The BIG and SMALL ANTENNA topic part 1

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Hi BoRRoZ,

what is this analyzer ?

thanks !

itā€™s an RF explorer combi

I used it here just to see if a LoRa packet was transmitted because the node was not usb connected so no feedback :sunglasses:

How_To_Hide_Antenna

how to hide :sunglasses:

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We have several Cell Towers disguised as trees on Dublinā€™s orbital M50 motorway. A cactus would be more obvious than a naked tower in this place :rofl:

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Yesterday at the TTN Apeldoorn meetup I tested the nice black 868 MHz antenna which was purchased in China.

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I found that the performance of this antenna is very poor.

Measurement0206 - CE

The antenna (?) was not resonant at 868 MHz although the spec says :slight_smile:
Also the return loss is not good.

It is another proof that not all ā€œantennasā€ are really a antenna.

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looks more like a dummyload :open_mouth:

funny thing isā€¦ I did not measure this antenna, just connected it to a node and got really good results.

I found that measuring antennas and link performance with LoRa nodes and gateway is close proximity, is very difficult.
I have a node with a dummy on my table that at SF12 is picked up by a gateway 3 kilometres away.
for isolating nodes I created a small farady cage.

yes but I tested with my own gateway switched off and could reach a GW more then 10 KM away.
ok it was not real measurement just a quick test.

projextX477
combined LoRa / GPS / GSM ā€¦ uhhhhhhh

Seems aproperiate :+1:

I think that has more to do with the antenna of the gateway :slight_smile: .

I also think bad antennas just ā€˜still workā€™, and that LoRa is just so good at retrieving the signal from all the noise. E.g. on a good day I can get around 12km range between my gateway with @lex_ph2lb DIY GPA antenna and a rubber ducky from Aliexpress on my node. The GPA has no gain and the rubber ducky probably only has loss, and is also probably meant for 900MHz.

Testing with the Sunhans 13dbi and the ā€˜grey tubeā€™ 10dbi from Aliexpress doesnā€™t give significantly different results.

I have ordered the CXL 900-3LW-NB/868 MHz and want to do some RSSI testing comparing this one to several Aliexpress antennas, but I havenā€™t found time to do it yet. Anyone is free to give a helping hand (Ghent region) :blush: .

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I have this antenna on the Mheen gateway in Apeldoorn: http://www.mars-antennas.com/ma-wo850-5
This antenna is ~ 120 euro ex VAT. in the Netherlands.
I measured this one yesterday:

Measurement0205 - Mars

This antenna will also be installed on the permanent gateway at Kadaster in Apeldoorn.

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I would do antenna performance measurements without using LoRaWAN but with a setup with RF signal measurement.

Unfortunately Iā€™m no ham and donā€™t have any RF equipment other than LoRaWAN gateways and nodes.

It seems as if we have to organise a antenna measurement session.

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good idea !

Iā€™m in. If itā€™s not too far away :wink: .

What would be a good location in your opinion?

Anything in the triangle Brussels - Eindhoven - Amsterdam :smile: .

We are also interested in a session anywhere in this " golden triangle ".