Comment #1: Thu, 14 Jan 2021, 8:17 (GMT+1, DST)

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Hi I am a hobbyist and I wanted to try the antenna. I m modifying the design just a little (maybe that isn't even called modification) by panelizing one patch and multiple pagoda on a single board to reduce cost per unit. Hope there isn't any conflict doing so. Please let me know if there is any I will surely change the design. I was hoping to sell the extra antennas that will be made in my local community. Thanks in advance for your quick reply.

Comment #2: Sat, 9 Jan 2021, 3:00 (GMT+1, DST)

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In theory these parameters correspond to the radius of the coax core, dielectric, and outer shield respectively. For RG316 I would try:
coax_r1 = 0.3
coax_r2 = 0.85
coax_r3 = 1.15

There will still be some impact on antenna performance though, because the coax is an integral part of the antenna. You will likely see a shift in center frequency.

Last modified: Sat, 9 Jan 2021, 3:01 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #3: Fri, 8 Jan 2021, 19:59 (GMT+1, DST)

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Hi Maarten,

First of all, thanks a lot for designing these easy to build antennas :)
for some reasons, I have to change the RG402 to RG316 cable,
so if I want to compile the python files, is it enough to change these parameters:
coax_r1 = 0.46
coax_r2 = 1.5
coax_r3 = 1.8

if yes, what is your suggestion the new numbers for RG316 ?
thanks

Comment #4: Mon, 28 Dec 2020, 10:55 (GMT+1, DST)

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Comment #5: Fri, 20 Nov 2020, 15:57 (GMT+1, DST)

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ok sir thanks, by the way i'm using manjaro cinnamon. :)

Comment #6: Fri, 20 Nov 2020, 1:59 (GMT+1, DST)

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If it affects other software as well, then I'm afraid it's a problem with your system, e.g. your desktop environment, window manager of video driver. There's not much I can do about that.

Comment #7: Wed, 18 Nov 2020, 14:22 (GMT+1, DST)

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i did try using kazam, recordmydesktop and got the same result with ssr, however, with VokoscreenNG and ScreenShot+Record Desktop, it didn't occur but still it didn't cut the job.

i do, Type=x11

Last modified: Fri, 20 Nov 2020, 2:00 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #8: Sat, 14 Nov 2020, 16:22 (GMT+1, DST)

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I've never seen something like this, are you able to reproduce this? Also, if you take a screenshot with a different program when this issue occurs, does it also show the old screen, or is only SSR affected?

Are you using a standard X11 session?

Last modified: Sat, 14 Nov 2020, 16:22 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #9: Fri, 13 Nov 2020, 18:23 (GMT+1, DST)

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hi sir, i was using simplescreenrecorder-git 0.4.2.r18.g9ca0981 in Linux 5.8.18-1-MANJARO x86_64 last night and as i was doing screencast i notice that the previous screen captured (browser) was still being displayed even if preview. so i start the recording hoping that it will capture the top/current window (w/c nemo, my target) but it didn't. i closed the program and launch it again but i'm still getting the previous display. is there a way to "refresh" or "remove the previous screenshot/cast

thanks in advance :)

Last modified: Fri, 13 Nov 2020, 18:30 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #10: Tue, 3 Nov 2020, 23:39 (GMT+1, DST)

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As long as you don't reduce the size of the copper ground plane, it won't make a significant difference.

Comment #11: Tue, 3 Nov 2020, 7:27 (GMT+1, DST)

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Hello there
If we change the outer shape of the pcb by keeping the paths the same, will we have a loss in the antenna?

Comment #12: Tue, 3 Nov 2020, 7:24 (GMT+1, DST)

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thanks

Comment #13: Sat, 31 Oct 2020, 23:24 (GMT+1, DST)

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Are you using display scaling? Qt does not handle this very well, especially non-integer values like 1.25x (125%) create problems like this. The latest version of SSR has some workarounds, but it's still not perfect. A better solution is to disable display scaling and instead increase the system font size if necessary. This also produces higher quality graphics in most software (less blurry).

Comment #14: Sat, 31 Oct 2020, 20:47 (GMT+1, DST)

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im using kubuntu and if i select the "record entire screen" option it only records a smaller rectangle, not the whole screen. I tried using the "select rectangle" option selecting the entire screen but its no use, the same thing happens even if i choose the window i want to record. Any ideas about how to solve this? thank you!

