From Embedded Antenna Design: "A range of VHF and UHF access antennas from EAD"

Over the past few months, EAD has been working hard to develop VHF and UHF access antennas, a modular range of products to address new and existing VHF applications. Before the advent of cellular communications, most radio networks operated at VHF and UHF frequencies and many applications still do.

In addition, new applications based on these frequencies such as the 169 MHz VHF EU licence-free band or the LoRa wireless communications at 868 MHz are being developed with success across the European market and beyond.

With these market developments in mind, EAD has been working on fixed and mobile antennas to offer an innovative and unique range of solutions addressing the antenna part of these applications.

The challenges at VHF are based around the long wavelength at lower frequencies such as 169 MHz. The wavelength at 169 MHz is around 1.8M in length so you can understand that often a 1/2 wave antenna can be cumbersome or certainly not compact enough for many terminal or metering applications.

At UHF it is more a case of having UHF access antennas built from robust components combined with offering robust RF performance.

Our ever expanding range of VHF and UHF fibreglass omni-directional access antennas already encompass 169 MHz, 433 MHz and 450 MHz frequency bands. All antennas are mounted on a stainless steel L-bracket and terminated in a N-Female connector. These antennas are durable and compact as the L-bracket provides the groundplane for the 1/4 wave element inside the fibreglass sheath.

For mobile applications, our magnetic mount antennas are based on our popular WCO antenna sheath, a waterproof, UV-resistant black Luran sheath mounted onto a high-pull strength magnetic mount pre-fitted with coaxial cable and connector. We have already developed 169 MHz, 390 MHz, 433 MHz and 450 MHz versions of this antenna – other variations can be supplied on request.

For low profile applications, we also have our VLP4 platform, a compact, reduced height wedge-style antenna that can accommodate 1 or 2 UHF elements or indeed a VHF elements. The VLP4 antenna is customised to order and EAD works with our VLP4 customers to tailor the correct VLP4 antenna for their application.

For terminal antennas, a range of helical, stub and whip antennas are available from 150 MHz up to 900 MHz. Depending on the antenna, the connectors choices are wide including SMA, TNC, N-Type, RP-SMA, BNC and more.

Other antennas in our range can be applied to VHF and UHF frequencies, such as the WCO compact omni range or alternatively the LPO antenna for UHF applications.

Please feel free to contact us with your VHF and UHF antenna requirements and we’ll do our best to specify the correct antenna for your application.