  Low cost methods of antenna production primarily aim to reduce the cost of
metalization. This might lead to a reduction in conductivity. A systematic
study on the impact of conductivity is presented. The efficiency, gain and
bandwidth of cylindrical wire meander line, dipole, and Yagi-Uda antennas were
compared for materials with conductivities in the range $\mathrm{10^3}$ to
$\mathrm{10^9}$ S/m. In this range, the absorption efficiency of both the
dipole and meander line changed little, however the conductivity significantly
impacts on radiation efficiency and the absorption cross section of the
antennas. The extinction cross section of the dipole and meander line antennas
(antennas that Thevenin equivalent circuit is applicable) also vary with
radiation efficiency. From the point of radiation efficiency, the dipole
antenna performance is most robust under decreasing conductivity. Antennas
studied in this study were fabricated with brass and graphite. Radiation
efficiency of the antennas were measured by improved Wheeler cap (IWC) method.
Measurement results showed a reasonable agreement with simulations. We also
measured the extinction cross section of the six fabricated prototypes.
