Think you know everything about antennas? Maybe you do, but there might be a surprise or two waiting for you.
Antennas are metal structures used to capture and transmit radio electromagnetic waves. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the five-nanometer DNA nanoantennas created by University of Montreal researchers to monitor changes in protein structure to the massive 1,640-foot-tall FAST telescope in Guizhou Province, China.
Antennas are more than just metal poles; they are essential components in a wide range of technologies, including radio, television, cell phones, Wi-Fi, radar, and satellite communications. Antennas come in many varieties, including dipoles, parabolic dishes, Yagis, helical antennas, microstrip antennas, and omnidirectional antennas, to name a few.
According to GPS Leaders, a device called a loop antenna has been used by thieves to extend the range of the radio link between a car key and a car, allowing them to start the car from hundreds of feet away and drive it until the tank is empty.
According to Barron's, another novel use for antennas is remotely controlling the unmanned Colombian-built Nalco submarine through the Caribbean Sea, heading to Central America and Mexico, via a Starlink connection. These cocaine-smuggling submarines aren't the first drug cartels to exploit Starlink's advantages. According to Barron's, "In 2024, $4.25 billion worth of methamphetamine was seized from a ship near India that was remotely controlled via a Starlink connection."

But not all antenna applications are malicious—some are even inspiring. Below, we'll introduce seven unique antenna uses, along with a fun little trivia tip.

1.Antennas aid disaster relief

Researchers at Stanford University and the American University of Beirut have developed an innovative, lightweight, portable antenna that reliably connects satellites and ground-based equipment, providing a critical tool for disaster relief teams and humanitarian organizations.

In the aftermath of disasters like earthquakes and floods, the failure of traditional communications infrastructure (such as damaged cell phone base stations or collapsed radio towers) can severely hinder relief efforts. This new antenna directly addresses this problem, enabling the rapid deployment of temporary communications systems to coordinate emergency responses and connect isolated survivors.

Unlike traditional metal satellite antennas, which are heavy and require significant power, the newly developed antenna is small and lightweight (approximately 39 grams) and can switch between two stable configurations without requiring additional energy: one optimized for directional satellite communications and the other for omnidirectional terrestrial connectivity.

Stanford University notes that the antenna achieves this flexibility through a unique design using counter-rotating helical ribbons based on fiber-reinforced composite materials, allowing it to easily switch between operating modes simply by stretching or compressing the structure.

Published in Nature Communications, the design demonstrates its viability as a post-disaster solution, particularly in areas with limited or damaged resources and infrastructure. Field tests demonstrated that the antenna successfully achieved point-to-point terrestrial connectivity and satellite positioning within the critical L-band frequency range, commonly used for emergency communications.
Importantly, this type of passively reconfigurable antenna lowers the technical barriers to access for first responders and reduces the logistical burden during high-stress relief operations, highlighting its potential to transform humanitarian aid and resilience strategies in response to increasingly frequent natural disasters.

2.Beverage antenna in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Marine Corps strategically utilized "communication wire" to create Beverage antennas—extremely long, low-to-the-ground wire antennas—to enable reliable and secure communications between forward bases and command centers. Typically, these antennas stretched several wavelengths and only a few feet off the ground.

According to Ham Radio Outside the Box, the Marines intentionally designed these Beveridge antennas to be inefficient: resistors (approximately 600 ohms) were inserted at the end of the wire to further increase signal loss, thereby limiting the effective communication range.

This deliberate inefficiency became a tactical advantage. By severely limiting the communication range, the signal transmissions became extremely difficult for North Vietnamese interceptors to detect or exploit, ensuring the operational security of nearby command communications.

While not suitable for transmitting powerful long-range signals, Beverage antennas provided a low-profile, easily concealed antenna that could be deployed while crawling, reducing the risk of enemy observation or attack. Their use of readily available wire made them both practical and cost-effective for field operations. Military documents and antenna engineering studies confirm that, despite the beverage antenna's 1.5% efficiency as a transmitting antenna, its highly directional and easily adaptable design provided critical security and concealment advantages in the complex, electronically dense environment of the Vietnam War. Modern analysis emphasizes that radio communications during the Vietnam War relied on a combination of technological improvisation and strategic awareness of signal vulnerability, and the Marine Corps' use of the less efficient Beveridge antenna exemplifies this balance.

3.Antennas as metamaterial designs

Metamaterials, synthetic materials with extraordinary electromagnetic properties, are transforming antenna design. A recent breakthrough by Lockheed Martin and Pennsylvania State University highlights this trend: by leveraging metamaterial concepts, they have successfully developed a compact antenna that overcomes long-standing limitations of traditional antennas for satellite and GPS applications. This antenna features a hexagonal structure optimized for array deployment, achieving higher gain and more efficient performance when multiple antennas operate in concert. Compared to traditional circular designs, the hexagonal layout allows for increased array density and further increases in gain.

Integrating metamaterials into the antenna structure significantly improves gain (up to 25%) and aperture efficiency, while enhancing anti-interference capabilities and reducing weight—critical for aerospace and satellite environments. Furthermore, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the new antenna boasts dual-band capability, operating efficiently at two key frequencies required by GPS systems.

Through carefully designed metamaterial elements, engineers can precisely manipulate electromagnetic wave propagation, resulting in more compact and lightweight antennas with enhanced multi-band functionality and anti-interference capabilities.
Penn State University's Computational Electromagnetics and Antenna Research Laboratory (CEARL) played a key role in these advances, refining metamaterial-enhanced designs through advanced optimization and simulation techniques. These antennas are expected to offer significant benefits for the next generation of GPS and communications satellites, including increased reliability, efficiency, and reduced payload mass—all critical factors in modern aerospace and defense systems.

