5 Things to Know Before Buying Antenna Products

What should you consider when choosing an antenna? From low profile mobile antennas that are designed for fleet management and smart highway systems to Omni-Directional base station antennas that are designed for cellular infrastructure and FirstNet rollouts, the right antenna is critical. But how do you know which antenna best fits your needs? Here are five things to consider when choosing an antenna and how Mobile Mark Antenna Solutions can help.

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1. Antenna Frequency:  The bandwidth and frequency range of an antenna are related terms. The bandwidth of an antenna refers to the range of frequencies over which the antenna satisfies a particular parameter specification. The parameters generally specified are gain, radiation pattern, the VSWR etc. Most commonly, the VSWR is chosen as the parameter for bandwidth considerations and this bandwidth is called the impedance bandwidth.
   
   
2. VSWR Specification:  The Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) is an indication of the amount of mismatch between an antenna and the feed line connecting to it. The range of values for VSWR is from 1 to infinity. A VSWR value under 2 is considered suitable for most antenna applications. A VSWR specification commonly adopted is a 2:1 VSWR, which means that the range of frequencies over which the VSWR is less than 2 is chosen as the bandwidth of operation.
   
   
3. Antenna Gain: The Gain of an antenna is related to its directivity. Directivity is a numerical indication of the ability of an antenna to focus energy in a particular direction rather than spreading energy out uniformly over a wide-angle range. The gain of an antenna is its directivity reduced by the loss introduced by the antenna. The parameter that characterizes the loss of the antenna is called the radiation efficiency which has a value between 0 and 1.
   
   
4. Omni-directional or Directional: An antenna that radiates and receives energy equally well in all horizontal directions is an omnidirectional antenna. An antenna also has the ability to focus energy in a particular direction which means it’s directional. Omni-directional antennas are best suited for applications requiring good all-round coverage. For some applications, all-round coverage is either not required or it is desirable to be able to focus the available energy radiated by the antenna in a specific direction. This will dictate the choice of antenna.
   
   
5. Placement: To ensure the most optimal antenna placement, line-of-sight, height & distance between antennas and the curvature of the earth are all critical factors that must be considered. Antennas must be mounted as high as possible due to the line-of-sight range restrictions with VHF signals.  The orientation of your antennas should always match (vertical-to-vertical/horizontal-to-horizontal) or be as close to the same plane as the transmit 

This is just to get you started, stay tuned for 5 more things you need to know when choosing the right antenna!

The antenna comes in different types for TV, highways, and other purposes. From wireless phones to military communication devices, an antenna is used in various places. Every device works with the help of a different antenna. The operating environment plays a vital role in enhancing the performance of an antenna. 

Buying an antenna is an important decision as the wrong antenna will spoil your work. There are many things to consider while buying an antenna for your home or workplace. These factors will stop you from getting the wrong antenna.

In this blog, we will discuss the top factors that you need to take into account while buying an antenna. It will help you to get the right product for your work.

Top 5 Things to Keep in Mind While Buying an Antenna

Buying an antenna to get signals from TV or cell phones is an important thing. However, you must be a little careful while choosing this antenna. You must take into account some of the best factors while buying an antenna such as:

• Direction of Antenna

Every VHF Antenna comes in the form of directional or omnidirectional form. A directional antenna gives signals in one particular direction. On the other hand, the Omni antenna gives signals in different directions.

The omnidirectional antenna has wider coverage than directional antennas. First of all, you must look at the type of application for which you want an antenna. If you want to get a signal in a fixed direction, pick a high gain antenna as it gives strong signals in one direction.

If you want to get signals over a wider area, then you can pick an antenna with wider coverage. It can give an average performance in several directions.

• Range of Frequency

Different types of antennas work on different frequencies. The first thing to look at is the type of frequency that you want to work with. Several frequencies work with the help of various wireless technologies such as 3G, 4G, and Iridium.

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The second important factor to look at is bandwidth while taking an antenna. Bandwidth is nothing but a range of frequencies over which an antenna works. Some of the important parameters on which an antenna works include radiation pattern, gain, and VSWR. You need to decide the type of frequency before choosing an antenna. It then becomes easier to choose an antenna.

• Efficiency of Antenna 

Antenna's efficiency is one of the most important factors to look for while purchasing an antenna. Efficiency is the amount of power transmitted to the antenna. It is decided on different factors such as ground plane length, impedance, and placement.

If you have finally decided to buy an antenna, choose the one with high efficiency. It works effectively in all directions. Different antennas work with the help of different types of efficiencies. The main antenna requires a minimum efficiency of 50% for working. On the other hand, the supporting antennas require 60% of efficiency and more work.

If you want to buy an antenna for Bluetooth devices, pick an antenna with an efficiency of 40%. Bluetooth devices can work with the help of an antenna with less efficiency.

• Placement of the Antenna

The next vital factor to see while choosing a Military Antenna is to look at the height and distance between antennas. Apart from that, the curvature of the earth and line of sight are also some other factors to consider while buying a UHF Antenna.

If the antenna is placed at a high place, it gives better signals. Orientation of an antenna is another factor to consider when you choose an antenna. The orientation of the antenna must be vertical to vertical and horizontal to horizontal. It is necessary to keep an antenna at a great height to get better signals in wireless devices and mobile phones.

• VSWR

The full form of VSWR is Voltage Standing Wave Ratio. It is another important factor to see while choosing an antenna. VSWR measures the amount of power reflected in the high gain Yagi Antenna. If there is a high VSWR, it means less current goes to an antenna. On the other hand, lower VSWR indicates that a strong current is passing to an antenna.

So, you must pick a circular polarized high gain helical antenna with lower VSWR. It is necessary to get a stable VSWR as it is directly linked to energy in your antenna. If VSWR is not steady, you might lose a lot of power that goes to your antenna. It is a huge loss of energy and you do not get even better results.

Final words

These are the five most important factors to look for while choosing a Log Periodic Dipole Antenna. Performance is not only the factor to look for while selecting an antenna. You must also look for design, layout, the curvature of the earth, height, distance, and several other factors.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Antenna Products.