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jordifax asked

3rd party external antenna for GSM GX

Hey everyone.

We are about to install many systems in remote places in Africa and will use the GSM GX module for internet connection. Since a lot of the places will have poor connectivity, I am looking at improving the signal with an external antenna.

However, the option offered by Victron (below pic) seems quite limited. The cable is only 0.25 meter long, you need a screw base to attach it somewhere and the gain is only 3 dBi...
Does anyone have experience using antennas from other manufacturers for that?

Will 3rd party antennas work if we make sure to get one with the same type of cable, connector and frequency ranges? Is there anything else to take into account?


Thanks in advance and much sun to all!
Jordi

gx devicemonitoring
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erankhan1330 avatar image erankhan1330 commented ·

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2 Answers
Manuel Krenzke avatar image
Manuel Krenzke answered ·

Hi Jordi,

in the past we had quite good experience with this one:

Hirschmann MCA 1890 STAT

It comes with a 5m long high quality RG58 cable. But please make sure you'll get the one with SMA connector (not FME!) to make it fit GX GSM directly (without an adapter).

Regards Manuel


PS: It seems this type is no longer available. Other options used (recommended) by our customers...

ANT-M4G3-SMA
https://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/antennas-c8/wall-mount-whip-antenna-3db-4ggsm-lte-wifi-3m-rg58-coax-p601

ANT-GROD8-NSMA
https://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/antennas-c8/8dbi-4g-fibreglass-rod-antenna-p684


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jordifax avatar image jordifax commented ·

Thank you @Manuel Krenzke much appreciated! Will look into it.


Only one thing. Assuming I get one with SMA connector, it will work even when having a different type of cable (RG58 instead of a RG316) ??

Sorry I am not very seasoned in radio frequency technology... :)

Best,

Jordi

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Manuel Krenzke avatar image Manuel Krenzke jordifax commented ·

Both types are low-loss 50 ohms cables and will do the job. RG58 is double-shielded and has a PVC sheath which can be used outdoors, while RG316 has a FEP sheath which it is made for internal use only.

Besides this there is a difference in cable attenuation:

More about the cable topic you can find in this nice Comparison Tool. Note: There is a space required when you search for RG_58.

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Manuel Krenzke avatar image
Manuel Krenzke answered ·

There is one more thing....

A real gain of 3dbi is quite a lot: +3dbi means double the power.

This video describes it very well...


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jordifax avatar image jordifax commented ·

Pretty cool and instructive, thanks!

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