Patent ID: 8547291

Claim:
A helix antenna comprising: a cylindrical support tube of dielectric material having a first end and a second end; a first support disc of dielectric material joined to the first end of the cylindrical support tube; a second support disc of dielectric material joined to the second end of the cylindrical support tube; a first elongated filar element and a second elongated filar element, wherein both elongated filar elements are wound around said cylindrical support tube in a radially opposite, helical arrangement covering the entire circumference and surface area of the cylindrical support tube with the exception of three gaps, a first gap at the first end of the cylindrical support tube, a second gap that runs along the sides of the cylindrical support tube and a third gap that run along the opposite sides of the cylindrical support tube, said first, second and third gap separating the two elongated filar elements, said first and second elongated elements being supported by said first support disc at the first end of the cylindrical support tube and by said second support disc at the second end of the cylindrical support tube; an electrically conducting metal disc with a gap across its diameter that divides the disc into two halves, a first half and a second half, positioned on the first support disc, wherein the first half is joined to the first elongated filar element and the second half is joined to the second elongated filar element; a coaxial feed cable having a center conductor joined to the center of the first half of the electrically conducting metal disc and also connected to the first elongated filar element via the first half of the electrically conducting metal disc, and an outer conductor joined to the center of the second half of the electrically conducting metal disc and also is connected to the second elongated filar element via the second half of the electrically conducting metal disc, wherein the coaxial feed cable is joined to the antenna at a feed point on the axis of said antenna; and a means for establishing an electrical short between the ends of the first elongated filar element and the second elongated filar element, wherein the coaxial feed cable is wrapped around the length of the antenna positioned at the center of the second elongated filar element continuing to a center of said means for establishing an electrical short placed across the ends of the first and second elongated filar elements which is a radio frequency zero point and then beyond the radio frequency zero point for a predetermined length, such that the entire coaxial feed cable path from the feed point to the center of the short is an infinite balun.