The radiation pattern of a monopole antenna attached to a conducting box

A system investigation was undertaken to determine the radiation patterns of a monopole antenna mounted on a cubical conducting box over a ground plane. The effects of the location of the monopole and the electrical size of the box were compared with similar patterns measured over a flat ground plane and with numerically predicted values obtained from a method-of-moments patch code. It was concluded that the location at which a monopole antenna is mounted on a conducting box and the electrical size of the box clearly affect the overall radiation pattern of a monopole antenna. In general, mounting the antenna away from the center of the box will increase the depth of the nulls. In particular, planes will also increase the maximum E(phi) component of the field to the extent that it can become comparable to E(theta).