I know the subject of ground planes has been discussed at some length in other threads, but:
Has anyone used a CD as a ground plane? I started thinking that I could use a CD with one side covered in copper tape, but then realised that there’s an aluminium foil layer in a CD anyway, and it might work on its own. Does the hole in the middle destroy it’s effectiveness, or does that not matter because the patch antenna covers the hole?
A mini CD might also make sense if you are aiming for a diameter of less than 100 mm. (they are 80 mm diameter)
Does anyone have any experience of trying this? I’ll post any results I get once I’m in a position to test.
I use Cd’s but I covered with aluminum tape. Not sure if they would work with out. THE HOLE IS COVERED BY MY TAPE BUT i DONT THINK IT WOULD MATTER.
Jim
a) affects the tuning of the antenna,
b) blocks multipath signals coming up from below.
So having a large hole in the ground plane directly below the antenna does not sound like a great idea.
Will the CD work? Of course it will, but when you are struggling to get a fix one day when environmental conditions are imperfect, you will say to yourself, “Why didn’t I take the time to make a better ground plane?”
