The Smith Chart is a fantastic tool for visualizing the impedance of a transmission line and antenna system as a function of frequency. Smith Charts can be used to increase understanding of transmission lines and how they behave from an impedance viewpoint. Smith Charts are also extremely helpful for impedance matching, as we will see. The Smith Chart is used to display an actual (physical) antenna's impedance when measured on a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA).
Smith Charts were originally developed around 1940 by Phillip Smith as a useful tool for making the equations involved in transmission lines easier to manipulate. See, for instance, the input impedance equation for a load attached to a transmission line of length L and characteristic impedance Z0. With modern computers, the Smith Chart is no longer used to the simplify the calculation of transmission line equatons. however, their value in visualizing the impedance of an antenna or a transmission line has not decreased.