Is it true that PCB antennas can be tuned by only changing their length?

My PCB antennas fail to achieve resonance, though I have changed their length. Our new product project is obstructed due to this problem now. Are there any good solution else?

November 14, 2023

No. The basic PCB antenna starts out as being a length of trace along a portion of the board where there is no ground plane on the layers below. If the available simple length is not enough to achieve resonance, several approaches can be used.

One is to zig-zag the trace to increase its effective length.
Another is to add a small chip inductor in series with the feed to the trace.
Still another is to add some capacitive end-loading at the far end of the antenna trace.

#PCB Design

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

Is it true that PCB antennas can be tuned by only changing their length?

Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

What Others Are Asking

What board can be used as foundation for building a power electronic converter?

What’s the warranty for the PCBA products quality?

I forgot a resistor on my PCB prototype – how do I add one in?

Read Detailed Advice From Blog Articles