{"id":40066,"date":"2019-10-07T06:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T10:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=40066"},"modified":"2019-10-06T08:17:48","modified_gmt":"2019-10-06T12:17:48","slug":"a-liquid-based-vhf-uhf-steerable-antenna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/a-liquid-based-vhf-uhf-steerable-antenna\/","title":{"rendered":"A liquid-based VHF\/UHF steerable antenna"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Marty, who shares this fascinating article from the IEEE Spectrum<\/a>:<\/p>\n

A new antenna that uses saltwater and plastic instead of metal to shape radio signals could make it easier to build\u00a0networks that use VHF and UHF signals.<\/p>\n

Being able to focus the energy of a radio signal towards a given receiver means you can increase the range and efficiency of transmissions. If you know the location of the receiver,\u00a0and are sure that it\u2019s going to stay put,\u00a0you can simply use\u00a0an antenna that is shaped to emit energy mostly in one direction and point it. But if the receiver\u2019s\u00a0location is uncertain, or if it\u2019s moving, or if you\u2019d like to switch\u00a0to a different receiver, then things get tricky. In this case, engineers often fall back on a technique called beam-steering or\u00a0beamforming<\/a>, and doing it at\u00a0at a large scale is one of the key underlying mechanisms behind the rollout of\u00a05G networks.<\/p>\n

Beam-steering lets you adjust the focus of antenna without having to move it around to point in different directions. It involves adjusting the relative phases of a set of radio waves at the antenna: these waves interfere constructively and destructively, cancelling out in unwanted directions and reinforcing the signal in the direction you want to send it. Different beam patterns, or states, are also possible\u2014for example, you might want a broader beam if you are sending the same signal to multiple receivers in a given direction, or a tighter beam if you are talking to just one.[…]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Click here to read the full article.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who shares this fascinating article from the IEEE Spectrum: A new antenna that uses saltwater and plastic instead of metal to shape radio signals could make it easier to build\u00a0networks that use VHF and UHF signals. Being able to focus the energy of a radio signal towards a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3607,3],"tags":[1643,7322],"class_list":["post-40066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-news","tag-antennas","tag-ieee-spectrum"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-aqe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54078,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/iarpa-challenged-to-give-small-antennas-higher-gain\/","url_meta":{"origin":40066,"position":0},"title":"IARPA challenged to give small antennas higher gain","author":"Thomas","date":"September 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: IEEE Spectrum via Dennis Dura) A Four-Year Program to Tackle a Fundamental Antenna Challenge -- IARPA hopes to break past an 80-year-old limit on making small radio antennas more effective For 80 years, a class of antenna called electrically small antennas has been stymied by a seemingly insurmountable barrier.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Airspy-HF-Discovery-YouLoop-Spectrum-6.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Airspy-HF-Discovery-YouLoop-Spectrum-6.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Airspy-HF-Discovery-YouLoop-Spectrum-6.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Airspy-HF-Discovery-YouLoop-Spectrum-6.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5458,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/commradio-is-introducing-the-cr-1-a-new-tabletop-shortwave-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":40066,"position":1},"title":"CommRadio is introducing the CR-1, a new tabletop shortwave receiver","author":"Thomas","date":"January 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"US-based CommRadio is introducing a new tabletop, SDR-based, shortwave receiver this year: the CR-1. Their website has a few specifications and the video I've embedded below. The CR-1 receives the full medium wave and shortwave spectrum (.5-30 MHz), plus some portions of VHF and UHF (FM broadcast band, Aircraft, Marine,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manufacturers"","block_context":{"text":"Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/manufacturers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The CommRadio CR-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/CR-1-300x131.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49845,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/recommendations-for-an-hf-vhf-uhf-station-in-an-apartment-or-flat\/","url_meta":{"origin":40066,"position":2},"title":"Recommendations for an HF\/VHF\/UHF station in an apartment or flat","author":"Thomas","date":"July 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jamie, who writes: Hi, I would like to ask a few questions about what would be a good set up for my situation. I am in a 2 storey property, which is not owned by me (renting via community\/public housing), located in a large\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo by jay blacks on Unsplash","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6842,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/a-very-inexpensive-software-defined-radio-based-on-the-rtl2832u\/","url_meta":{"origin":40066,"position":3},"title":"A very inexpensive Software Defined Radio based on the RTL2832U","author":"Thomas","date":"July 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Benn (AK4AV)\u00a0for passing along this article from the IEEE which describes how a $20 USB digital TV antenna tuner can be transformed into an impressive, flexible software defined radio: http:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/geek-life\/hands-on\/a-40-softwaredefined-radio The article incldes the following embedded video from the IEEE: Here is another informative video via YouTube:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"DE_DVB_T_1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DE_DVB_T_1-300x228.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60771,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/giuseppes-delicate-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":40066,"position":4},"title":"Giuseppe’s “Delicate” Loop Antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"October 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morl\u00e8 (IZ0GZW), who writes: Dear Thomas, I am Giuseppe Morl\u00e8, IZ0GZW, from Formia, located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian Sea. I hope everything is going well for you after the hurricane and that you and your loved ones are in good health.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/rJWmUKZgy7c\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":64645,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/paul-reviews-the-radtel-rt-880g\/","url_meta":{"origin":40066,"position":5},"title":"Paul Reviews the Radtel RT-880G","author":"Thomas","date":"November 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Paul Jamet Looking for a versatile radio? Which radio listener hasn\u2019t dreamed of owning a portable multi-band receiver allowing them to explore the widest possible radio spectrum? For nearly a year now, walkie-talkies have appeared on the market which, beyond the classic VHF\u2013UHF functions, also allow listening and transmitting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-11-03_IMG_16h2632UTC.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40066\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}