Rohacell Radomes for Delicate Antennas on the Body at 2.4GHz

Abstract

This paper presents the use of two generic on-body antenna types, a probe and a magnetic dipole with and without a radome constructed of Rohacell. Its is shown that Rohacell minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna concluding to the cover being essentially transparent to radio waves at 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. In on-body meaurements radomes can be used to protect the antenna surfaces from damage and protect nearby personnel from being accidentally struck by quickly rotating antennas. Performance of two on-body antennas is considered on and off the body by measurement and simulation. Results show that the Rohacell protection has negligible effect on the performance of the antenna systems regardless of loading by humans and polarity. This paper aims to enlighten use of Rohacell to protect antennas used for body centric experiments and experiments in bodycentric settings.