Should Your GNSS Antenna Be Off the Shelf or Custom Made?
Nothing fits quite like bespoke clothing. After all, it’s custom tailored to showcase your best features, unlike off-the-rack suits and dresses designed to fit just anybody. That’s one way to understand why device OEMs often choose custom global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antennas for vehicle telematics, asset tracking, fitness and other location-based applications.
Off-the-shelf antennas definitely have their place, especially when the manufacturer has a broad, deep portfolio to choose from. For example, Taoglas offers 140 models of embedded, external, passive and active antennas for all constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, NavIC and QZSS.
But sometimes a custom antenna is the only way to get that perfect, unique combination of performance, reliability and form factor that a particular application requires. For example, a device OEM or IoT service provider could use an off-the-shelf antenna to get 90% of what it needs, but going custom achieves that final 10% that’s crucial for differentiating its product in a crowded consumer marketplace or meeting public safety’s mission-critical requirements.
One recent example is Absolute Cycling’s The One, a handlebar-mounted cycling computer that tracks the ride, let’s the cyclist navigate with ease and displays all other kinds of key metrics. Pinpointing the rider’s location within 2 meters is among the capabilities that helps The One stand out from the crowded pack of cycling computers.
The One is clad in a great looking and durable aluminium case, which attenuates GNSS signals, and the case’s only opening is around three buttons. That form factor made it impossible to use an off-the-shelf GNSS antenna. So Absolute Cycling turned to Taoglas, which designed a custom GNSS antenna capable of accommodating those limitations while still meeting all the performance requirements for accuracy and reliability.
A custom antenna solution doesn’t have to delay a new product’s time to market and time to revenue. For example, Taoglas delivered the custom FXP614.A to Absolute Cycling in just a few months.
When comparing custom antennas, focus on manufacturers that offer a comprehensive suite of services, starting with testing to ensure that the design meets all performance requirements. For example, Absolute Cycling chose the Taoglas CSA.50 custom GNSS test service, which simulates the antenna design, builds prototypes of it and tests them first in an anechoic chamber and then at the system level. CSA.50 also defined the optimal antenna feeding mechanism.
Another example is the Taoglas GSA.30 GPS Acquisition & Tracking Sensitivity Testing service, which uses a constellation simulator and anechoic chamber to measure conducted tracking sensitivity. This process helps confirm that the custom antenna has been correctly integrated into device. The Taoglas GSA.40 testing service covers aspects such testing the device (GNSS receiver and Antenna) in a static, open-sky scenario.
And don’t overlook manufacturing. The ideal custom antenna provider can identify ways to streamline assembly to ensure consistency and meet production goals.
Taoglas can help you understand what needs to be considered to enhance your GNSS solution. We’ve created a helpful workflow to help you understand our wide range of antenna design and testing services, which you can access at the button below.