Comment #15: Thu, 29 Oct 2020, 22:54 (GMT+1, DST)

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Yes, you can do this either by editing the Python scripts I provided to generate the PCBs, or using CAM software to edit the Gerber files directly. Or you can recreate the entire silkscreen layer, but then you have to make sure that you align it properly with the original.

Comment #16: Wed, 28 Oct 2020, 12:16 (GMT+1, DST)

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hi dear,
I want to make this antenna. but I want to have my own logo on it, is it possible? I can add the logo myself

Comment #17: Wed, 14 Oct 2020, 3:40 (GMT+1, DST)

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RE: Zoom recording I've had luck with CloudApp screen recorder. Might want to check it out. #1 Product of the day on Product Hunt and have video annotations for Mac, so useless lol but recording works great for Windows and Linux.

Last modified: Wed, 14 Oct 2020, 3:40 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #18: Fri, 18 Sep 2020, 22:36 (GMT+1, DST)

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8-channel diversity doesn't make much sense, why would you expect one of those eight antennas to provide a substantially better signal than the others when they are all pointed in the same direction? Or did you mean 8-channel beam steering or MIMO? That would make more sense and should work at least in theory. Just follow the usual rules with regard to patch spacing.

If you just want a more directional version then I recommend the triple feed patch array instead, the hexagonal arrangement produces much better results than a regular grid and it only needs one input feed.

Comment #19: Thu, 17 Sep 2020, 21:34 (GMT+1, DST)

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You see any issues with making a single pcb with 2x8 array of these? This would be for a 8ch diversity
ground station.

Comment #20: Tue, 25 Aug 2020, 16:11 (GMT+1, DST)

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You could be right. I do use ALSA, I'll remember that. I will conduct a test and provide feedback. I'll create a Zoom Meeting on another machine and see what happens on my Linux box when I try to record with SSR. Will provide feeback before the week is out. Thanks for the tip.

Last modified: Tue, 25 Aug 2020, 19:43 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #21: Sat, 22 Aug 2020, 16:44 (GMT+1, DST)

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I need more information. Can you post a screenshot of your audio settings in both SSR and Zoom?

The most likely cause for this problem is that Zoom and SSR are trying to access your microphone in a way that is not compatible. E.g. you may have configured either Zoom or SSR to open the microphone in exclusive mode with ALSA, which does not work. Or maybe one of the two applications is using ALSA and the other PulseAudio, that also doesn't work. Assuming that your system uses PulseAudio, make sure that both Zoom and SSR are configured to use PulseAudio and not ALSA.

Last modified: Sat, 22 Aug 2020, 16:45 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #22: Fri, 21 Aug 2020, 20:04 (GMT+1, DST)

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I have tried to record a 'Zoom' meeting using Simple Screen Recorder. I have not been able to do so. Whenever Zoom turns on, Simple Screen Recorder is unable to record. Can this be fixed? Other than that Simple Screen Recorder works just fine. I have done several video tutorials using it.

Comment #23: Fri, 21 Aug 2020, 14:20 (GMT+1, DST)

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See here. VAAPI requires an unusual method to transfer video frames which SSR does not support. Also, since I don't have any hardware to test it with, it's hard for me to add support for this.

Comment #24: Wed, 19 Aug 2020, 3:21 (GMT+1, DST)

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Would you be able to support the h264_vaapi codec? Would be very greatful if you did decide to add it to the list of codecs... unless you already do so.

Comment #25: Fri, 14 Aug 2020, 22:02 (GMT+1, DST)

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Banggood claims all kind of things, I would take their specs with a grain of salt. The actual gain is most likely comparable to other Pagoda-based designs. I also have no idea where they got that 50W spec from.

Last modified: Fri, 14 Aug 2020, 22:03 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #26: Fri, 14 Aug 2020, 21:54 (GMT+1, DST)

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I don't have time right now to resimulate the Triple Feed Patch Array for 5.25 GHz, but if you just take the existing design and scale everything up by a factor 1.105, you should get something reasonable. I've created some scaled PCBs for you here. Note that I have not simulated or tested these, so use them at your own risk.

