Design and Optimization of a Cylindrical Slot Antenna for Improved Emergency LoRa Communication

Overview

Connectivity is essential for many aspects of modern life, and disruptions often have severe consequences. Disasters regularly cause significant damage to communication and power infrastructure. Power-constrained communication is also critical to space exploration. Low-power wireless systems, such as Long Range (LoRa), can be rapidly deployed to restore basic connectivity in disaster-stricken areas or to establish communication in remote regions. In these systems, the antenna technology is a driving factor that dictates area coverage, cost, and reliability.   I designed, simulated, built, validated, and tested multiple prototypes of a lightweight cylindrical slot antenna for 915 MHz LoRa communication, optimized for low-cost, rapid fabrication. I modeled the antenna using electromagnetic simulation software, measured the built prototypes with a vector network analyzer (VNA), and quantified how closely the simulated and measured metrics agreed. After validating the workflow on reference antennas, I applied it to my prototypes and selected the best prototype based on matching and field performance. The agreement between simulation and measurement indicates a repeatable design method rather than trial-and-error tuning. My final prototype achieved a return loss of 30.9 dB at 915 MHz (reflected power <0.1%), whereas the stock antenna reflected over 10% of power. In field tests, my final prototype demonstrated ≥13.9 dB higher received signal strength at fixed distances, potentially translating into ~3x distance coverage in similar conditions. Because my antenna design can be quickly and reliably fabricated in emergency conditions for less than $15, it can enable more effective communication in disaster response and space exploration applications.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division) · Entry J-10-04

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