Small 1090 MHz PCB antenna

[F5ANN]

Hi All,

During the last few month, I made some modelisation and tests of a small PCB antenna (126mm high), which could be very usefull for mobile or portable use.
Forseen coverage was  150 NM max, but tested with the Beast and the Radarcape, this antenna has reached a coverage distance of more than 200NM

For those interested by technical aspect, details on the antenna are here:

http://f5ann.pagesperso-orange.fr/AntennePCB-1090MHz/index.html

Regards,
Francois  /F5ANN

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[Anmer]

Welcome Francois and thank you for sharing your experience.

[viking9]

Welcome Francois. Nice to see you here.

That's a very interesting design.

Tom

[Bethsalem]

I've been using this now for the best part of a day on my Beast which has an sbs MD-1100 antenna, and even after such a short period of time I can see a slight improvement in range, but perhaps more importantly, a marked increase in signal strength, so I am now picking up weak contacts that were missed before. At a rough guestimate I would say I'm seeing 15% more.

The antenna comes housed in a plastic casing (there is an outdoor version available too), has 5 metres of H155 coaxial cable and is terminated with a male sma plug.

This is the best indoor antenna I have yet used.

[north borneo radar]

Hi all,

not sure what happened, but today I got a reading of 301.1nm at heading 1.8 degree. Pic attached.

I recently got a 2 CH mode s beast and PCB antennas. 1 is mounted up the roof fed with 10m H155 cable, and another directional one is mounted just outside my window fed with 5m H155 cable. only have this kit for 1 week, so still observing my findings.

I can confirm planes normally are detected around 150nm with the PCB antenna. Furthermore, in my case, ground planes from the nearby airport. (around 7 miles away). I do live on a hill (not high) and there is another hill between me and the airport however.

I have an unobstructed view towards the south west and this is where I normally get the longest range - 200-245nm depending. The reading today don't make sense as it's the north where I consider it is a blind spot (trees). Maybe it is just a one off but it shows what the PCB antenna is capable of!

Think I can defer my plan to find a more permanent antenna for a while. YMMV tho, as the enviroment and conditions of each of us differ.

All the best,
Eddy

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[E:V:A]

...
For those interested by technical aspect, details on the antenna are here:
http://f5ann.pagesperso-orange.fr/AntennePCB-1090MHz/index.html ...

Dear Francois,
Your antenna and compact deign seem really excellent and very impressive, performance wise . Thus I'm quite surprised to see that it is sold with one of the worst cables you can find for 1 GHz operation, the BELDEN H155. It has a whopping loss of 31dB/100m, which means that you loose >3dB by using 10 meters. Thus the web-shop sites claim seem rather absurd, to say the least.

...Together with the H155 Low-loss cable and a lenght of up to 20meters we have a real good combination...

In addition, it probably explains the 300 NM results, if you use a different and shorter cable. I'd like to buy this antenna, but unfortunately the dirty customs and import taxes here, would put the total door-to-door price >120 EUR... 

[viking9]

300nm! Only in unusually excellent tropo lift conditions.

[E:V:A]

Yes, before running any antenna tests and making official outrageous claims, check the local forecast of Tropospheric Ducting. If the Hepburn index is significant during your tests, you can have some really interesting long distance results...

Tropospheric Ducting Forecasts:
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo_eur.html

[junglejet]

This F5ANN antenna is available now from my webshop http://1090mhz.com. Look for PCB-1090-MCX.

It comes with a 3 mtr (10 ft) of RG-179 cable and a MCX connector, i.e. it can be connected directly to an ADS-B/TV dongle. Also attached is a clamp for mast mounting.

The antenna has proven as an ideal solution for mobile outdoor use or when travelling.
--Andy
http://jetvision.de

[IanH]

I'm wondering if anyone has additional comments on this antenna before I spend my money with Andy. 

[Bethsalem]

Hang fire, that man! There's an improved version which should appear in the next few weeks. It will be an active rather than passive antenna, so will cost more. If you decide to go with the current version then I can highly recommend it.

[Gyzmok]

Looks very promising :

http://f5ann.pagesperso-orange.fr/PCBActiveAntenna/index.html

Does anyone has an idea if an active antenna (thus using a pre-amp) has a negative influence on MLAT performance ?
MLAT partly being based on the speed of  light.
In other words :
Do the electronic components in the pre-amp slightly 'slow down' the signal, resulting in faulty MLAT's ?


 

[Anmer]

I've used a masthead preamp for many years and no MLAT issues.

[viking9]

An amplifier does not make it an 'active' antenna. The term 'active' is applied to antennae that can be electronically tuned over a range of frequencies.

[Bethsalem]

By "active", I meant the amplifier requires a power supply. As always, thank you for keeping my contributions accurate.