Why do I prefer an LPDA for mountains?
We have flat panel antennas, you have LPDAs, and you have Yagi antennas. Those are the main ones that I can think of. I mostly prefer LPDA. The reason for that is the LPDA has a consistent gain across the band. So if an LPDA antenna is designed for let’s say 12 dBi gain at the low end and 12 dBi at the high end, that’s what you are going to expect. Other antennas have different artifacts, which I will discuss separately but for a LPDA, you have one antenna that does basically the same thing wherever you are, no matter what. So if you operate in a low frequency, if you operate in a high frequency of what that same antenna can do, that antenna gives you the number that you expect to see.
LPDA to MIMO
Of course, in the LPDA 92 and the future solutions that Poynting has, they have a bracket, they have a solution so you can make it a MIMO antenna. So you can use an LPDA for a booster, such as in our case in Australia, the Cel-Fi GO. Or you can use it on the NightHawk M5, M6, the Teltonika RUT360. So the more high-end X11s, X12, X14s, those models as well. Basically the MIMO 2 antenna solution gives your modem future proof ready access to the network. In our case in Australia, band 28 obviously is the main one in the really rural areas.
LPDA in higher frequencies
Going up in higher frequencies. The LPDA gives you exactly the same quality of connection coming in. You then just rely on network settings and of course, the signal would be different with the different frequencies. For a booster, LPDA always a good design because you can have different frequencies coming to you because of network settings again, because of different environmental facts. Antenna serves you well wherever you are, no matter what the frequency is that’s there. Also, the gain and the radiation pattern, it’s one of those classic antennas, it just works and it works well. It does a good job at what it does. It doesn’t do much to the back. Everything goes to the front. So it’s a nice directional antenna. If you were to set it up and you point it in a direction, you can be assured that’s the way it works.
Antenna that works forever
The LPDA from Poynting specifically is a rugged design, so actually is quite reliable. That can survive the sun and the harsh weather. It would survive the snow as well because there’s no radome. Radome, good to protect but if there’s wind and snow, there’s no extra load bearing plus snow, of course, would completely break the antenna performance if there’s snow build up on the antenna because that’s water. Water will not make it work so you have to wait till it melts. So LPDA, and specifically the one from Poynting antenna, it’s a very narrow beam. So there’s not going to be any snow on it. That thing will just work forever. I think that’s about as much as I could say. There’s going to be a new version of that LPDA coming soon. Look on rfshop.com.au. We will have the latest antenna available once it gets released and of course, but for now, LPDA from Poynting antennas: https://rfshop.com.au/product/lte-lpda-directional-ant-700-3000mhz-smam-rg5810m-coaxial-cable/