In
telecommunications and
radar, a
reflective array antenna is a class of
directive antennas in which multiple
driven elements are mounted in front of a flat surface designed to reflect the
radio waves in a desired direction. They are often used in the
VHF and
UHF frequency bands. VHF examples are generally large and resemble a highway
billboard, so they are sometimes called
billboard antennas or
broadside antennas. The
curtain array is a larger version used by
shortwave radio stations. Other names are
bedspread array and
bowtie array depending on the type of elements making up the antenna.