which xbee antenna type should i use?

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Interfacing
1

I'm building an RC airplane, and i will use xbee pro 2.5 series, but i'm having a hard time deciding which type of antenna should i use,
there are 4 types :

Chip

Wire

UFL

RP-SMA

I think RP-SMA would be best, am i right??
I dont like UFL, and i think chip and wire since they are inside a wood and foam plane will loose reception.

thanks in advanced

2

and another question, both of them have to have the same type of antenna? or a xbee wire antenna is compatible with the RP-SMA antenna too??

thanks, sorry my ignorance

3

There is a MaxStream app-note that discusses the apx range of the antennas.
The chip antenna has the shortest range. IIRC the whip (which I believe connects
to the SMA connector) has the longest.

IIRC the chip antenna on the XBee is suppose to be around 400-500ft and
the whip on the XBee is around 800-900ft (outdoor, line-of-sight). Indoors
the performance of all the antennas is about the same.

I have the XBees on a demo board that I toss in my bag. The boards are handled by
a lot of people. I like the chip because it is less likely to get damaged. Your application sounds like the whip would better.

Pictures of my board are at http://tinyurl.com/5lnhtj

(* jcl *)

4

thanks, i think the document you were talking about was this: http://ftp1.digi.com/support/images/XST-AN019a_XBeeAntennas.pdf

According to the document outdoor range distance for the chip antenna is 515 m. and for the whip antenna 1335 m.
what a difference!!

So, do you know if different types of antenna are compatible? I think the answer is probably yes, but i'll be happier if someone could confirm that.

5

That is the document. I forgot that you were using the pro. The distance numbers I quoted were for the XBee,

Mixing the antennas should not be a problem. You will have to verify the distance
and directional pattern with your mixed setup.

(* jcl *)

6

thanks a lot man, i appreciate it.