Antenna connector

I bought an NRF24L01 PA LNA off Amazon, and it was one without an antenna - Figured I would add it later after getting the module board installed in my TX.

I realized while looking for antennas to buy, that it doesn't have the same connector as the other boards that include antennas. It's a much smaller connector that looks like the antenna connector for a laptop's Wifi card. If this is true, can I just use a wifi antenna from an old laptop trimmed to the correct size, or do I need to have some sort of specialized connector to connect a regular NRF24L01 antenna to it?

The module in question is this one:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RCAKTKW/ref...02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks!

First, don't power your module on without having an antenna connected to it. You are likely to fry the module if you do so.

You really want the UFL connector on this instead of the SMA connectors those that include the antenna have. The extra size of the SMA connector makes an already tight fit even tighter.

Any 2.4 GH'z antenna should work as well as any other, wifi or not, without trimming. However, you really want to get a UFL->SMA cable for use inside the Tx. The SMA end will go through a hole in the case and then lock in place with a lock nut and washer.

If you really want, I got one of the SMA connector NRF24L01's when not watching what i was ordering. I'll swap you even for that one.

Depending on the antenna you have, or get, you want to get either a u.fl/RP-SMA pigtail like this:
www.banggood.com/50cm-U_FLIPX-to-RP-SMA-...-Cable-p-924946.html

It is a u.fl connector on the end that hooks up to the RF module that you showed, and the other end is an RP(reverse polarity)-SMA for an antenna that has a mating center hole in it.

If your antenna has a center pin instead of a hole at the center, you want to get a u.fl/SMA pigtail, like this:
http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-SMA-Female-Jack-Straight-Bulkhead-For-IPX-U_fl-Pigtail-1_13mm-Cable-p-49313.html

OK, so it looks like the connector on the module I ordered has the UFL connector on it. So what I want to do is get that pigtail with the UFL on one end and the SMA connector on the other end that goes through the body of the TX to give me an external antenna?

Question: Can I buy one of those pigtails and lop off the SMA end and just stick the wire up into the antenna housing if I don't want to molest the Devo's case?

raduque wrote: Question: lop off the SMA end ?

Don't do this!

If you don't want to cut holes in your TX than buy one of these
FrSky-Receiver-Antenna-15cm
FrSky-Receiver-Antenna-25cm

Here vlad_vy explains the difference

linux-user wrote:

raduque wrote: Question: lop off the SMA end ?

Don't do this!

If you don't want to cut holes in your TX than buy one of these
FrSky-Receiver-Antenna-15cm
FrSky-Receiver-Antenna-25cm

www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_vie....asp?idProduct=64387

Same thing?

edit: I ordered it anyway. I'm out 70 cents if it doesn't work

Probably yes, but in a protective shield.

raduque wrote:

linux-user wrote:

raduque wrote: Question: lop off the SMA end ?

Don't do this!

If you don't want to cut holes in your TX than buy one of these
FrSky-Receiver-Antenna-15cm
FrSky-Receiver-Antenna-25cm

www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_vie....asp?idProduct=64387

Same thing?

edit: I ordered it anyway. I'm out 70 cents if it doesn't work

I would guess that that one is not shielded, does not connect to the ground, and only connects to the center pin. Maybe not get as good of range as the above mentioned ones that Linux_user linked to.

I highly doubt it. You can't make a reasonable antenna for 2.4GHz (nominal length of bare center conductor is 31mm) just by connecting a 15cm wire to the center pin. It is the same antenna as www.banggood.com/Wholesale-FrSky-Receive...na-15cm-p-68595.html , just in the outer wrapper which makes it visually thicker.

I guess if the first 2.5cm is shielded, that would make it a full wavelength @12.5cm, that looks possible with that bit of larger heatshrink next to the u.fl connector, now that you mention it. But still, with it that way, the module placement would be important for best range. With the other ones you could place the module where-ever, and locate the business end of the antenna elsewhere for best results. They look like they are shielded for 3/4 of the 15cm length, with a 1/4 wavelength mono-pole or di-pole at the business end.

RedSleds wrote: I guess if the first 2.5cm is shielded, that would make it a full wavelength @12.5cm, that looks possible with that bit of larger heatshrink next to the u.fl connector, now that you mention it. But still, with it that way, the module placement would be important for best range. With the other ones you could place the module where-ever, and locate the business end of the antenna elsewhere for best results. They look like they are shielded for 3/4 of the 15cm length, with a 1/4 wavelength mono-pole or di-pole at the business end.

I'm sure that would be the best way to get the most range, but I'm not going to be flying beyond what I can see, and I'd like to keep the case of the 7E clean.

raduque wrote: I'm sure that would be the best way to get the most range, but I'm not going to be flying beyond what I can see, and I'd like to keep the case of the 7E clean.

"What I can see" is a really vague description. I have two devo's, a 6S and a 10. The 6S flies micro and smaller 'copters, and those all become little more than dots around 100 feet out. I use modules with the on-board PCB antennas, and have never had any range issues with them. I did range check them as well as I could, though.

The 10 flies larger 'copters and fixed wing, and those I can see out to most of 1000 feet. I use modules with power amplifiers on those. If you read the module list commentary on the A7105, you'll see that the range with internal antenna - even with the PA - is less than 700 feet. So all the modules in the 10 have external antenna.

I have pretty bad eyes so ~100ft is more than enough range for me. Even the bigger quads like my 350 class V303 is difficult for me to make out past a couple hundred feet, and forget something small like a Hubsan or even my Ominus.