📖 Start Here — Antennas & RF Guide

Antenna choice and placement together are the biggest lever you have over LoRa range - and height with clear line-of-sight usually matters more than antenna gain. This book covers antenna selection, installation, feedline, and RF fundamentals - from beginner to advanced. (See Understanding Gain and dBi: optimise placement before spending money on a higher-gain antenna.)

🚀 Quick Answers

• "Do I need a better antenna?" → Do I need an external antenna?
• "Which antenna should I buy?" → Portable & Handheld Antennas, Base Station & Outdoor Antennas, or Directional Antennas
• "What's dBi mean?" → Understanding Gain and dBi
• "What cable/connector do I need?" → RF Connector Types Guide

📚 What's In This Book

Antenna Fundamentals

• How Antennas Work at 915 MHz
• Antenna Types for LoRa Mesh
• Antenna Gain and Coverage Tradeoffs
• Understanding Gain and dBi

Antenna Selection

• Portable & Handheld Antennas
• Base Station & Outdoor Antennas
• Directional Antennas

Feedline and Connectors

• Coax Cable Selection Guide
• RF Connectors for LoRa Hardware
• Minimizing Feedline Loss
• Feedline Loss Reference - Loss tables for common cable types

Installation

• Antenna Mounting Best Practices
• Mast and Pole Mounting
• Grounding and Lightning Protection
• Ground Planes for Monopole Antennas

Testing and Tuning

• SWR, VSWR, and Return Loss Explained
• NanoVNA Antenna Testing
• Field Antenna Testing Without Lab Equipment

RF Fundamentals

• Link Budget Explained
• Fresnel Zones and Clearance
• Interference and Noise at 915 MHz

DIY Antenna Construction

• Building a 915 MHz Yagi Antenna
• Building a Collinear Vertical Antenna

➡️ Related Books

• Network Planning - RF propagation, link budgets, coverage planning
• DIY Build Guides - Enclosures and physical installation