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A whip-style antenna provides outstanding overall performance
and stability. A low-cost whip is can be easily fabricated from a
wire or rod, but most designers opt for the consistent
performance and cosmetic appeal of a professionally-made
model. To meet this need, Linx offers a wide variety of straight
and reduced-height whip-style antennas in permanent and
connectorized mounting styles.
The wavelength of the operational frequency determines an
antenna’s overall length. Since a full wavelength is often quite
long, a partial 1/2- or 1/4-wave antenna is normally employed.
Its size and natural radiation resistance make it well matched to
Linx modules. The proper length for a straight 1/4-wave can be
easily determined using the adjacent formula. It is also possible
to reduce the overall height of the antenna by using a helical
winding. This reduces the antenna’s bandwidth, but is a great
way to minimize the antenna’s physical size for compact
applications. This also means that the physical appearance is
not always an indicator of the antenna’s frequency.
Linx offers a wide variety of specialized antenna styles.
Many of these styles utilize helical elements to reduce the
overall antenna size while maintaining reasonable
performance. A helical antenna’s bandwidth is often quite
narrow and the antenna can detune in proximity to other
objects, so care must be exercised in layout and placement.
Whip Style
Loop Style
L =
234
F
MHz
Where:
L = length in feet of
quarter-wave length
F = operating frequency
in megahertz
Specialty Styles
A loop- or trace-style antenna is normally printed directly on a
product’s PCB. This makes it the most cost-effective of antenna
styles. The element can be made self-resonant or externally
resonated with discrete components, but its actual layout is
usually product specific. Despite the cost advantages, loop-style
antennas are generally inefficient and useful only for short-range
applications. They are also very sensitive to changes in layout and
PCB dielectric, which can cause consistency issues during
production. In addition, printed styles are difficult to engineer,
requiring the use of expensive equipment, including a network
analyzer. An improperly designed loop will have a high SWR at the
desired frequency, which can cause instability in the RF stage.
Linx offers low-cost planar and chip antennas that mount directly
to a product’s PCB. These tiny antennas do not require testing and
provide excellent performance in light of their small size. They
offer a preferable alternative to the often-problematic “printed”
antenna.
COMMON ANTENNA STYLES
There are literally hundreds of antenna styles and variations that can be
employed with Linx RF modules. Following is a brief discussion of the styles
most commonly utilized. Additional antenna information can be found in Linx
Application Notes AN-00100, AN-00140, and AN-00500. Linx antennas and
connectors offer outstanding performance at a low price.
ONLINE RESOURCES
• Latest News
• Data Guides
• Application Notes
• Knowledgebase
• Software Updates
If you have questions regarding any Linx product and have Internet access,
make www.linxtechnologies.com your first stop. Our website is organized in an
intuitive format to immediately give you the answers you need. Day or night, the
Linx website gives you instant access to the latest information regarding the
products and services of Linx. It’s all here: manual and software updates,
application notes, a comprehensive knowledgebase, FCC information, and much
more. Be sure to visit often!
www.antennafactor.com
The Antenna Factor division of Linx offers
a diverse array of antenna styles, many of
which are optimized for use with our RF
modules. From innovative embeddable
antennas to low-cost whips, domes to
Yagis, and even GPS, Antenna Factor
likely has an antenna for you, or can
design one to meet your requirements.
www.connectorcity.com
Through its Connector City division, Linx offers a wide
selection of high-quality RF connectors, including FCC-
compliant types such as RP-SMAs that are an ideal
match for our modules and antennas. Connector City
focuses on high-volume OEM requirements, which
allows standard and custom RF connectors to be offered
at a remarkably low cost.
®
www.linxtechnologies.com
