The Heartbeat of High Power
the exposure to electromagnetic fields, are well
Typical Radiation Pattern AHR 2/2.
Typical Radiation Pattern AHR 4/4.
Rotatable Curtain Antenna (RCA)
The rotatable curtain antenna system is the most
flexible solution available today. Covering a 360°
angle at the touch of a button, the RCA offers
best investment efficiency. The folded half-wave
and rigid (steel) dipoles are an integral part of
the steel construction. A tubular shaft is used as
base section. It is housing all equipment needed to
operate the antenna, such as drive system, feeding
system including coaxial rotary joint, matching
unit, broadband balun and antenna selector switch.
Consequently all parts that are susceptible to
climatic and / or environmental exposures, including
Contact
Ampegon AG
Spinnereistrasse 5 | 5300 Turgi, Switzerland
Tel. +41 58 710 44 00 | Fax +41 58 710 44 01
info@ampegon.com | ampegon.com
Ampegon Antenna Systems GmbH
Rheinallee 1a | 67061 Ludwigshafen, Germany
Tel. +49 621 63595 0 | Fax +49 621 63595 110
antennas@ampegon.com | ampegon.com
Ampegon | Shortwave (SW) Broadcast Antennas
protected. Lattice shaft sections are used on top of
the tubular sections, for the cross arms, supports of
dipoles and reflector screens. All steel parts are of
highest quality design to ensure an optimal weight
of the overall system. Accessibility is the key to the
design of the Ampegon rotatable array antennas,
making inspection and maintenance work quick
and easy.
Technical Highlights in Addition to the Highlights of
the Rigid Curtain Antenna Arrays:
• Highest radiation flexibility
• Highest frequency flexibility, i.e. frequency bands
of the allocated shortwave broadcasting range
(standard design, without tropical bands)
• Electric control logic to operate the entire network
and to assure that the antenna is tuned in the
direction of the respective coverage area over the
shortest possible path
• Smooth, joltless starting and breaking to a
standstill
• High rotation speed of 1 degree per second High
positioning accuracy of < 1 degree
• Monitoring and remote control of all operational
functions
DRM on Shortwave
As one of the most cost-effective and reliable
transmission technologies available today, shortwave
Shortwave (SW) Broadcast Antennas
broadcasting is the favoured medium for reaching
listeners beyond thousands of kilometres around the
globe. The introduction of the new digital modulation
technology, known under the brand name «DRM»,
has invested the AM bands with attractive new
options. Depending on the choice of transmitter and
antenna system, broadcasters can service listeners
in crystal clear, near FM quality, operating from an
own home based site and independent of satellite and
cable networks. Behind every great signal-on-air is a
well-designed antenna. Ampegon offers a variety of
antennas to fit a wide range of customer needs. All
Ampegon shortwave antenna systems are compatible
with DRM.
Science MedTech Industry Broadcast ampegon.com
Shortwave (SW) Broadcast Antennas | Ampegon
Shortwave (SW) Broadcast Antennas
Leading the Industry for the Best Signal on Air
Shortwave broadcasting is a highly cost-efficient
way of making large area domestic respectively
international service with transmitting powers of up
to 500 kilowatts. The range of coverage of such a
system, operated from a home based transmitting
site, can reach several thousands of kilometres
and is deployed for large scale broadcasting.
Unlike satellite broadcasting, mobile reception
is easily possible. Receivers are widely spread in
all regions of the world and a large number of
listeners are therefore independent from satellite
and internet.
Ampegon offers a full range of shortwave equipment
up to 500 kilowatts:
• Directional and omni-directional antenna systems
• Supporting masts and towers
• RF-feed-lines
• Accessories like RF-switches, high performance
insulators, control systems, air obstruction lights,
safety devices etc.
For the best results it is mandatory to match the
shortwave transmitting system exactly to the
broadcasters needs. Our engineers are considering
all the factors which are affecting the performance of
the system, its interaction with other systems and with
the environment and last but not least the economic
situation. The antenna system is the key component in
this optimization process.
The customer can choose from a wide variety of the
Ampegon shortwave antenna systems to perfectly
match his needs.
Quadrant Antennas
Omni-directional transmitting antennas are most
favoured when it is required to provide same time
coverage of areas surrounding the transmitter site
which extend up to a radius of 1300 km, depending
on the transmitter power. If a single frequency
Ampegon | Shortwave (SW) Broadcast Antennas
operation is targeted to reach listeners day and
night without re-tuning the receiver, a simple and
therefore attractive design is the so called quadrant
antenna.
