Polarisation is perhaps the most fundamental characteristic of an antenna which describes the plane in which its electric field radiates. It is an important parameter to understand as wireless communication requires transmit and receive antennas to operate on the same polarity.
You can learn more about polarisation at our Polarisation Explained page.
Polarisations shown below are used to classify both the antenna and an antenna's internal radiating elements in our databases. When classifying an antenna, it may be necessary to attach multiple polarisations in order for it to appear under all categories which reflect its operation. Radiating elements tend only to have one polarisation which reflects its orientation inside the antenna radome.
Types of Antenna Polarisation
The below table depicts the most common types of antenna polarisation.
| Polarisation | Description |
|---|---|
| Linear | An antenna is termed as 'Linearly Polarised' where the antenna element emits a plane wave that propagates in a straight line. These types of antennas often don't have a predefined mounting position, and therefore, aren't classified as being either vertically or horizontally polarised. |
| Vertical (V) | Vertical polarisation describes the configuration of an electromagnetic wave in which the electric field oscillates linearly in a vertical plane while the wave propagates forward. This configuration is achieved when the antenna is installed in a vertical orientation. In this context, 'vertical' implies that the antenna is aligned in a position that ... |
| Horizontal (H) | A form of linear polarisation where the electric field of an electromagnetic wave oscillates horizontally while the wave moves forward. This is achieved with the antenna mounted in a horizontal orientation. 'Horizontal' here denotes alignment with a typical horizontal mount. For efficient communication, the transmitting wave's polarisation should ... |
| Slant +45° | A type of linear polarisation where the electric field vector of an electromagnetic wave oscillates at a +45-degree angle, relative to the ordinary mounting of the antenna radome, when viewed in the direction of wave propagation. This is achieved by positioning the internal antenna element at a 45-degree clockwise angle. This orientation ... |
| Slant -45° | A form of linear polarisation where the electric field vector of an electromagnetic wave oscillates at a -45-degree angle, relative to the ordinary mounting of the antenna radome, when viewed in the direction of wave propagation. This configuration is achieved by positioning the internal antenna element at a 45-degree counterclockwise angle. This ... |
| Dual Pol (V, H) | Refers to an antenna configuration that supports both vertical and horizontal polarisation simultaneously. This setup typically consists of two orthogonal antenna elements within the same structure, one operating with vertical polarisation and the other with horizontal polarisation. This dual functionality enables the transmission and reception of ... |
| Dual Slant ±45° | Refers to an antenna setup that supports both +45-degree and -45-degree slant polarisation concurrently. This configuration typically includes two orthogonal antenna elements within the same structure, one operating with +45-degree (clockwise) slant polarisation and the other with -45-degree (counterclockwise) slant polarisation when viewed in the ... |
| Left Hand Circular (LHCP) | Refers to a mode of radio wave propagation where the electric field vector rotates counterclockwise (as viewed in the direction of the wave's propagation) in a circular path over one period of the wave. This type of polarisation is particularly beneficial in environments where the orientation of the transmitter and receiver antennas might not be ... |
| Right Hand Circular (RHCP) | A mode of radio wave propagation in which the electric field vector rotates clockwise (when viewed in the direction of the wave's propagation) in a circular path over one period of the wave. Like its left-handed counterpart, this polarisation type is useful in environments where the orientation between the transmitter and receiver antennas may not ... |