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[Solved] Will an external antenna increase the range of the Zamel Exta Life RCT 21 receiver?

kdziadosz209 261 11
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Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
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  • #1 21222638
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    Hello everyone. I have a question regarding the Zamel Exta Life receivers. If I solder out the original antenna and insert an SMA socket and attach an external antenna, will this increase the range? Has anyone tried this? The RCT21 to be exact.
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  • #2 21222683
    max-bit
    Level 34  
    Certainly :) .
    Take it apart and see what it looks like inside
    It may be that the antenna is on the PCB and there is not much space ...
    Take photos and we will combine
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  • #3 21223811
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    The antenna is on an additional PCB soldered on two pins vertically to the horizontal main board. I'll send a picture of what it looks like after 5pm.

    Added after 7 [hours] 42 [minutes]: .

    Will an external antenna increase the range of the Zamel Exta Life RCT 21 receiver? Will an external antenna increase the range of the Zamel Exta Life RCT 21 receiver? .
  • #4 21224820
    max-bit
    Level 34  
    Then you have to combine
    Somehow solder the connector

    But this does not guarantee an improvement in range at all:) .
    Especially if you solder a few metres of poor cable and put a poor antenna at the end :)
    Then it can be worse than now
  • #5 21224877
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    I have an original extra antenna for this system but this particular module does not have an antenna socket Will an external antenna increase the range of the Zamel Exta Life RCT 21 receiver? Will an external antenna increase the range of the Zamel Exta Life RCT 21 receiver? .
  • #6 21224982
    max-bit
    Level 34  
    it is of questionable quality :) .
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  • #7 21225017
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    So the original antenna is of questionable quality?
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  • #8 21225030
    max-bit
    Level 34  
    :) .
    It's a Chinese product
    Cheapest cable
    Antenna with 0 dB gain
    So only on such a cable there will be losses :) a few dB
    So in total a few dB loss :)
  • #9 21225147
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    In this case, what is the best antenna to fit to this unit. The system operates on the 868Mhz band
  • #10 21225153
    max-bit
    Level 34  
    Well the question is where this device is where the "base" is
    How far away etc ...
    If somewhere far away and as they say in ... on a pole then you would have to lead the signal out with a better cable
    But here too there is another question whether it is not better to give it somewhere else ...
    Many questions ...
    and too many unknowns
  • #11 21225167
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    The base is in the living room and the device is 20 m from the house. There is a retransmitter outside the house that amplifies the signal. However, with this signal it is not as it should be. A couple of hours there is sometimes an interruption, there is no connection. The device is in an airtight box. The retransmitter and the device can see each other.
  • #12 21253387
    kdziadosz209
    Level 3  
    I soldered an rp-sma socket to the circuit board. I plugged an antenna dedicated to the receiver into the socket and it works without any problems.
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Topic summary

The discussion addresses whether replacing the original antenna of the Zamel Exta Life RCT21 receiver with an external antenna via an SMA connector can improve its range. The receiver's antenna is mounted on a small additional PCB soldered vertically to the main board, without a factory antenna socket. Modifying the device by soldering an RP-SMA socket and attaching a dedicated external antenna is feasible and has been successfully tested. However, improvements in range are not guaranteed, especially if using low-quality cables or antennas with 0 dB gain, as losses can offset any potential benefits. The original antenna is a low-cost Chinese component with minimal gain and cheap cabling, contributing to signal loss. Optimal antenna choice depends on deployment conditions, such as distance and placement relative to the base unit, which in this case is indoors with the device 20 meters away in an airtight enclosure. A retransmitter is used but signal interruptions still occur. Using a higher quality antenna and cable, properly matched to the 868 MHz operating band, and ensuring good line-of-sight can enhance performance. The modification with an RP-SMA connector and a dedicated antenna has been confirmed to work without issues.
Summary generated by the language model.
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