Abstract: An antenna assembly includes a backplane and a polymer substrate mounted over the backplane to define an air gap there-between. The polymer substrate supports radiating elements comprising a polymer-based waveguide feed stalk and a polymer-based pair of radiating arms supported by and electrically coupled to the waveguide feed stalk. A conductive layer is formed on the polymer substrate such that the conductive layer faces the backplane. A phase shifter including a movable element such as a dielectric member r trombone member may be positioned in the air gap for adjusting the phase of a radiating element or a phase shifter assembly may be positioned to the back side of the back plane.

Abstract: A base station antenna includes a first antenna having first and second spaced-apart columns of first radiating elements therein, which are configured to operate within a first frequency band. An active antenna system (AAS) is provided, which is configured to operate within a second, typically higher, frequency band. The AAS includes a second antenna within a space between the first and second columns of first radiating elements. These first radiating elements may include tilted feed stalks which support higher integration by enabling the first radiating elements to overhang at least a portion of the second antenna.

Abstract: Antennas include first and second radiating elements that are configured to operate in respective operating frequency bands. The first radiating element includes a first dipole arm that has a first conductive path and a second conductive path that is positioned behind the first conductive path. The first conductive path includes a plurality of first segments and the second conductive path includes a plurality of second segments, where a subset of the first segments overlap respective ones of second segments to form a plurality of pairs of overlapping first and second segments. At least some of the pairs of overlapping segments are configured so that the instantaneous direction of a first current formed on the first segment in response to RF radiation emitted by the second radiating element will be substantially opposite the instantaneous direction of a second current formed on the second segment in response to the RF radiation.

Abstract: Radiating elements of first and second linear arrays of radiating elements have respective feed stalks that can reside at an angle to provide a balanced dipole arm with an inner end portion laterally offset to be closer to a right or left side of the base station antenna and reflector than an outer end portion that faces a radome of the base station antenna. The feed stalk can include sheet metal legs and printed circuit boards providing an RF transmission line(s).

Abstract: Base station antennas include an externally accessible active antenna module releasably coupled to a recessed segment that is over a chamber in the base station antenna and that is longitudinally and laterally extending along and across a rear of a base station antenna housing. The base station antenna housing has a passive antenna assembly that cooperates with the active antenna module.

Abstract: Base station antenna units include a first and second base station antennas that have respective first and second housings. The first housing includes a top end cap and the second housing includes a bottom end cap. A jumper cable that includes a first connector port is mounted in one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap, and a second connector port that is configured to mate with the first connector port is mounted in the other one of the top end cap or the bottom end cap. A longitudinal axis of the first connector port extends in a vertical direction and a longitudinal axis of the second connector port extends in the vertical direction.

Abstract: An antenna includes a radiating element on a forward-facing surface of an underlying reflector, and a multi-element planar broadband lens in front of and within a radio frequency (RF) transmission path of the radiating element. The broadband lens includes first lens elements having first RF characteristics and second lens elements having second RF characteristics, which are different from the first RF characteristics. The first lens elements are arranged as a plurality of the first lens elements, which are encircled by an array of the second lens elements. Each of the first lens elements includes a first LC circuit, and each of the second LC circuits includes a second LC circuit with a smaller inductance relative to the first LC circuit.

Abstract: A base station antenna includes an internal radome and a multi-column antenna array antenna. The internal radome can be configured with a plurality of columns, each having an outwardly projecting peak segment and each neighboring column of the internal radome can be separated by a valley. Each outwardly projecting peak segment(s) is oriented to project toward a front of the base station antenna and is positioned medially aligned over a respective column of the multi-column antenna array to thereby reduce mutual coupling of respective elements and/or columns of elements and/or provide a common near field environment for each element and/or each column.

Abstract: In order to reduce large sidelobes that may result from using a base station antenna with increased electronic downtilt, base station antennas according to the present disclosure may have a plurality of modules in which the columns of radiating elements of at least one of the modules are staggered or offset with respect to each other. For example, a multi-beam cellular antenna may include an antenna array having a plurality of modules, each module comprising at least three columns of radiating elements each having first polarization radiators, wherein the columns of radiating elements of at least one of the modules are staggered with respect to each other; and an antenna feed network configured to couple at least a first input signal and a second input signal to each first polarization radiator of each of the radiating elements included in a first of the plurality of modules.

