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Author Topic: Antenna ground plane  (Read 949 times)

Jason Fultz

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Antenna ground plane
« on: October 12, 2022, 03:45:08 PM »

Do most IEM systems work better with a ground plane for the antenna.
I am using a Shure system an occasionally just want to get my antenna up and above a lot of other stuff going on does it work better with a ground plane a metal base for example. Thanks in advance for your answers appreciate it.
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Brian Jojade

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Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2022, 04:12:45 PM »

That's going to depend on the antenna being used.  Quarter wave antennas need ground planes. Half wave antennas do not.

A half wave antenna typically is a little bit better than a quarter wave antenna with a proper ground plane.  However, quarter wave antennas connected directly to your equipment typically means there is very little ground plane there and antenna isn't performing optimally.   Moving quarter wave antennas off the device and onto a proper location can make a big difference.

Getting half wave antennas usually is less hassle and those don't need ground planes.
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Brian Jojade

Jason Fultz

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Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2022, 04:49:09 PM »

That's going to depend on the antenna being used.  Quarter wave antennas need ground planes. Half wave antennas do not.

A half wave antenna typically is a little bit better than a quarter wave antenna with a proper ground plane.  However, quarter wave antennas connected directly to your equipment typically means there is very little ground plane there and antenna isn't performing optimally.   Moving quarter wave antennas off the device and onto a proper location can make a big difference.

Getting half wave antennas usually is less hassle and those don't need ground planes.

What is a good example of a half wave for my PSM 300?
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Scott Helmke

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Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2022, 05:49:56 PM »

The antennas that Shure sends with the mid-to-upper level gear such as QLXD, ULXD, AD, etc. are half-wave dipoles.  They do not need a ground plane.  Do a search for "Shure UA8" for examples.

I believe the antennas that come with the lower level gear such as PSM300, SLX, etc. are quarter-wave antennas, which would benefit from a ground plane (aka a "counterpoise"). A bulkhead mount in the top or side of a metal rack is usually just fine for that.  Mounted on the front of the receiver in a rack that doesn't have a forest of other antennas would probably also be fine.

You could just buy the better UA8 series antennas for your PSM300, along with appropriate 50 ohm coax cables and couplers so you can put your antenna on the end of a cable.
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Jason Fultz

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Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2022, 06:28:42 PM »

The antennas that Shure sends with the mid-to-upper level gear such as QLXD, ULXD, AD, etc. are half-wave dipoles.  They do not need a ground plane.  Do a search for "Shure UA8" for examples.

I believe the antennas that come with the lower level gear such as PSM300, SLX, etc. are quarter-wave antennas, which would benefit from a ground plane (aka a "counterpoise"). A bulkhead mount in the top or side of a metal rack is usually just fine for that.  Mounted on the front of the receiver in a rack that doesn't have a forest of other antennas would probably also be fine.

You could just buy the better UA8 series antennas for your PSM300, along with appropriate 50 ohm coax cables and couplers so you can put your antenna on the end of a cable.

You are a gentleman sir these are just the answers I was looking for I really appreciate your time and attention thank you so much for the information have a great day
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Russell Ault

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Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2022, 04:12:42 PM »

What is a good example of a half wave for my PSM 300?

It also might be worth mentioning (particularly for non-diversity IEMs like the PSM300) that you might be better-served with a directional antenna of some sort. One of the characteristics of half-wave dipoles (and quarter-wave monopoles, for that matter) is that they're effectively omnidirectional around the antenna's axis; by sending RF energy in all directions (as opposed to focusing it more in the direction of the IEM RX) you might end up increasing your chances of running into multipath interference issues under certain conditions.

-Russ
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Don Boomer

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Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2022, 04:57:10 PM »


Or even better … a circular polarized/helical antenna.  That way you will minimize loss of polarization as your beltpacks twist an turn that causes loss of signal.  Even before you get dropouts, lower signal signal reception lessens the audio quality of analog IEMs.
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Don Boomer
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Antenna ground plane
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2022, 04:57:10 PM »


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