4.DIY Antennas Made from Everyday Objects

Creative DIY antennas made from common items like aluminum foil and wire glue embody the innovative spirit of amateur radio and television enthusiasts. Recent practical guides and engineering experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness of these homemade designs.
For example, one project details how to build a deep-sided TV antenna using plywood, corrugated cardboard, heavy-duty aluminum foil, and 12-gauge copper wire, with the wire glue providing the crucial electrical connection between the foil and the wire, according to Wire Glue Projects. The antenna's structure deliberately connects "director" and "reflector" elements, enhancing reception gain while also shielding against noise interference from nearby electronics—a testament to the sophisticated understanding demonstrated by many amateurs in their construction.

This innovative spirit is also being embraced by the academic and research communities, which are exploring flexible and scalable antenna fabrication techniques. Researchers at Columbia University are advancing the field by developing "woven" radio frequency metasurface antennas using readily available yarns, integrating electromagnetic functionality into ultra-lightweight, foldable textiles. These antennas represent a significant evolution of the DIY philosophy, utilizing everyday materials while enhancing performance and flexibility. Inspired by the pioneering work of John Winegard, the "father of the modern television antenna," parallel antenna configurations are a common theme in both amateur and academic research. Princeton University has shown that multiple antenna configurations can improve signal quality and reception diversity, a finding that has been validated in both engineering theory and practical radio systems.

The continued development of both simple homemade antennas and complex research antennas highlights the ease and adaptability of antenna technology for personal and experimental applications, blurring the line between amateur creativity and academic advancement.

5.HAMS

DXing (receiving distant radio or television signals) remains a vibrant hobby within the amateur radio community, inspiring enthusiasts like "antenna guys" to experiment with various equipment and antenna designs. Many amateur radio operators, or "hams," trace their passion for DXing back to their early days using simple antennas, such as clothes hangers, to receive distant stations, according to SWLing.
This creative approach embodies the experimental spirit at the heart of amateur radio, leading enthusiasts to gradually adopt more complex equipment configurations, such as high-gain antennas mounted on towers, to achieve longer signal coverage and clearer reception.
DXing is not only a pastime but also a means to expand knowledge of radio wave propagation and enhance technical skills, according to the American Amateur Radio League (ARRL). Organizations like the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) hold annual competitions encouraging participants to connect with distant stations, thereby deepening their understanding of atmospheric conditions and antenna performance. The convergence of digital technology and software-defined radio has further broadened the horizons of DXing enthusiasts, making it easier for individuals to monitor, analyze, and record distant signals. Academic collaborations, such as those fostered by the HamSCI program, bring together scientists, students, and radio enthusiasts to study ionospheric phenomena using DXing techniques. These collaborations reflect the growing recognition of the value of amateur radio for both personal achievement and scientific advancement. Current research also highlights how DXing fosters innovation and learning within the amateur radio community, bridging the gap between casual listening and advanced signal experimentation.

6. The Human Body as an Antenna

Recent research has confirmed that the human body can act as an antenna when exposed to high-frequency electromagnetic fields, absorbing, scattering, and even radiating electromagnetic energy. Researchers used numerical modeling to simulate the human body in proximity to a high-frequency (HF) vehicle-mounted antenna. According to a report in Frontiers, they confirmed that some of the incident energy is indeed radiated by the body, while the remainder is absorbed and dissipated as heat through biological tissue.
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values ​​assess the amount of electromagnetic energy converted into heat in the human body, and these metrics remain key indicators for understanding exposure levels and safety. The electrical properties (dielectric constant and conductivity) of skin, fat, and muscle influence the body's interaction with electromagnetic fields, and overall absorption and radiation characteristics vary with frequency, tissue composition, and distance from the electromagnetic source.
In addition to absorption (resulting in heat dissipation), the human body can facilitate energy transfer in near-field communication scenarios. For example, recent research in wearable technology suggests that placing an antenna in contact with the skin can improve performance because the human body modifies the antenna's load and enhances its radiation efficiency and pattern, as reported in Nature. In addition, MDPI pointed out that experiments have shown that electromagnetic wave energy in the environment can sometimes be harvested through the human body as a passive conductor or antenna to power ultra-low power wearable electronic devices. These findings highlight the complexity of the interaction between the human body and electromagnetic fields and emphasize the need for continuous safety monitoring, especially when more devices are operating at higher frequencies nearby.

7. Stealth Antennas

Some amateur radio operators are creatively integrating stealth antennas into residential environments by disguising them as common architectural elements, such as gutters or downspouts. This approach allows operators to comply with strict Homeowners Association (HOA) regulations, which often prohibit visible antennas, and avoid attracting unwanted attention from neighbors or local authorities.

According to Scribd, stealth antennas are specifically designed to be unobtrusive, using thin wires or disguising them as everyday objects, such as flagpoles, roof vents, or weather vanes, or even mounted indoors (such as in attics) to maintain a low profile while still enabling effective radio communications.

The demand for stealth antennas stems not only from HOA restrictions but also from other social factors, such as maintaining good neighborhood relations or coping with space constraints in urban and suburban environments. Because traditional antennas are often bulky and visually conspicuous, disguising antennas as part of the home's infrastructure allows amateur radio operators to continue their hobby in regulated environments without compromising performance. Magnetic loop antennas and small transmitting loop antennas are common indoor or semi-hidden antenna types used in these applications. Recent technological advancements have enabled specialized stealth antenna kits and designs that combine high performance with stealth, such as wideband VHF/UHF antennas that avoid the bulky radiators common in traditional antenna setups, thereby improving both stealth and functionality, as described by Heathkit. This trend toward stealth antennas reflects a broader adaptive strategy among amateur radio operators to balance technological demands with regulatory and community constraints, highlighting the innovative integration of antenna technology within residential areas.