New, inexpensive 1090MHz antenna for sale

Says out of stock and they don’t know when/if it will be available. This is too bad since I just decided TODAY to go ahead and order it! Grrr…

Any comment from flight aware folks?

Alan

For what it’s worth, amazon.ca has them in stock.

I ordered it from Amazon Canada (amazon.ca) on 26th January with free shipping option, and delivery date was 3rd Feb, about a week, but it was delivered within 2 days on 28th January. This quick delivery by Canada Post maybe due to the fact that Amazon Canada’s Offices/Store are in the same city in which I live.

very nice - sounds like from now on self-built antennas will be benchmarked against this well-known and common antenna - this is exciting!

After purchasing 2 pieces (one spare) of N-male to F-female adapter (Click Here) from a local electronics & hobby shop yesterday, removed Cantenna & screwed (FA antenna+N to F adapter) in its place. All other things (Coax, DVB-T, RPi, Software, Settings) remained unchanged. Performed a quick check. FA antenna acts as if no antenna is connected. I replaced the N to F connector by 2nd piece, no change. Either FA Antenna is defective, or N to F Connector is defective (unlikely as I have tried 2 pieces). I will try to test it again. Do Amazon have Replacement policy in case I find the antenna is defective? I will ask Amazon to replace it.

LEFT: FA Antenna, RIGHT: Cantenna
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1613/24692434166_648a251868_n.jpg . https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1495/24625139011_7aa9dc7fa0_n.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/24624946961_04c4a44bca.jpg . https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1710/24350788259_8b2f0a39b4.jpg

Double check that the N connectors are 50 Ohm and not 75 Ohm - The 75 Ohm version has a thinner pin and may not connect properly if you plug it into a 50 Ohms socket.


The top ones are 75 Ohm, the bottom 50.

Would a simple continuity test with a Ohmmeter help?
(Yes I know there is a difference big between resistance and impedance)
Try just the antenna, then the antenna with the adapter connected.

Which version FA Antenna uses, 75 ohm or 50 ohm N-Female socket?
The stores’ web catalog, as well as sales lady at store did not mention anything about 50 & 75 ohm, neither I was aware of it, else I will ask.

A photo of my connectors:
On left is N-Male to F-female adapter which I have purchased.
On right is FA Antenn’a N-female socket.

It looks to me the adapter I have purchased is 50 ohm version (thicker pin) while the N-female socket of FA Antenna is 75 ohm version (thinner hole).

I tried this already (without the N to F adapter I have separately purchased). The FA antenna does not have a short, so continuity check cannot be performed.

@dbacker/FA admin:
I am really disappointed by the lack of basic but vital information about FA Antenna on Amazon, such as:
(1) Type of connector fitted to antenna (type?? N female, 75 ohm?? Or 50 ohm??)
(2) Antenna Gain with unit (dB or dBi)
(3) Antenna SWR @ system impedance (e.g. swr <= 1.5 at 50 ohm or swr <=1.5 for 75 ohm system).

Of these, the most vital is information is “(1) connector”, and leaves the buyer in dark till he receives the antenna and discovers it and then have to order it, instead of ordering the required connector at the time he orders the antenna. Even physical inspection of connector may not be enough to decide weather it is 50 ohms connector or 75 ohms connector.

I wouldn’t blame the antenna until you have systematically tested everything. Too many people with a problem blame the new antenna, or new filter, or new software update. Virtually every time, it’s a problem with something else with their system.

There is conflicting stats on gain.
Looks like it’s dBi and it’s 50 ohm. Answered in Q&A. 50 ohm is standard. It’s just the hackers here that are using 75 ohm.
Why should a consumer need to know SWR? Receive only…No transmit.
It’s an N. You know this…I thought?

You misunderstood my post. I have not yet blamed the FA antenna, I have put it as one of the suspects. the other suspect being N to F adapter.

The system is existing and running successfully for a long period. The only change made was that existing antenna was replaced by the FA antenna+N to F adapter, after which performance dropped to near zero.

When I removed FA Antenna+Adapter, and put back the old antenna, the system again became normal.

Is this not this enough to prove that one of the two new things in system (i.e. FA antenna and N to F adapter) are defective? If you read my previous posts carefully, you will see that I have mentioned that either FA antenna or N to F adapter are defective.

I have also tried to check the continuity to see the N to F adapter makes contact with the N connector of FA antenna, but this did not succeed as FA antenna does not have an internal short (see above my reply to jonhawkes2030)

What else do you suggest I should have done to meet your condition “until you have systematically tested everything”?

There is conflicting stats on gain.

FA should know the correct figure for gain from the manufacturer. This figure should be mentioned on Amazon

Looks like it’s dBi and it’s 50 ohm. Answered in Q&A.

