The radiation pattern of an L‐probe coupled patch‐antenna array mounted on a finite conducting cylinder is accurately and efficiently computed by the electric‐field integral equation (EFIE) in conjunction with the method of moments (MoM) and Galerkin's testing procedure. The effects of different dimensions of the cylinder on the radiation characteristics are studied, including beamwidth, sidelobe, and backlobe. The results are useful for designing wideband smart‐antenna arrays for future mobile‐communication systems. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 41: 403–407, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20153