Understanding Antenna Gain Requirements for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Other Aerial Based Systems
Example Setup for Antenna Gain Estimation (UAV)
Utilizing theThroughput Estimation Toolwe can create a simple profile for a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) utilizing mini-OEM Mesh Rider Radio at 2.45-GHz, 10MHz bandwidth and we can start with the stock +3 dB gain antennas ( Doodle Labs, ANT-2450-3-O,Multipolarized Antennas) . This setup is shown in Fig. 4.
We can further make the assumption that this UAV is to be flown in good flight conditions such that the Fresnel Zone Clearance is 100% (whereas default is 60%). The complete settings within the Throughput Estimation Tool are shown in Fig. 3 below.
Fig. 3 Example Link Budget Setup for UAV and 2.45-GHz mini-OEM
After we select Throughput EstimationAnalyzebutton the tool renders our advanced Throughput (Mbps) vs Distance (m) vs Fresnel Zone Clearance (m) graphing chart. This graph can be used in several significant ways to answer questions on antenna gain requirements and predict antenna performance w/ radios such as:
● How far do stock Doodle Labs antennas carry my telemetry requirement of 3 Mbps?
● How much will the throughput (Mbps) and range (m) increase with +6dB antennas?
● What kind of antenna gain (dB) do I need for 5Mbps at 20km?
● Would switching the Dual-Band radio to 900-MHz increase my expected range?