Patent ID: 7714796

Claim:
A hemispherical helical antenna assembly comprising: a base; a support frame comprising a plurality of interlocking panels each perpendicular to said base and oriented at a fixed angular orientation relative to a central axis and anchored to said base, each panel defining a series of selectively located openings; and an element extending through said openings and having a plurality of turns disposed around said central axis to form a hemispherical helix, wherein the element has spherical coordinates along its central axis substantially defined by the formula: T = a , θ = cos - 1 ⁡ [ + ( ϕ 2 ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ N - 1 ) ] , 2 ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ N ≤ ϕ ≤ 4 ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ N where: the radius of the hemisphere is a the number of turns in the helix is N; and a cover member disposed over said support frame and enclosing said element.