User's Manual

pulsAR radio Operator’s Manual
6-1
6 RF LINK DESIGN
6.1 Antenna Selection
The pulsAR radio comes equipped with two antenna ports to connect to external antennas. It is very
important to select the correct antennas based on the application. This section provides an overview
of the major antenna parameters to help you select the correct antenna.
6.1.1 Antenna Types
There are a vast number of antenna types designed for various general and special purposes, but
despite the huge variety, all designs essentially address two concerns, directionality and gain. These
selection criteria are discussed in the following paragraphs, along with a third criterion, polarization.
For the pulsAR radio, Afar carries the following antennas which should be adequate for most
installation requirements.
Band Antenna Type Gain AFAR Model Number
Omni-directional 5 dBi ATO-0905
900 MHz
Dish Reflector 15 dBi ATD-0915
Omni-directional 9 dBi ATO-2409
Panel 16 dBi ATD-2416
Panel 19 dBi ATD-2419
2.4 GHz
Dish Reflector 24 dBi ATD-2424
6.1.2 Directionality
An antenna may be designed to receive and transmit in all directions. Such antennas are omni-
directional. The sensitivity and power of an omni-directional antenna are unfocused; that is, they are
spread through a wide volume of space, so the advantage of being able to communicate in all
directions is traded off for limited sensitivity and power.
If it is determined that all signals of interest are coming from a definable direction, the omni-
directional antenna can be replaced by a directional or sectorial antenna, which increases sensitivity
and power by focusing the beam in the desired direction.