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Bowtie Antenna

Wire Antennas

A dipole with triangular flared elements for wideband, often UHF, use.

Band: UHF (also VHF)
Gain: ~3-6 dBi (single), more in arrays
Polarization: Linear

Photos

Real-world photo of a Bowtie Antenna in use — Real-world example. Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0; Original work: ajmexico on Flickr Derived work: Chetvorno).

Radiation / wave patterns

Idealized radiation pattern of the Bowtie Antenna — Idealized azimuth radiation pattern (illustrative, generated). Radial scale in dB.

How & why it works

A bowtie replaces a dipole's thin rods with two triangular (or mesh) 'fans' meeting at the feedpoint. Fattening the elements this way dramatically lowers their Q, so the antenna stays well matched across a wide band rather than being sharply resonant. Backed by a reflector screen and stacked into arrays, bowties make compact, broadband, high-gain panels.

Real-world uses

UHF television reception, wideband test antennas, and broadband panel arrays.