Abstract: Radiating elements include a first and second dipole arms that extend along a first axis and that are configured to transmit RF signals in a first frequency band. The first dipole arm is configured to be more transparent to RF signals in a second frequency band than it is to RF signals in a third frequency band, and the second dipole arm is configured to be more transparent to RF signals in the third frequency band than it is to RF signals in the second frequency band. Related base station antennas are also provided.

Abstract: A base station antenna includes a first plurality of first frequency band radiating elements that are arranged as a first linear array of first frequency band radiating elements and as a second linear array of first frequency band radiating elements. The second linear array of first frequency band radiating elements is adjacent the first linear array of first frequency band radiating elements. A first subset of the first plurality of first frequency band radiating elements are slant +/?45° cross-dipole radiating elements that each include at least one ?45° dipole arm and at least one +45° dipole arm, and a second subset of the first plurality of first frequency band radiating elements are H/V cross-dipole radiating elements that each include at least one horizontal dipole arm and at least one vertical dipole arm.

Abstract: Base station antennas include an externally accessible active antenna module releasably coupled to a rear of the housing. The base station antenna housing has a passive antenna assembly that cooperates with the active antenna module.

Abstract: Base station antennas are provided herein. A base station antenna includes a multiband beam-former array having a plurality of vertical columns of radiating elements. In some embodiments, at least two of the vertical columns are commonly fed for a first frequency band of the multiband beam-former array that is lower than a second frequency band of the multiband beam-former array. Related methods of operation are also provided.

Abstract: Base station antennas include an externally accessible active antenna module releasably coupled to a recessed segment that is over a chamber in the base station antenna and that is longitudinally and laterally extending along and across a rear of a base station antenna housing. The base station antenna housing has a passive antenna assembly that cooperates with the active antenna module.

Abstract: Radiating elements include a conductive patch having first and second slots that each extend along a first axis and third and fourth slots that each extend along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, a feed network that includes first through fourth feed lines, each feed line crossing a respective one of the first through fourth slots, and a conductive ring that at least partially surrounds the periphery of the conductive patch and that encloses each of the first through fourth slots.

Abstract: A base station antenna includes a radome and an antenna assembly that is mounted within the radome. The antenna assembly includes a backplane that includes a first reflector, a first array that includes a plurality of first radiating elements mounted to extend forwardly from the first reflector, a second reflector mounted to extend forwardly from the first reflector and a second array that includes a plurality of second radiating elements mounted to extend forwardly from the second reflector. The first radiating elements extend a first distance forwardly from the first reflector and the second radiating elements extend a second distance forwardly from the second reflector, where the first distance exceeds the second distance.

Abstract: Multi-band antennas utilize compact multi-band dipole-type radiating elements having multiple arms, including a front facing arm and a rear facing arm that respectively target higher and lower frequency bands. These higher and lower frequency bands may include, but are not limited to, a relatively wide band (e.g., 1695-2690 MHz) associated with the front facing arm and somewhat narrower and nonoverlapping band (e.g., 1427-1518 MHz) associated with the rear facing arm. The front facing arm may extend on a “front” layer of a multi-layer printed circuit board and the rear facing arm may extend at least partially on a “rear” layer of the printed circuit board. A resonant LC (or CLC) network is provided, which is integrated into the rear facing arm and at least capacitively coupled to the front facing arm. This resonant network advantageously supports low-pass filtering from the front facing arm to the rear facing arm, to thereby support the multiple and nonoverlapping bands.

Abstract: A cross-dipole radiating element includes first and second polymer-based coplanar waveguide feed stalks, and first and second pairs of polymer-based radiating arms, which are supported by and electrically coupled to the first and second coplanar waveguide feed stalks. These polymer-based feed stalks and radiating arms are configured as a unitary polymer substrate, which is selectively metallized to define a cross-dipole radiating element. The first and second feed stalks may be configured as finite grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) feed stalks, which are spaced-apart from each other on an underlying polymer base. The unitary polymer substrate may include the polymer base.

Abstract: Radiating elements include a conductive patch having first and second slots that each extend along a first axis and third and fourth slots that each extend along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, a feed network that includes first through fourth feed lines, each feed line crossing a respective one of the first through fourth slots, and a conductive ring that at least partially surrounds the periphery of the conductive patch and that encloses each of the first through fourth slots.

Abstract: Base station antennas are provided that include a plurality of linear arrays of radiating elements, a feed network having a first RF input that is configured to receive a first RF signal that is within a first frequency band and a second RF input that is configured to receive a second RF signal that is within a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band. The first RF input is coupled to all of the linear arrays while the second RF input is only coupled to a first subset of the linear arrays that includes less than all of the linear arrays.