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.

Looking for LoRA or Sigfox 868 MHz or 915 MHz antenna solutions? The following list of innovative antennas might help.

The new SigFox and LoRA networks will operate in and around the 868 MHz and 915 MHz frequency bands. For these networks to operate effectively, an intelligent selection of antennas will be required to ensure that coverage is optimised.

We have listed here some interesting antenna solutions based on 868 MHz and 915 MHz that we have been working on, please feel free to contact us at sales@ead-ltd.com if you see something you like, or something similar to your requirements, but cannot see it as a released product on the EAD website.

Terminal or Enclosure-Mount Antennas

MW868

The MW868 is an 868 MHz 1/4 wave groundplane depdendent moulded whip antenna designed for small terminals and devices. Typically fed by a SMA-Male connector.

MW868 1/4 wave whip antenna

W915
The W915 is a 915 MHz  1/4 wave groundplane depdendent moulded whip antenna designed for small terminals and devices. Typically fed by a RP-SMA plug connector.

W915 1/4 wave whip antenna

HWD868
The HWD868 is an 868 MHz 1/2 wave groundplane independent moulded dipole antenna designed for non-metal terminals and devices. Typically fed by a SMA-Male connector.

HWD868 1/2 wave antenna

HWD915
The HWD915 is a 915 MHz 1/2 wave groundplane independent moulded dipole antenna designed for non-metal terminals and devices. Typically fed by a RP-SMA Plug connector.

HWD915 1/2 wave antenna

BKR868
The BKR868 is an 868 MHz 1/2 wave, groundplane independent moulded antenna with a multi-position SMA connector allowing the antenna to lock in three orientations.

BKR868 1/2 wave multi-position antenna

BKR915
The BKR915is an 915 MHz 1/2 wave, groundplane independent moulded antenna with a multi-position RP-SMA plug connector allowing the antenna to lock in three orientations.

BKR915 1/2 wave multi-position antenna

PTF868/PTF915
The PTF868 and the PTF915 antennas are 1/2 wave 868 and 915 MHz antenna respectively. They are both captive-mount antennas meaning that they held in place by a stud at the end of the antenna secured by a nut. The antennas are fed by a micro-coax cable with SMA or U.FL/IPEX connector. Ideal for offering a solution where removal of the antenna is discouraged.

PTF868/PTF915 1/2 wave captive antenna

WR868
The WR868 is a 1/4 wave stub antenna operating at 868 MHz. It can be supplied with a SMA or RP-SMA Right-Angle connector. A 915 MHz version is also possible.

WR868 1/4 wave stub antenna

WS868
The WS868 is a 1/4 wave stub antenna operating at 868 MHz. It can be supplied with a SMA or RP-SMA Straight connector. A 915 MHz version is also possible.

WS868 1/4 wave stub antenna

Outdoor Antennas

HGO-868-915
The HGO is an 868 MHz / 915 MHz high gain outdoor omni-directional antenna offering approximately 5 dBi. Supplied with 5M of cable as standard with a SMA-Male or RP-SMA connector, the HGO is unrivalled in terms of price/performance and ideal for areas where a high gain omni-directional antenna is required. This antenna can be wall or pole mounted.

HGO-868-915 high gain omni antenna

WCO-868-WMB / WCO-915-WMB
The WCO-868-WMB/WCO-915-WMB is a compact, wall-mount omni antenna operating at 868 or 915 MHz. Designed for continuous outdoor use, the antenna is mounted on a stainless steel bracket and offers approximately 2 dBi in the target frequency bands. It can be supplied with a variety of low loss RF coaxial cable as the application requires.

WCO-868-WMB/WCO-915-WMB compact wall-mount omni antenna

WCO-868-WMB-HIGAIN
The WCO-868-WMB-HIGAIN is a 868 MHz, wall-mount, omni-directional antenna based on the WCO antenna above, but with a reflector element to enhance the gain to approximately 5 dBi. This is a very compact and discreet antenna for continuous outdoor, but with superior gain performance. It can be supplied with a variety of low loss cables as required.

WCO-868-WMB-HIGAIN antenna

WCO-915-WMB-HIGAIN
The WCO-915-WMB-HIGAIN is a 915 MHz, wall-mount, omni-directional antenna based on the WCO antenna above, but with a reflector element to enhance the gain to approximately 5 dBi. This is a very compact and discreet antenna for continuous outdoor, but with superior gain performance. It can be supplied with a variety of low loss cables as required.

WCO-915-WMB-HIGAIN antenna

LPS868-NF
The LPS868 is an 868 MHz directional panel for wall-mount or pole mount applications. Offering more gain than a typical omni-directional antenna, the LPS868 is compact and robust and suitable for long term outdoor deployments.

LPS868 directional panel antenna

EAD offers a new low loss cable RF240

EAD is pleased to offer a new low loss, but flexible coaxial cable ideal for cable runs up to 15M up to 2.7 GHz.

RF240 Low Loss Coaxial Cable

With an overall sheath diameter of 6.10mm, the RF240 cable is still flexible, but offers excellent performance in a cost-effective package.

The typical attenuation figures are as follows:

100 MHz - 7.8 dB/100M
400 MHz - 16.2 dB/100M
600 MHz  - 20.0 dB/100M
1000 MHz - 26.0 dB/100M
1750 MHz - 36.0 dB/100M
2400 MHz  - 43.1 dB/100M

The means that the RF240 cable fits neatly in-between the ever popular BWL195 cable and the lower loss, but thicker BWL400 cable.

RF240 cable and connectors are in stock now. Please contact us for pricing and availability.

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

BWL400 low loss 50 Ohm coaxial cable specification overview

For longer low loss antenna cable runs, EAD/Specialist Antennas often turns to BWL400 cable manufactured by Italian cable specialist Beta Cavi. With a choice of connectors, BWL400 has excellent RF properties characterised by low loss per metre properties, is an interesting choice for applications up to 3 GHz and an excellent alternative to LMR400.

BWL400 cable

The attenutation figures are as follows:

BWL400 attenuation figures

We can custom build BWL400 cables to length with N-Male, N-Female, TNC-Male, TNC-Female, SMA-Male, SMA-Female, BNC-Male, BNC-Female, RP-TNC and RP-SMA connectors. For more information, please contact us. We also offer N-Male compression connectors for applications requiring high pull strength and robust N-Male plug terminations.

For those of you more technical minded, please see the technical specification below:

For more information please contact us at sales@ead-ltd.com.