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When considering an antenna's directional pattern, gain with respect to a dipole does not imply a comparison of that antenna's gain in each direction to a dipole's gain in that direction. Rather, it is a comparison between the antenna's gain in each direction to the peak gain of the dipole (1.64). In any direction, therefore, such numbers are 2 ...
The effective area of an antenna or aperture is based upon a receiving antenna. However, due to reciprocity, an antenna's directivity in receiving and transmitting are identical, so the power transmitted by an antenna in different directions (the radiation pattern) is also proportional to the effective area .
If higher gain is needed one cannot simply make the antenna larger. Due to the constraint on the effective area of a receiving antenna detailed below, one sees that for an already-efficient antenna design, the only way to increase gain (effective area) is by reducing the antenna's gain in another direction.
A e = (λ 2 G)/4π : the antenna effective aperture; P D is the power density in watts per unit area; P r is the power delivered into the load resistance presented by the receiver (normally 50 ohms) G: the antenna gain; is the magnetic constant; is the electric constant
For example, a 1,000 watt transmitter feeding an antenna with a gain of 4× (equiv. 6 dBi) will have the same signal strength in the direction of its main lobe, and thus the same ERP and EIRP, as a 4,000 watt transmitter feeding an antenna with a gain of 1× (equiv. 0 dBi).
An antenna designer must take into account the application for the antenna when determining the gain. High-gain antennas have the advantage of longer range and better signal quality, but must be aimed carefully in a particular direction. Low-gain antennas have shorter range, but the orientation of the antenna is inconsequential.
and under effective area of an antenna, IEEE states, "The effective area of an antenna in a given direction is equal to the square of the operating wavelength times its gain in that direction divided by 4π." Gain is also defined to be less than directivity by the radiation efficiency, [1]
Friis' original idea behind his transmission formula was to dispense with the usage of directivity or gain when describing antenna performance. In their place is the descriptor of antenna capture area as one of two important parts of the transmission formula that characterizes the behavior of a free-space radio circuit.