[time-nuts] Antenna for T-bolt

Bob Martin k6rtm at comcast.net
Mon Apr 2 22:28:40 UTC 2012


Bill--

The Thunderbolt wants a higher gain antenna than most standard GPS receivers.  I tried standard Garmin active antennas, and while they worked (I have a good view of the sky), signal levels could be better.  

Best match probably is something like the HP/Symmetricom 58532A antenna, which has gain > 30dB -- most "active" GPS antennas are in the 24 - 26 dB range. 

They're not cheap, but they'll do the job.

If you have much distance to cover, feed line is of course important as well -- 9913, LMR 400, good quality RG6, something with low loss at 1.5 GHz.

I'm using a 58532A feeding a Symmetricom 58535A active GPS splitter to run a Thunderbolt and a Datum Tymserve 2100.  Feedline is 9913 to the splitter, and short LMR 195 SMA cables from there.  (Yes you can find F to SMA adapters, on eBay, even though many will shudder at the concept...)

73 Bob K6RTM



On Apr 2, 2012, at 15:01, time-nuts-request at febo.com wrote:

> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 17:39:40 -0400
> From: "Bill Riches" <bill.riches at verizon.net>
> To: "'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement'"
> 	<time-nuts at febo.com>
> Subject: [time-nuts] Antenna for t-bolt
> Message-ID: <01ac01cd1119$1c699af0$553cd0d0$@riches at verizon.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> Hi guys,
> 
> I have asked this question several times over the past few weeks and get no
> answer.  Have I been ostracized??!!
> 
> Question is that I am looking for suggestions for GPS antenna for t-bolt.
> The antenna that I am using now is a no name and I not know where it came
> from!  Wonder if a Garman GA-30 will work?
> 
> 73,
> 
> Bill, WA2DVU
> Cape May, NJ




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