Compact antennas put Bluetooth on the air

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team May 10, 2001

Flint Wireless has a new franchise agreement with Swedish antenna specialist gigaAnt, and has added a selection of size-optimised 2.4GHz antennas for Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11 and HiperLAN.

Flint Wireless has a new franchise agreement with Swedish antenna specialist gigaAnt, and has added a selection of size-optimised 2.4GHz antennas for Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11 and HiperLAN.

The gigaAnt Crispus is a low profile antenna designed for snap-in assembly directly on the printed circuit board.

Dimensions of 20 x 30 x 4mm make it suitable for applications including mobile and desktop PCs, audio equipment, automotive systems, access points, toys and a wide range of industrial, scientific and medical instruments.

As a half-wave antenna it is independent of ground plane, which ensures stable performance.

Flint offers the full range of antennas from gigaAnt, including miniature SMD antennas measuring only 15 x 10 x 4mm and ideal for mobile phones, headsets, PDAs and small handheld devices.

For applications where space is less critical, Flint will recommend gigaAnt swivel antennas to achieve maximum performance.

To support Flint customers in achieving optimal performance from their antenna solutions, Flint will offer access to the gigaAnt's design support services, including development, application and implementation assistance.

Integrating an antenna can involve specialist knowledge, particularly in the case of SMD antennas, whose performance is tightly linked to the characteristics of the surrounding PCB.

GigaAnt, which is a subsidiary of Moteco, the leading supplier of terminal antennas for mobile phones, will also make its functional testing and radio and antenna measurement facilities in Lund, Sweden available to Flint customers.

Capabilities include voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), network matching, transmission line optimisation, 3D radiation pattern, specific absorption rate (SAR), and electrical and magnetic field measurements.

Access to these resources reduces design risk and development time, and is conditional on production order quantity.