Application of a unimoment technique to a biconical antenna with inhomogeneous dielectric loading

Except for the most trivial cases, antenna radiation problems involving inhomogeneous media escape analytical solution. For these problems, it is necessary to seek computer solutions. To this end, we have investigated Mei's [1] "unimoment" technique as it applies to a biconical antenna immersed in an inhomogeneons medium. The technique is used in conjunction with finite difference methods to analyze some dielectric loading schemes with the goal of improving performance of the biconical antenna. The technique is shown to be sufficiently general to allow analysis of any rotationally symmetric antenna inside an inhomogeneous medium by using more flexible finite element methods. Results of experimental investigations bear out the validity of the technique.