Understanding Antenna Gain Requirements for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Other Aerial Based Systems
Example Setup for Antenna Gain Estimation (UAV)
Utilizing the Throughput Estimation Tool we 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 Estimation Analyze button 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?
Example 4-5km Range @ 5-Mbps (UAV)
Antenna Gain Estimation
Fig. 4 Example 4-5km Range @ 5Mbps (UAV)
UAV and GCS Antenna Selection
- ● UAV Antenna: Doodle Labs, ANT-2450-3-O, Multipolarized Antennas
- ● UAV Antenna: Gain = +3 dB
- ● GCS Antenna: Doodle Labs, ANT-2450-3-O, Multipolarized Antennas
- ● GCS Antenna: Gain = +3 dB
- ● TX + RX Antenna Gain: +6 dB
Expected Range & Throughput Performance
- Range: 4.358 km (4357.7 m)
- Throughput at Range: 5.3 Mbps
Example 8-9km Range @ 5-Mbps (UAV)
Antenna Gain Estimation
Fig. 5 Example 8-9km Range @ 5Mbps (UAV)
UAV and GCS Antenna Selection
- ● UAV Antenna: KP Performance, KP-24VOMNI-6 , Antenna Link
- ● UAV Antenna: Gain = +6 dB
- ● GCS Antenna: KP Performance, KP-24VOMNI-6 , Antenna Link
- ● GCS Antenna: Gain = +6 dB
- ● TX + RX Antenna: Gain = +12 dB
Expected Range & Throughput Performance
- Range: 8.695 km (8694.8 m)
- Throughput at Range: 5.3 Mbps
Example 15-16km Range @ 5Mbps (UAV)
Antenna Gain Estimation
Fig. 6 Example 15-16km Range @ 5Mbps (UAV)
UAV and GCS Antenna Selection
- ● UAV Antenna: Doodle Labs, ANT-2450-3-O, Multipolarized Antennas
- ● UAV Antenna: Gain = +3 dB
- ● GCS Antenna: Mars Antennas, MA-WA22-DP14, Antenna Link
- ● GCS Antenna: Gain = +14 dB
- ● TX + RX Antenna: Gain = +17 dB
Expected Range & Throughput Performance
- Range: 15.462 km (15461.8 m)
- Throughput at Range: 5.3 Mbps
Example 21-22km Range @ 5Mbps (UAV)
Antenna Gain Estimation
Fig. 7 Example 21-22km Range @ 5Mbps (UAV)
UAV and GCS Antenna Selection
- ● UAV Antenna: KP Performance, KP-24VOMNI-6 , Antenna Link
- ● UAV Antenna: Gain = +6 dB
- ● GCS Antenna: Mars Antennas, MA-WA22-DP14, Antenna Link
- ● GCS Antenna: Gain = +14 dB
- ● TX + RX Antenna: Gain = +20 dB
Expected Range & Throughput Performance
- Range: 21.84 km (21840.4 m)
- Throughput at Range: 5.2 Mbps