Reforming Antenna Engineering Pedagogy: 1D-to-2D Monopole Teaching Using Gain-to-Length Ratio and Circular Disc Monopole Demonstrations at 433 MHz for Improved Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

Conventional teaching of omnidirectional monopole antennas relies on image theory but often lacks interpretability regarding the engineering merits of the quarter-wave principle. This study bridges the gaps among fundamental physics, applied research, and higher education by introducing a novel comprehensive performance metric—the Gain-over-Length Ratio (GoLR)—defined specifically for the antenna's radiating element. Furthermore, we extend prior work by numerically investigating the two-dimensional (2D) shaping effects on vertical monopole configurations operating at 433 MHz, a sub-gigahertz frequency widely used in low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite tracking. Under identical grounding conditions, the GoLR is employed to comprehensively evaluate and compare an optimised 1D vertical monopole and an optimised 2D circular disc monopole (CDM). Two new observations are derived and highlighted in this work. First, the CDM antenna rejects the conventional quarter-wave conjecture for the perimeter. Instead, it is the height (diameter) of the CDM that really matters, not the perimeter. Second, the CDM design exhibits a smeared GoLR profile as a function of height (diameter) compared to the 1D monopole, leading to a marginally more compact vertical profile, specifically, a 0.85 cm reduction in height relative to the 1D counterpart. However, this dimensional optimisation comes at a slight cost: a GoLR reduction of 0.04012 dBi/cm. The insights derived from this work—integrating teaching methodologies and engineering applications—mark a significant step toward fostering student-led antenna innovations tailored for industry-collaborative, purpose-driven applications.