According to the ITU publication from May 11th 2001
«Transmitting Antennas for HF Broadcasting»
quadrant antennas are designated by HQ n/h, whereby:
H Horizontal polarisation of the antenna
Q Quadrant type
n The number of dipoles stacked vertically
h Height of the lowest dipole above ground in
wavelengths
HQ antennas consist of horizontal bent dipoles,
the bent angle of which may vary from 60° to 90°,
depending on the specified horizontal radiation
pattern (deviation from perfect omni-pattern).
To realize maximum bandwidth the «slenderness
ratio», i.e. the ratio of dipole length to equivalent
dipole diameter, is selected for best broadband
characteristics and the dipole is designed as an open
multi-wire cage. State of the art design allows the
operation of HQ antennas over two adjacent frequency
bands out of the shortwave broadcasting spectrum,
as defined by WARC allocations.
Technical Highlights:
• Omni-directional coverage
• Simple antenna design
• Low lifetime costs
Directional Curtain Antenna Arrays
When sectional coverage is desired, directional
antennas are the proper choice. Curtain antennas
provide not only high antenna efficiency, but also highest
tolerances when faced with unfavourable environmental
conditions. As per ITU publication from May 11th 2001
«Transmitting Antennas for HF Broadcasting» a special
code is used to describe curtain antenna arrays with
aperiodic screen reflector. In its general form, the
antenna is designated by AHRS m/n/h, whereby:
A Aperiodic
H Horizontal polarisation of the antenna
R Existence of a reflector screen
S The possibility of beam slewing
m Number of half-wave elements in each
horizontal row [typical range 2 or 4]
n  Number of rows spaced half a wavelength apart
one above the other [typical range 2,4 or 6]
h  Height above the ground in wave lengths
of the bottom row of dipoles
[typical range 0.25 - 1.0]
State of the art design allows curtains to be operated
over the frequency range of one octave, covering up
to six adjacent frequency bands out of the shortwave
broadcasting spectrum as defined by WARC.
Classical Designed Curtain Antenna Arrays
Fixed curtains consist of half-wave folded or full-wave
open and multiple wire cage dipoles. The dipole feeding
system is based on broadband design, which means
dipoles are switched in parallel to subgroups. These
subgroups are switched in parallel to subsystems,
until the common feed point is reached.
Dipoles and their feeding system as well as the reflector
screen are suspended to towers or masts in a way that
they can be lowered separately for maintenance. A
counterweight system is fixed directly to ground at one
end, and at the other end, fixed to ground by a follow-
up mechanism. This counter weight system makes
sure that strong winds cannot damage the dipoles,
the feeding system or the reflector screen. Curtains
may be arranged back-to-back or side-by-side and
may be suspended individually or collectively between
suitably dimensioned guyed or self-supported towers.
Slewing of the main beam direction can be realized
by switching delay lines in and out. If a large number
of different azimuth angles needs to be covered with
radio signals, the antenna arrays may be installed in
either a star or a polygon shape layout.
Technical Highlights:
• High radiation performance
• Large variety of antenna types and configurations
• Simple antenna design
• Economically optimized
Rigid Curtain Antenna Arrays
The rigid dipole technology combines the advantages
of curtain antennas with the design principles as
implemented in rotatable shortwave antennas. The
resulting integrated system consists of rigid dipoles
and a self-supporting structure with a central shaft.
The components of the rigid dipole antenna are easily
Typical Antenna Designs
Rigid Dipole Fixed Curtain
Antenna Antenna
accessible. The system maintainability is greatly
simplified due to the fact that there are no moving
parts like halyards, steel ropes, counterweights etc.
Technical Highlights:
• Highest radiation performance
• Perfect DC grounding; minimized number of
insulators
• Highest tolerance on worst environmental
conditions
• Easiest accessibility of antenna components
• Shortest lead time to start-off coverage
• Lowest possible life cycle cost, optimized
maintainability
Key Features
• Optimized gain in accordance with
broadcasters specific needs
• Best antenna efficiency for highest
radiated energy to target area
• Maximum performance
• Highest Efficiency
• DRM capability within the full frequency
range
• Fast installation, best reliability and
maintainability
• Low cost of ownership (entire life cycle)
• Robust and rugged design suitable for
extreme environmental conditions
• Rigid antennas: dipoles for increased
mechanical stability
• Rotatable curtain antennas: highest
flexibility with coverage areas and
frequencies to cover the whole short-
wave range
• Rotatable curtain antennas: adaptation
of transmission parameters at a finger-
tip by remote control
Quadrant
Antenna
Shortwave (SW) Broadcast Antennas | Ampegon