In this paper we assess the influence of the conductivity of the medium on the radiation characteristics and input impedance of a loop antenna designed for underwater communications. The initial study is based on simulation of the antenna characteristics using FEKO electromagnetic (EM) software. Additionally, an equivalent circuit model of the antenna is also obtained and simulation of the input impedance on ADS software shows good agreement with the EM simulator. It is found that the radiation pattern, of the loop antenna changes significantly with the conductivity of the medium, from freshwater to seawater. The loop antennas were built with baluns and tested in freshwater, where the insertion loss between two identical antennas and the radiation pattern of one of them were also measured. The results show good agreement with the simulations.

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The capability of relatively high-speed short-range communications of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in underwater scenarios, for example, for communication between vehicles or when the AUV is approaching a docking station for downloading of data gathered during a survey mission, is becoming a relevant application in the context of sea exploration and mining. In this paper the analysis of the J-pole antenna and two of its configurations namely Super J-pole and Collinear J-pole antennas are presented, aimed at improving the propagation distance and data rates when such antennas are installed on AUV for onward usage in underwater communications. The performance of these three antennas is assessed through simulation in fresh and sea water, operating in the High Frequency (HF) band. These antennas are compared in terms of bandwidth and directivity which are important elements in the transmission and reception of electromagnetic signals. The results obtained show that these antennas will be desirable both for improved data rates and propagation distance in fresh and sea water. The antennas were designed with FEKO electromagnetic simulation software.