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Radio Mic receiver antenna


sleah

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Resurecting this old topic again 😀

We are in a new build now and I managed to get by while we were in the old place.

I now wish to revisit placing the Line 6 antenna closer to the performance area. Don't care about the old UHF stuff mentioned in my OP, just looking at the Line 6 2.4gHz kit. It's a little easier in as much as the space is a large box with a false ceiling, retractable seating with a 'control area' at the top of the seating. No stage, we will be using curtains and blocks to create a performance area.

I've worked out to get the paddles over the performance area, back to the control area would be around 30m. I could pull the paddles back a bit so they sit over the first few rows but it think it would still need 20+m of cable.

Looking round t'interweb and LMR 400 seems to be the ideal cable for 2.4gHz. It varies in price from 'not cheap' to 'HOW F***IN MUCH!!!'.

Am I on the right lines? Am I going to be wasting time? If 30m cables are a realistic option, anyone any suggestions of suppliers or at least what to look for? Any alternative to LMR 400 that's still very low loss?

Any advice greatly appreciated, as always. 

Edited by sleah
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The Line6 antennas are odd beasts. I seem to remember seeing a table somewhere in a manual camparing the gain settings to cable lengths, and they were ridiculously long! I assume because it's a digital system and therefore tolerate higher noise floor from lots of gain at the antenna. I believe the cable specified was nothing fancy - probably RG58. 

 

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Found it. Not quite what I'd remembered, but not far off.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://l6c-acdn2.line6.net/data/6/0a06434c202051f713c8564b3/application/pdf/P180%20Active%20Directional%20Antenna%20(%20Rev%20B%20).pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjsiY_n7rn1AhVGXMAKHVoEBskQFnoECCwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2bOqmaYeAYQbwjyIKvnBWs

So up to 100ft seems acceptable. They do spec some double shielded low loss cable. 

My own coaxes are all RG213/URM67, which are thick but behave well. It's reasonably cheap compared to other fancier cables. Decent low loss cable. 

 

 

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From the Times Microwave calculator https://www.timesmicrowave.com/Calculator?Product=RG-213&RunLength=100&Frequency=2000   RG58 has a loss of 22dB/100feet at 2GHz, RG213 is 10dB, and LMR400 is 6.6dB/100feet. The LMR195 from the Line spec is 16.9dB of loss/100 feet.

Using long antenna cables at 2.4GHz is not a good idea. LMR400 is good, but thick and expensive. RG58 is barely acceptable at 600MHz for runs over 25 feet. Coaxial cable has a frequency response curve, and it does not favor 2.4GHz systems.

 

Mac

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

LMR400 is acceptable at that frequency, but isnt very user friendly. It is semi rigid and doesnt like bend radius of less than 50cm. It also needs special N type connectors and tooling to fit them. I would keep the RF run to about 5m to the receiver (ie move the receiver) and have a long balanced cable to the desk. Anything else is asking for problems.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Yup, I'm still dragging out this topic 🤣

Spotted these on Canford's site: https://www.canford.co.uk/Products/2022426/38-9290_CANFORD-CABLE-BNC-BNC-RG213-U-25m-Black

Thinking could be worth a try? At least we can be assured Canford will only sell good stuff, and not some eBay garbage pretending to be RG-whatever 🤔

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