User's Manual

APPN-TT551 Databook B&B Electronics, Inc.
21
7.0 Antenna
The unit supports antenna connections through a Hirose U.FL connector (ANT1). It is
located on the top surface of the device next to the RF shielding.
Any antenna used with the system must be designed for operation within: the 2.4GHz
ISM band and must specifically support 2.412GHz to 2.482GHz for 802.11b/g operation.
They are required to have a VSWR of 2:1 maximum referenced to a 50Ω system
impedance.
7.1 Antenna Selection
The Airborne radio supports a number of antenna options, all of which require
connection to the U.FL connectors on the radio. The best antenna option will be
determined by a number of factors. These include the application, mechanical
construction and desired performance. Since the number of possible
combinations is enormous, we will review some of the more common solutions in
this section. Contact Technical Support for more specific answers if your
application is not covered during this discussion.
The available antenna connections include:
Host board mounted antenna
Host chassis mounted antenna
Embedded antenna
Location and performance also need to be considered. The following sections
discuss these factors.
7.2 Host Board Mounted Antenna
Host board mounting requires that an antenna connection be physically mounted
to the host system board. It also requires that the host board include a U.FL
connector to allow a U.FL to U.FL coaxial lead to connect from the radio to the
host board. It will then require 50Ω matched PCB traces to be routed from the
U.FL connector to the antenna mount.
There are several sources for the U.FL to U.FL coaxial cable. These include
Hirose, Sunridge and IPEX. Please contact B&B for further part numbers and
supply assistance.
This approach can simplify assembly, but it does require that the host system
configuration can accommodate an antenna location that is determined by the
host PCB. This approach also makes it harder to seal the enclosure.
Host board mounting also limits your choices of antenna. You must use
antennas that screw or press fit to the PCB mount connector. There are many
antenna connector types, but if you wish to utilize the FCC/IOC modular approval
the connector choice must comply with FCC regulations. These state that a non-
standard connector is required. For example, RP-TNC/RP-SMA are allowed,
and TNC/SMA are not.
7.3 Host Chassis Mounted Antenna
Host Chassis mounted antennas require no work on the host PCB. They use an
antenna type called ‘flying lead’. There are two types of flying leads. One