Taoglas has launched the PA700A Viking antenna, an LTE, septa-band, surface mount antenna that delivers over 70% efficiency in a design that is claimed to be significantly smaller than current wide-band antennas.
This multi-band cellular antenna covers all worldwide cellular bands from 700 to 960MHz and 1710 to 2170MHz for GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, DCS, PCS, UMTS, HSDPA, GPRS, Edge and LTE. The off-the-shelf LTE antenna is suitable for M2M product manufacturers that want 4G, 3G and 2G capabilities for small devices.
The antenna is delivered on tape and reel and can be surface mounted saving on assembly costs and delivering better performance consistency. With no customisation required, development times are reduced. Within one week, users can match the antenna by simply changing the matching circuit.
Signal loss is reduced due to a 50Ω CPW transmission line on the short end of the device board from the module to the antenna. At a size of 40 by 6 by 5mm, the efficiency improves sensitivity in areas of low signal and delivers the data rates that are critical to 3G and 4G devices such as HSPA and LTE.
“Product manufacturers are struggling to find LTE antennas in small enough sizes to fit into tight, challenging spaces and still deliver high performance,” said Dermot O’Shea, director of Taoglas. “The PA700A Viking improves on the best features of our PA25A which is used by the world’s leading auto and medical device makers in extreme environments. A comparative antenna to the Viking, with more traditional materials such as metal or FR4 would have a reduced efficiency in this configuration for the same size.
“No other SMT antenna can match the PA700A Viking for the combination of size, durability, frequency range and efficiencies of over 70% on all bands including LTE.”
Made of dense, high-grade ceramic, the Viking is robust and durable for use in extreme environments such as the automotive industry. It has passed vehicle vibration tests of 10G for automotive and 20G for motorcycles. Network certification can be achieved if the Taoglas layout guidelines are adhered to.
The antenna is available directly from Taoglas and will be available with stocking distributors this month.