We study the characteristics of microstrip ring exhibiting photonic band gap properties. Since the stop band is caused by the reflection of electromagnetic waves at the narrow gap introduced in the ring, the geometry of the ring can influence on the characteristics of stop band. The center frequency of the stop band is determined mainly by the outer ring radius when the line width of the circular ring is rather narrow. But it is determined mainly by the mean ring radius when the ring is not a circular form or the line width of circular ring is wide. The frequency range of the stop band can be varied by a reactive component mounted on the gap. The presence of capacitor (inductor) on the gap decreases (increases) the center frequency and the frequency range of the stop band. Moreover, the stop band can be widened by modifying the geometry of ring. These properties can be useful in the applications to the compact microwave circuits, tunable filters and microwave switches. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.