Antennas & RF
Antenna selection, gain, coax, mounting, and RF fundamentals for LoRa mesh.
📖 Start Here — Antennas & RF Guide
Antenna choice and placement together are the biggest lever you have over LoRa range - and height...
Antenna Fundamentals
Antenna Selection Guide
Portable & Handheld Antennas
Portable & Handheld Antennas Portable antennas attach directly to your device and travel with you...
Base Station & Outdoor Antennas
Base Station & Outdoor Antennas Outdoor and base station antennas are designed for permanent weat...
Directional Antennas
Directional Antennas Directional antennas concentrate RF energy in a specific direction rather th...
Testing & Tuning
NanoVNA Antenna Testing
Overview A NanoVNA (Vector Network Analyzer) is the essential tool for verifying antenna performa...
SWR, VSWR, and Return Loss Explained
Before deploying an antenna on your mesh node, understanding how to measure and interpret antenna...
Field Antenna Testing Without Lab Equipment
Professional antenna testing requires a vector network analyzer and anechoic chamber. Field testi...
Connectors & Regulatory Reference
Antenna Installation and Measurement
Mast and Pole Mounting
Safety first Erecting and climbing masts is hazardous. Before any mast work: Overhead power lin...
SWR and Antenna Analyzers
SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) measures how well your antenna is matched to the 50-ohm feedline impeda...
Feedline Loss Reference
At 915 MHz, cable loss is significant. A long run of cheap coax can negate the benefit of a quali...
Ground Planes for Monopole Antennas
A monopole antenna (vertical rod) radiates efficiently only when paired with a ground plane - a c...
Antenna Fundamentals
How antennas work at 915 MHz, antenna types, gain, and coverage tradeoffs.
How Antennas Work at 915 MHz
How Antennas Work at 915 MHz An antenna is a transducer that converts electrical energy (RF curre...
Antenna Types for LoRa Mesh
Antenna Types for LoRa Mesh Choosing the right antenna type for a LoRa mesh deployment is one of ...
Antenna Gain and Coverage Tradeoffs
Antenna Gain and Coverage Tradeoffs Antenna gain is not free - it is always traded against someth...
Coax, Connectors, and Feedline
Cable selection, RF connectors, and feedline loss minimization for LoRa installations.
Coax Cable Selection Guide
Coax Cable Selection Guide The coaxial cable connecting your LoRa radio to its antenna is a criti...
RF Connectors for LoRa Hardware
RF Connectors for LoRa Hardware RF connector incompatibility is one of the most common and frustr...
Minimizing Feedline Loss
Minimizing Feedline Loss Feedline loss is the silent enemy of RF system performance. Unlike anten...
Mounting, Grounding, and Lightning Protection
Mechanical installation, grounding systems, and lightning protection for outdoor antenna systems.
RF Fundamentals for Mesh Operators
Link budgets, Fresnel zones, interference identification and mitigation at 915 MHz.
Link Budget Explained
Link Budget Explained A link budget is an accounting of all the gains and losses in an RF communi...
Fresnel Zones and Clearance
Fresnel Zones and Clearance One of the most common causes of unexpectedly poor radio links is obs...
Interference and Noise at 915 MHz
Interference and Noise at 915 MHz The 902 - 928 MHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) ban...