Products offer best-in-class performance in a small, rugged waterproof housing
Southwest Antennas is pleased to announce the introduction of two new S-Band RHCP & LHCP patch antennas to our growing line of body worn antenna products. These two new products offer superior performance over existing designs available on the market and these new designs offer best-in-class directional antenna performance from a small form-factor body worn antenna design that only weighs 1.3 ounces.
Photo: The Southwest Antennas S-Band 2.1 - 2.5 GHz Body Worn Antenna, with UV Stable waterproof housing
Designed to be lightweight and easily worn and hidden in tactical clothing, these body worn antennas are ideal for use in multi-antenna MIMO / MANET radio applications such as handheld and small form factor body worn tactical radios. The products are housed in a rugged, waterproof UV stable polycarbonate radome and are built for harsh operating environments. The antenna radome is sealed to withstand immersion in 20-meters (65.6 ft.) of salt water for two hours when the RF connector is mated or sealed with protective end cap. The antenna’s Radome measures only .51 inches thick, and 2.2 inches in both length and width. A high quality and high performance stainless steel SMA(f) RF connector is used to prevent corrosion when the product is exposed to high salinity environments for extended periods of time.
Extensive field testing has shown that these antennas provides superior RF performance, ensure long range radio communication links, and provide high data rate throughput when used with MANET / MIMO self-forming, self-healing radio networks, or SISO radio systems.
The antenna's hemispherical RHCP or LHCP radiation pattern and axial ratios below 3dB offers robust network connections and allows radio systems to connect even when users are not directly facing each other or within clear line-of-site helping to improve system performance. Users of multi-antenna tactical radio systems can utilize one antenna on the front of the body and one antenna on the back of the body, or in other 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 MIMO antenna configurations. The antennas circular polarization properties also vastly improves terrestrial operation in all weather conditions.
With an operating frequency range covering 2.1 - 2.5 GHz the design offers excellent performance in DHS/DOJ licensed radio spectrum while also offering excellent performance in the 2.4 GHz ISM band.
The design offers +4.2 dBic peak gain when worn on the body and +4.5 dBic of peak gain when operating in free space making this product versatile and useable in both body worn and off body applications.
The horizontal beamwidth of the antenna on the body is 104 degrees and it is 110 degrees when operating in free space. On the body the vertical beamwidth is 88 degrees and it is 90 degrees when operating in free space.
In addition to body-worn applications, the free space performance of these antennas make them ideal for many field applications in point-to-point or multi-antenna mesh configurations, including fixed site infrastructure and mobile antenna applications.
Available now from Southwest Antennas, these antennas can be purchased from our website, through an inside sales representative or through an authorized sales representative or distributor.
Southwest Antennas Part # 1065-028, RHCP 2.1 – 2.5 GHz Body Worn Antenna
Southwest Antennas Part # 1065-029, LHCP 2.1 – 2.5 GHz Body Worn Antenna