Patent ID: 8692734

Claim:
An antenna assembly comprising a dielectrically loaded multifilar antenna for operation at a frequency in excess of 200 MHz, the antenna having a dielectric core of a solid material having a relative dielectric constant greater than 5, an antenna element structure disposed on or adjacent the outer surface of the core, wherein the antenna assembly further comprises a feed structure having a transversely oriented circuit board mounted on or adjacent an end face of said core, and an integrated circuit being mounted on the transversely oriented circuit board, wherein the integrated circuit includes a differential circuit element, the integrated circuit being coupled to said antenna element structure, wherein a primary plane of the transversely oriented board is oriented substantially perpendicular to a central axis of the dielectric core; wherein the core has a proximal end and a distal end, and said circuit board is mounted on or adjacent a proximal end face; the feed structure includes feed connections located on the circuit board and adapted to couple the feed structure to the antenna element structure; the antenna element structure includes a plurality of antenna elements which extend from said feed connections towards said distal end; and the feed structure includes feed connections corresponding to each respective one of said plurality of antenna elements.