Since the end of the 19th century, radioelectronic devices (REDs) have actively penetrated into all modern community spheres. Achievements in the fields of radio engineering and electronics, as well as computing, information, telecommunications, and other technologies, have greatly contributed to this. The main elements of REDs are antennas and microwave devices. For example, linear (wire) antennas are the basis of long-distance communication agency networks of various law enforcement agencies and departments. The manufacturing of REDs requires the regular and rapid appearance of more and more advanced types with minimal costs. At the same time, the design complexity of REDs and the tightening of EMC requirements caused by the growth of upper frequencies of useful and interfering signals, the mounting density, as well as the capabilities of generators of intentional electromagnetic impacts, together with the need to take into account inter-element, inter-unit, and inter-system interference, require more and more accurate designs of REDs. However, this becomes impossible without computer modeling, which saves the time and financial resources required for their development, as well as to evaluate the correctness of the proposed technical solutions. During the design process, as a rule, a multivariate analysis or optimization of the product is performed. In this case, methods of computational electrodynamics (one of which is the method of moments) are used. They are based on the replacement of continuous functions with their discrete analogues (construction of a grid), which reduces the problem to the solution of a system of linear algebraic equations (SLAE). The problem’s complexity depends on the complexity of the SLAE solution, which is determined by its order (which in turn is determined by the complexity of the simulated object and its surrounding area) and by the number of the required SLAE solutions for each problem (determined by the upper frequency of the signal, the number, and range of the optimized parameters). This dramatically increases the computational cost, which becomes the main constraint for the optimal design. Therefore, reducing the computational cost for the analysis and optimization of RED elements (in particular, linear antennas) is an important scientific problem. Meanwhile, finding new antenna structures that meet all the desired features (low price, required characteristics, manufacturable design with small dimensions and windage, etc.) is no less important today. One of the promise solutions for these problems is using a wire grid and sparse antennas for modeling and constructing antennas. Since the last century, a lot of research has been performed on them. The aim of this paper is to review their history and the main related aspects such as computational, acceleration, and optimization used methods, the fields of their application, and their evolution to this moment. In addition, this paper provides a possible future implementation of wire-grid and sparse antennas from the authors’ point of view by presenting a new method that is under research to obtain effective wire sparse antennas.

Nowadays, it is imperative to continually explore and improve antenna manufacturing technologies to meet the growing demands of the market. By leveraging the benefits of numerical methods, researchers can push the boundaries of antenna engineering, creating novel and highly effective antenna designs. In this paper, two approaches to effectively model and design sparse wire grid antennas are proposed. Their main idea is to create an optimal wire structure that closely matches the current paths in the antenna while maintaining its integrity with minimal mass. In additions, this structure can be used in further simulations with less resources and controlled characteristic accuracy. A parabolic reflector antenna was used to explain the algorithms of the proposed approaches. Measured and calculated results for equivalent wire-grid structure of this antenna were used for verification. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the algorithms, their results were compared with those for other approaches proposed in earlier work. The proposed approaches showed better advantages than others, and the optimal one is revealed. Recommendations on their use with the future prospects are briefly summarized.

The rapid advancement of telecommunication systems demands antennas with reduced mass and size. Wire-grid structures serve as effective alternatives to traditional solid metal antennas by significantly reducing their mass. The Optimal Current Grid Approximation recently proposed approach has introduced sparse wire-grid structures with further mass reduction but poses fabrication challenges, prompting modified approaches. However, the previously proposed modified approaches only focused on overcoming the difficulties in fabrication, without considering the current distribution, resulting in structures with characteristics different from those of the original wire-grid structure. To overcome these limitations, we propose the “Maximum Current-based” Optimal Current Grid Approximation, a novel approach that selectively reconnects wires with maximum current, improving the radiation performance of the sparse structure and aligning antenna characteristics more closely to those of the original wire-grid structure. Applied to a UHF-horn antenna, the sparse structures generated using the proposed approach were analyzed and their antenna characteristics were compared with those of the sparse structures obtained using other approaches and the original wire-grid structure, which in turn were compared with those from previous studies obtained numerically by different methods and experimentally for solid antenna prototypes. The performed comparative analysis confirmed that the proposed approach generates sparse wire-grid structures with antenna characteristics closer to those of the original wire-grid than other approaches, demonstrating its effectiveness. In addition, based on the simulation results, the sparse wire-grid structure is generated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The obtained experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in generating sparse wire-grid antenna with mass 1.41 times less than the original wire-grid antenna and 7.63 times less than the solid antenna while maintaining the required characteristics.

The generation of new antenna structures is a important problem that requires new modeling methods. In this paper, we propose a simple modeling methodology to create hidden antennas. To achieve this, we present a classification of hidden antennas and give a brief overview of three modeling techniques that are useful for the proposed methodology. Furthermore, we formulate the methodology itself and provide illustrations of obtained antennas. By using this methodology, computational costs for generating new structures can be significantly reduced. All steps of the methodology were implemented in the domestic TALGAT software. In the future, this methodology can be used to consider not only antennas but also scattering structures.

The advancements in 3D printing technology have revolutionized the design and fabrication of complex antennas, enabling the development of smaller and lighter designs. However, these changes in physical dimensions necessitate a thorough investigation of the antenna characteristics before large-scale production. Simulation plays a crucial role in the evaluating these characteristics. This research paper focuses on verifying the wire-grid approach for modeling perforated antennas. A perforated horn antenna was modeled using two different wire-grid structures, and the results were compared with those obtained using another software. Additionally, the simulation results were compared with measurements taken from various types of 3D printed antennas. The comparative analysis demonstrates a high level of consistency and highlights the effectiveness of the wire-grid approach in simulating antenna behavior. These findings emphasize the possibility of using wire-grid approach together with the 3D printing technology to evaluate and optimize complex antenna structures. By harnessing the potential of 3D printing technology and simulation tools, researchers and engineers can continue to push the boundaries of antenna design and fabrication, leading to the development of smaller, lighter, and more efficient antennas for a wide range of applications.