[time-nuts] Best choice for GPS active antenna voltage?

Nick Sayer nsayer at kfu.com
Fri Aug 5 10:51:54 EDT 2016


In designing boards with the Venus838LPx-T module, I must supply external antenna power myself. This is in contrast to the PA6H I’ve been using which internally supplies 3.3v active antenna power (and measures it for loading to switch between the internal and external antenna. The Venue module does not have an internal antenna).

I therefore have the opportunity to select between 3.3v and 5v power to feed the external antenna. I could in principle do something more exotic, but I can’t imagine another option that would be better.

So far, 3.3v has worked with all of the antennae I’ve used, but the sample size is two (four if you count active GPS splitters in the mix).

In perusing the list, it sounds to me like modern antennae expect 3.3v, but I thought I’d explicitly ask rather than assume.


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