Tag: helium

6.2 dBi 868 MHz Omni Outdoor Fibreglass antenna

Written by EAD Admin on 18th March 2022. Posted in 169 / 433 / 868 / 915 Antennas.

The 6.2 dBi 868 MHz Omni outdoor omni-directional antenna from EAD is centre-tuned and optimised at 868 MHz. Ideal for Helium applications, this antenna is terminated in a N-Female connector allowing it to be connected to a Helium hotspot via custom RP-SMA Plug (Male) cable. For other LoRA, SigFox and LP-WAN applications, the OMNI-868-62 offers consistent and durable mechanical and electrical performance.

Measuring 77cm in overall length (excluding the bracket), the OMNI-868-62-NF is a quality antenna manufactured for permanent outdoor installation. With a fibreglass tube and a robust mounting bracket (including U-bolts for 35-42mm mast diameter) allowing both pole and wall mounting, this antenna is designed for long-term outdoor deployment without degradation.

Check out our DMO8684 for a 4.3 dBi optimsed 868 MHz Omni Antenna.

Specifications:

Centre Frequency: 868 MHz
VSWR: <1.5:1
Polarization: Linear – Vertical
Gain: 6.2 dBi
Impedance: 50 Ohm
Radiation (H-plane): 360 degrees omni-directional
Radiation (e-plane Beamwidth @ -3dB: 22 degrees
Length: 77cm
Connector: N-Female
Mounting: Pole / Wall Mount (supplied with U-bolts) – Mast diameter 35-42mm

Helium Outdoor Antennas FAQ Installation & Deployment

Written by EAD Admin on 11th November 2021. Posted in News.

Helium Outdoor Antennas FAQ

What is an omni-directional antenna?
- a omni-directional antenna is an antenna that radiates in every direction.
What characteristics does a good helium omni antenna need?
- A good outdoor helium omni antenna needs to combine effective RF performance with excellent build quality. Reliable gain figures are important for planning your deployment and the use of quality materials such as fibreglass tubes to ensure longevity when exposed long term to UV from sunlight and the weather.
What mounting options are possible?
- A good helium antenna will offer multiple mounting possibilities. Limiting the mounting to only pole mount or only wall-mount is restrictive therefore an antenna that offers both mounting options is preferred.
Is the choice of RF cable important for Helium deployments?
- The selection of quality RF cable is important for Helium antenna deployments especially for longer cable runs where it is critical to minimize signal losses (attenuation) over the length of the cable. For 10M or 20M cables, look towards 240 or 400 type cables respectively to mitigate signal losses.
Is a surge arrestor required for Helium installs?
- This is really a question for the installer. In the UK lightning strikes are very rare, so typically surge protectors are not used as the chance of a strike is so low. However, a “belt-and-braces” approach might be considered where a surge protector is used.
What the best advice for choosing a Helium outdoor antenna?
- Use a quality antenna from a reputable manufacturer where you can be sure that the specifications published match the performance of the antenna. Ensuring that the antenna is made of quality materials means that the antenna is unlikely to fail with a few weeks of installation. Select high quality low loss cables that mean you do not lose all the gain offered by the antenna over the cable run.

We hope this short Helium Outdoor Antennas FAQ has been useful. Check out the Helium antennas at our web shop.

Helium outdoor antennas things to check before you buy

Written by EAD Admin on 21st October 2021. Posted in News.

The Helium network offering low power coverage across the world is rapidly growing in popularity. Across the world, as Helium miners are being deployed, people are looking at outdoor omni-directional antennas to optimise coverage from each miner installed.

This brief comment is going to focus on build quality.

There are quite a few outdoor antennas on the market, but selecting one with build quality good enough to be permanently installed outdoors without falling apart is critical.

Many low (and very low) cost antennas are available from online market places. Ignoring poor RF performance for now, many of these low cost antennas suffer from poor build quality or inferior materials and are unlikely to survive one average winter outdoors.

Our suggestion is to look for European-manufactured Helium outdoor antennas that tend to focus on quality materials and not solely on price. One particular area to focus on is the sheath or tube as poor materials weather and crack very rapidly leading to unit failure. A proven, durable option is an antenna with a fibreglass tube which will withstand many winter’s deployment without suffering weather or UV-degradation.

Also check the brackets/clamps that come with antenna. Are they fit for purpose? Is the antenna secure enough when mounted?

There is nothing worse than having to replace the antenna you took the trouble to install three months ago due poor survivability of the materials.

Just in case you’re interested, here is a link where you can purchase quality fibreglass tube 868 MHz antennas.