Last modified: Fri, 14 Aug 2020, 21:55 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #27: Fri, 14 Aug 2020, 19:04 (GMT+1, DST)

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Hi, I see on the Banggood website they claim 5dBi gain. Having read your analysis of your original design, and having designed many experimental antennae myself, I am dubious, especially as you only claim 1dBi for the original design. So I was wondering whether you have had a chance to check their claims?

https://uk.banggood.com/Realacc-Pagoda-Antenna-RHCP-Right-Angle-5_8G-5dBi-50W-75mm-Omni-FPV-Antenna-SMA-or-RP-SMA-For-RC-Drone-p-1219943.html?rmmds=detail-top-buytogether-auto&ID=513344511532&cur_warehouse=CN

Regards,
Julian Grammer.

Julian at G1EKW <TakeThisOut> dot Radio

Last modified: Fri, 14 Aug 2020, 19:39 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #28: Thu, 13 Aug 2020, 15:38 (GMT+1, DST)

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Hey Maarten, thanks for your work. I am really a fan of your antennas.
But I just switched to Digital using OpenHD and most of wireless cards that we use are stronger in 5180-5320MHz. Any chance on providing designs for those lower 5GHz frequencies? I think we could benefit a lot from a Triple Feed Patch Array in this frequency range.

Last modified: Thu, 13 Aug 2020, 15:39 (GMT+1, DST)

Comment #29: Sat, 8 Aug 2020, 15:58 (GMT+1, DST)

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Sorry, wrong file - the correct one is here. Because of the complexity of the model, it is split over multiple files:

• circular-patch-v10.hfss (patch antenna without feed network)

• circular-patch-feed-v2b.hfss (LHCP/RHCP feed network, pin_r2 = 4.05 mm)

• feed-network-v6.hfss (hybrid feed network, pin_r2 = 4.05 mm)

• sma-vertical-smd-v3.hfss (LHCP/RHCP feed network vertical SMA connector)

• sma-vertical-smd-v5.hfss (hybrid feed network vertical SMA connector)

It's a custom design, developed primarily by numerical optimization. I looked for existing hybrid designs but couldn't find anything that did what I needed. I started off with a 3-section branch-line coupler with an extra output, which gave me something that looked a bit like what I needed, and then just optimized the lengths and impedances hoping that it would converge to a reasonable result - and somehow that worked perfectly from the very first attempt. I started with ideal transmission lines in ADS to find the correct lengths and impedances that would give me the S-parameters I wanted, then converted that to a curved version in HFSS that matches the physical position of the feed pins, and re-optimized that one to compensate for the parasitic coupling that's created by placing all the tracks so close together.

I added the manual refinement steps mainly to improve the convergence speed by adding smaller elements near the copper edges (where the electrical fields are stronger), not because of the curvature. Without manual refinement HFSS needs a lot of automatic refinement steps before it stabilizes, and I noticed that the results weren't always equally accurate. This is a big problem when doing numerical optimization, it's actually preferable to have a large, consistent error than a small error that varies significantly between simulations, because if the error is consistent, it doesn't really affect the optimization process. Manual refinement seems to help a lot here, there's far less random 'meshing noise' in the simulation output because the meshing is more deterministic.

Comment #30: Sat, 8 Aug 2020, 9:01 (GMT+1, DST)

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Hi Maarten, thanks for the fast reply - but the file you attached was from the pagoda antenna, what I would like to try is the triple feed patch antenna.
I know the Design will will be larger at 900Mhz, but as always it's the price to pay for good AR and Gain. But I've some approaches that I'll try for size reduction - folding the lines of the network and an additional dielectric block below the patch or a fractal approach for the patch should allow some shrinking in the structure.

Could you send me the hfss file for tripple feed patch ant (or one with the feed network)? I'm triying to figure out the spliiter function, is it some kind of combined simplified ratrace or how would you describe it?
Did you develop the network by yourself or is it an already published design?

By the way - I took a look at the Pagoda Design - I've seen that you used a length based refinement for the copper structures. Have you tried a surface approximation for the curved elements (I've made good results for curved geometries with a Surf approximation (normal deviation around 5deg) => select part, RMB, Surface Approximation, Manual Settings, Normal Deviation)

Best Regards
Florian