LoRa Helium Antenna Set 2 - circular polarisation

The perfect antenna set for LoRa/Helium users!

Everything you need is here - the antenna for Helium and LoRaWAN applications, a matching wall mount and the cable. Simply add one of each to your shopping cart and get started. This compilation is a suggestion based on our experience. At the same time, it is also the most frequently purchased antenna in this category. Of course you can also use other wall brackets and other cable lengths, below you will find suggestions for other suitable accessories.

The antenna

The antenna suggested here is a directional antenna. This means that all transmission energy is bundled in one direction and only signals from this direction are received. The so-called 3dB beam angle is approx. 65° in the horizontal plane. This does not mean that at an angle greater than 65° nothing more comes, but only that at an angle of 32.5° the signal has dropped from the maximum in the middle to half (= 3 dB). Such a directional antenna is suitable for illuminating distant areas.

Possible applications are

• On a small mast at a height of approx. 6m, illuminating a part of a town from a distance of 100-300mm, the further away the larger the area and the weaker the field strength;
• to illuminate a building from a distance of several dozen metres on a small mast, the lack of height is compensated for by tilting the antenna;
• across a hollow or valley to a site on the opposite side of the slope. The distance also depends on the antenna on the opposite side, but distances of up to 2-3km are quite possible.

The special feature of this antenna is its polarisation! In contrast to most other antennas, this antenna produces a so-called circular polarisation. This is especially useful when you don't know which polarisation position the opposite side is working with. Or when many different signals have to be picked up, which may have different polarisations. Now, one would assume that every LoRa and helium signal is vertically polarised... But it isn't. Either the antenna is simply crooked, or the signal is deflected by several reflections from a house wall in such a way that the polarisation of the wave is completely different from the starting point. This is a fairly typical situation with many small transmitters (sensors) in urban areas.

The wall mount

Here we have chosen a simple and light wall mount. It is not tiltable because a tilt bracket is included with the antenna. For mounting, you need 3 dowels and 3 screws each.

The cable

The suggested cable is a compromise between low attenuation and sufficient length. Of course, it makes sense to keep the cable as short as possible. Whether it makes sense to use thicker (less damping) cable depends on many details. For example, how to get the cable through the wall, how many adapters to use, etc. If in doubt, we will be happy to advise you.