When an item is purchased on Amazon or eBay, the purchaser expects & looks for specification on that page, and does not search Q&A in a forum.

50 ohm is standard. It’s just the hackers here that are using 75 ohm.

50 ohm is standard for HF, VHF, and UHF only. For Satellite & On the Air TV, 75 ohm is standard. DVB-T Dongle’s input impedance is 75 ohms as it is actually designed for TV reception. Similarly Satellite in-Line amplifiers also have 75 ohm input/output impedance.

Why should a consumer need to know SWR? Receive only…No transmit.

This is a big misconception. High SWR does not let 100% signal to flow in both transmit & receive conditions. The only difference is in transmit signal flows from transmitter to Antenna, in receive signal flow is reversed i.e. from antenna to receiver.

Also SWR figure for same antenna is different for system impedance of 75 ohms or 50 ohms. That is why SWR is always mentioned as “SWR(50 ohms) <=1.5” OR “SWR (75 ohms) <= 1.5”

It’s an N. You know this…I thought?

Yes, after physically seeing it when I received the antenna. Now caius has mentioned few posts above that N type has two verities, one (75 ohm) with thin pin, other (50 ohm) with thick pin, and these are not compatible with each other. This is not easy to find even with physical inspection, unless both types are put side by side.

Please see the details on this listing on ebay.com http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-F-JK-Adapter-N-Male-To-F-Female-Inch-N-F-75JK-75-Ohm-Impedance-/291548842157

@N456TS: abcd does not blame anything. he got a new antenna and at the moment it does not work for him - so no wonder he’s a little bit pissed.

he is fully right complaining about the missing information! i bought a lot of antennas (7) and other stuff - and can easily state that none had so few technical specs like the flightaware. swr does of course matter on a receiving antenna even if not that much as with a transmitting. selling their filter without clearly informing that it is nearly useless at 920-960mhz (euro gsm) is another example for lack of information.

@abcd: i made two pictures for you from my fa antenna and a plug that fits and works - as always click to enlarge (pin is 1.60 mm, pin-hole is 1.30mm):

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39745369/fa_plug_s.jpg

@TomMuc
Thanks for the connector photos.

The FA Antenna’s N connector has a thin orifice in central pin, seems 75 ohms European version, though nothing mentioned anywhere.

The adapter I have purchased locally has a thick pin, seems to be 50 ohm version, though nothing mentioned on its packing.

I am now ordering the thin-pin version (75 ohms European version) adapter from eBay.com, the one whose photo & link I have posted in my last post above… Will have to wait for Chinese sail-boat to anchor at west coast of Canada. :frowning: :cry:

abcd i don’t think so. as i wrote the inner diameter of my fa antenna (and all others are the same) is about 1.3mm and expands about 0.3mm when inserting the plug which has a 1.6mm pin.

edit: went on my attic having my mitutoyo highres digital caliper in my hand and measured all antennas there. all have a about 1.30mm hole - and all pins are about 1.60mm. so no need for another adapter - but i’d give a try to a second cable with 50 ohm plug.

This is photo of my antenna connector (left) & adapter (right). What do you think?
I will try to measure dia of pin & orifice.

By the way I have already ordered thin-pin one, long wait :cry: :frowning:

i think it looks just fine - and very similar to the photo i made for you. maybe the adapter itself has a problem (or antenna) - but the dimensions of pin (male) and hole (female) seem to fit. so - no need for this chinese-euro-75ohm-whatever-thing.

don’t you have a cable with standard (1.3mm pin) n-plug? i’d suggest to first connect antenna as direct as possible to dongle (no filter, no amp) …

The very first N-type thing I got is FA antenna, and 2nd N-type thing I got is N to F adapter. I dont have anything else N-type.

My setup is almost direct:
Cantenna >> 4 meters / 12 ft RG6 coax >> 15 cm / 6 inch RG174 pigtail F-female to MCX-Male >> DVB-T Dongle >> RPi >> Network cable to router.

When trying FA Antenna, I replaced Cantenna by (FA Antenna+N to F adapter), rest remained same.

I am now planing a direct action - NO ADAPTER, NO CONNECTOR. See diagram below.
This is a temporary arrangement, but will pin point where the problem lies - with N-to-F adapter or Antenna

Your plug looks line a 50 Ohm version. The 75 Ohm has more of a taper on it.

The socket should have a slightly smaller hole than the pin - it is split so that when plugged in, there is a positive pressure on the sides of the pin to make good contract.

yep - this works for first test. be aware to not damage the antennas inner 4 circle-segments (that built the hole where normally the pin plugs in) by bending/cracking them accidentally too much …