Welcome to the first instalment of our crash course in antenna theory! If you've ever wondered how your mobile phone connects to a network or how radio signals travel through the air, you've already encountered the crucial role of antennas. In this post, we'll lay the groundwork by answering a fundamental question: what exactly is an antenna? We can define an antenna in several ways. Firstly, an antenna is "a usually metallic device (as a rod or wire) for radiating or receiving radio waves". The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) provides a similar definition, describing the antenna or aerial as " a means for radiating or receiving radio waves ". More technically, an antenna can be understood as a transitional structure that sits between free-space and a guiding device . This guiding device, which could be a coaxial line or a waveguide, serves to transport electromagnetic energy . Think of it like this: When transmitt...