: Add a series inductor, L2, to move from C to O along path 8.
Schematic:
L2
Whip antenna w. PCB
N.A. L1
GND
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Method 4:
Step 1: Add a shunt inductor, L1, to move the impedance from X through C to D
along the path 6 - 7 - 9 -10 (D is just on the 1 circle-Z of the Smith chart).
Step 2: Add a series capacitor C1, moves it from D to O along with path 11.
Schematic:
C1
L1 Whip antenna w. PCB
N.A.
GND
3) Slot Antenna Tuning Examples
The slot antenna is another good antenna for high frequency ASH transceiver (868 MHz
and 916 MHz). See page 12 of the ANTENNAS FOR LOW POWER APPLICATIONS.
Normally, a slot antenna on a compact PCB will present an inductive load. On Fig. 6,
X shows one example of the impedance of a slot antenna.
1 circle-A 1 circle-Z
A
2 1
x
o 3
5 4
B
Fig. 6
There are again many methods to tune the antenna to 50 ohms. We will introduce the two
easiest methods of tuning.
Method 1:
Step 1: Add a shunt inductor, L1, to move the impedance from X to A along path 1
(A is just on the 1 circle-Z of the Smith chart).
Step 2: Add a series capacitor, C1, to moves from A to O along path 2.
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Schematic: (Fig. 7)
C1
N.A. L1 Slot antenna
GND
Method 2:
Step 1: Add a shunt capacitor, C1, to move the impedance from X to B along the
path 3 - 4. (B is just on the 1 circle-A of the smith chart).
Step 2: Add a series inductor, L1, to move it from B to O along path 5.
Schematic: (Fig. 8)
L1
N.A. C1 Slot antenna
3. Connections with ASH Transceiver
After the antenna is tuned to 50 ohms it can be connected to the ASH transceiver (with
the two 50 ohm impedance matching inductors). Since there are several different
matching circuits that can be used, the connection with the ASH transceiver will be
different. We will discuss these connections separately.
1) Connection with Series Inductor
a). For the TR1000, TR1001, TR3002: L
AT
matches the impedance of the TR to
50 ohms. The L
ESD
is ESD chock has a high value, and will not affect the tuning. The
direct connection between the antenna and the transceiver is showed below.
L
AT
L1 Ant.
TR 20
L
ESD
L2
Fig. 9
8
This connection can be simplified. Since there is L2 connected to ground, the L
ESD
can be
deleted, and then the L
AT
series with L1 can be replaced with one inductor. See Fig. 10.
L
AT
+ L1 Ant.
TR 20
L2
Fig. 10
b). For the TR3001 and TR3003: The L
AT
and the L
ESD
together matched the impedance
of the TR to 50 ohms. The L
ESD
is not only a ESD chock. In such case the connection
with the antenna should follow the Fig. 9.
2) Connection with Shunt Inductor
The direct connection between the antenna and the transceiver is showed below.
L
AT
L1 Ant.
TR 20
L
ESD
L2
Fig. 11
Simplified circuit: Since there is L2 parallel with the L
ESD
, the two inductors can be
replaced with one inductor, and suitable for connect to all the ASH transceivers.
L
AT
L1 Ant.
TR 20
L2 || L
ESD
Fig. 12
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3). Connection with Series Capacitor
The direct connection between the antenna matching circuit and the transceiver is showed
below:
L
AT
C1 Ant.
TR 20
L
ESD
L1
Fig. 13
4). Connection with Shunt Capacitor
The direct connection between the antenna matching circuit and the transceiver is showed
below.
L
AT
L1 Ant.
TR 20
L
ESD
C1
Fig. 14
Conclusion: In this application note we have introduced ASH transceiver antenna
matching methods. There are many methods that can be used to match a given antenna to
50 ohms. The best way is with the fewest components that result in a good match. For
this goal, it is best to plan it in advance. A Smith chart and Admittance chart worksheet is
attached below with the following recommended procedure:
1. Calibrate the pigtail with network analyzer carefully.
2. Check the antenna impedance
3. Plan the matching path on the work sheet.
4. Drawing the matching circuit.
5. Start your tuning bench activities using a network analyzer
6. Combine the antenna matching circuit with the Ash transceiver 50 ohm matching
circuit, and then try to simplify it.
7. Make range test.
By: Jie Nie, 11/02/2001 at RFM
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Smith chart work sheet