A few more antenna questions.

[AlmostHandy]

I'll try not to spew, like I normally do.


1. I plan to use LMR400 as the feedline from a Wifi dish. Can I attach an RP-SMA connector directly to the LMR, or should I use a pigtail.

2. If I should use a pigtail instead of connecting the RP-SMA connector directly to the LMR400, should I use N , or TNC. I've heard UHF is very bad above 300MHz. Is that accurate, or can UHF connectors be used with a wifi connection?

3. How far above the ground should a ground plane antenna be, minimum?

Thank you.

 

[JohnWayne]

1. You can attach an RP-SMA to LMR-400, but the cable will put a lot of stress on the poor little connector on your equipment. You are best off using a jumper.

2. Use a jumper. Both N and TNC connectors are good up to about 12GHz, so it makes little difference performance-wise. N is more common on the prefab WiFi jumpers, but TNC may be easier to work with on the smaller jumper cable. Either will work great.

3. A ground plane antenna brings its own ground to the party. On HF, height above ground is a consideration, but you need not worry about it for WiFi unless you need height for distance or F1 clearance.

 

[Lowa2]

x2 on the jumper. It'll put way less stress on the equ. LMR240 is a fantastic material for Jumpers. Same loss as RG214 but is under 1/4 inch diameter instead of 1/2 inch!

 

[AlmostHandy]

Awesome! Thanks for the input.

Ok, My wifi dish is coming together. With the addition of a pigtail, I'll have to acquire some more cable ends before I can finish.