Direct mount antenna bad idea?

BombayBill
Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:57:17 +0000

In the last few days I’ve separated the “untuned” RAK antenna from the gateway and raised it 3 m higher than the gateway with a LMR400 6 meter cable. The antenna now sits about 22 m above the ground. It now has a slightly better line of sight through trees and over rooftops to 3 sensors sitting within metal waste bins at distances as much as 1.4 k away.

RSSI improved slightly or not at all. However SNR improved by as much as 2 - 5 db .This is just enough to almost eliminate 10-20% of the failed reception of hourly reports.

At some point I may try the “tuned” antenna but for now the simple improvement in line of sight has brought good results. This change may not resolve the idea that a direct mount antenna is any worse than a separated antenna because the improvement is likely attributable to the gain in height.