U.FL to SMA pigtail cables - let's get them right.

As a leading supplier of antennas, we have built up a reputation for supplying quality RF coaxial cabling solutions to complement our antenna offering and in doing so now have a significant part of our customer base that only sources coaxial cables from us. By having automated cable preparation and termination functions in-house means we can often quickly and reliably supply RF coaxial cables to customers requirements.

One subject we have noticed that confuses our customers, is U.FL to SMA pigtail or adapter cables. Some customers tend to have difficulty to identify what is a SMA Plug, SMA-Jack, RP-SMA etc. The U.FL bit is OK so here are few pointers to the SMA at the other identified correctly!!

A standard U.FL to SMA cable for us is a U.FL to SMA-Female Jack Bulkhead or Panel mount on 1.13mm coaxial cable. It looks like this:

M2MAC-UF-10-SFP

In drawing form, the adapter cable above would look like this:

Cable measurements vary, but we calculate the cable length excluding the connectors to eliminate any doubt.

The U.FL pigtail can connect to SMA-Male Plug at the other of the cable- typically hex barrel, thread inside with a pin:

SMA-Male Plug

The U.FL pigtail can connect to a SMA-Female Jack (non-bulkhead) at the other of the cable- threaded barrel and no pin

SMA-Female Jack (non-bulkhead)

The U.FL pigtail can connect to a SMA-Female Jack Bulkhead at the other of the cable- threaded barrel, flange, nut, washer and no pin


The U.FL pigtail can connect to a RP-SMA Plug at the other of the cable- typically hex barrel, thread inside no pin

RP-SMA Plug

The U.FL pigtail can connect to RP-SMA Jack at the other of the cable- threaded outer barrel, pin - this version is a bulkhead with flange, nut and washer

RP-SMA Jack (bulkhead version)

I hope this helps out in identifying the right cable. Please contact us at EAD for your U.FL to SMA adapter cable requirements.

1/2 Wave 868 MHz and 915 MHz Multi-position terminal antennas

EAD's BKR868 and BKR915 are half-wave terminal, single band antennas operating at 868 MHz and 915 MHz respectively. As standard the BKR868 has a SMA-Male connector and the BKR915 has a RP-SMA plug connector, but both antennas can be fixed a vertical or horiztonal position or at 45 degrees.

BKR868 / BKR915 1/2 Wave ISM band antennas

Offering approximately 2 dBi gain on each band, the BKR868 and BKR915 are designed for use where a groundplane for an antenna is unavailable and antenna performance is required.

The BKR868 and BKR915 antennas are ideal for long range ISM frequency band terminals in such applications as telemetry, monitoring, RFID, tracking and security amongst many other types of deployment.

EAD has a range of 868 MHz and 915 MHz antennas - please contact us for more details at sales@ead-ltd.com

To help you identify the connectors if you are unsure about SMA and RP-SMA. We have posted images of SMA and RP-SMA below. SMA typically has a thread on the inside of the barrel and has a pin in the middle. RP-SMA also has a thread inside the barrel but no pin.

A generic SMA Male connector (similar to the connector on the BKR868) looks like this:

Typical SMA-Male Plug connector

A generic RP-SMA plug connector (similar to the connector on the BKR915) looks like this:

Typical RP-SMA plug connector

You can purchase various SMA-Female / RP-SMA Female jack adapter cables to mate to the BKR antennas via the Connex webshop.

New 868 MHz and 915 MHz 1/2 Wave Terminal omni antennas

EAD has introduced two new ISM-band omni antennas for 868 MHz and 915 MHz. The BKR868 and BKR915 are 1/2 wave, groundplane independent antennas designed for terminal mount via a multi-position SMA or  RP-SMA connector respectively.

BKR868 1/2 Wave Dipole Antenna

 With an overall length of approximately 220mm and a gain of 2 dBi, the BKR868 and BKR915
are handy solutions for ISM frequency band applications where there is no groundplane available for a 1/4 wave antenna or where a little more performance from the antenna is required.

Both antennas are shipping with immediate effect.

What is the difference betweeen SMA and RP-SMA or reverse SMA? A summary.

We get asked all the time about SMA and RP-SMA. We often have customers asking for SMA-Female connectors when they really mean RP-SMA. So what is the difference?? Here is a little guide with images to help you out!!

A RP-SMA connector is effectively where the pin on the connector is reversed to the standard SMA connector. Its hard to explain in words rather best shown in pictures:

SMA-Male Plug

The SMA-Male Plug typically has a Hex barrel, is threaded on the inside and a pin.

RP-SMA Plug

The RP-SMA Plug has a Hex barrel, is threaded on the inside and no pin (note - this is not SMA-Female!!).

SMA-Female Jack

The SMA-Female (jack) is threaded on the outside of the barrel and does not have a pin. This mates to the SMA-Plug.

RP-SMA Jack (this is a panel mount version)

The RP-SMA Jack is threaded on the outside of the barrel and has a pin. The RP-SMA plug mates to this.

So now we all should be clear about what SMA and RP-SMA connectors look like!!!!

If you need adapter cables, jumper cables or single piece adapters from SMA to SMA or RP-SMA or any other coaxial connector including U.FL, N-Male, N-Female,  TNC,  RP-TNC, MMCX, CRC9, TS9, MCX etc. please contact us as we have a wide range of solutions and can custom build cables to specification. Please feel free to contact us with any requests sales@ead-ltd.com