APAE Series Antennas

Abracon Corporation introduces its APAE series of passive patch antennas for GPS, RFID, SDARS, and GLONASS applications

Image of Abracon's APAE Series AntennasAbracon Corporation's APAE series of passive patch antennas provides a low-cost system level solution for GPS, RFID, SDARS, and GLONASS based architectures.

  • A patch antenna is a type of low-profile radio antenna that is ideal for applications in which the antenna sits on a flat surface.
  • Patch antennas are flat, lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to mount.
  • Electrical connection with PCB is reached by soldering the silver pin through the hole on the PCB. Subsequently, the RF signal propagates through the PCB to excite the patch antenna.
  • GPS and GLONASS patch antennas are commonly used in automotive navigation, cell phones, and laptops. GLONASS, which is an alternative to the United States' GPS, is most popular in Russia.
  • GPS passive patch antennas are used when the GPS receiver's line-of-sight is blocked. For example, a car’s windshield can block signals from reaching the GPS receiver. A passive patch antenna placed atop the car can easily decipher the signals and transmit them to the GPS receiver.
  • SDARS’s (Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services) patch antenna is used in satellite radios such as Sirius Radio.
  • RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) antennas operate using specific radio frequencies. In the United States, 915 MHz is popular, while in Europe, 868 MHz RFID patch antennas are utilized.
  • Patch antennas should be tuned to the ground-plane (PCB) on which they are mounted. Abracon offers an optimization service for the tuning of the standard patch antennas; customers should review the standard parts and then rely on Abracon in their NPI phase to optimize the solution and obtain a custom part number.

The APAE series of passive patch antennas is available through Abracon's Global Distribution partners at a competitive distribution resale.

Published: 2015-03-11