Maple Wireless 20dB Patch 4.85-6.3G - RHCP SMA

Maple Wireless 20dB Patch 4.85-6.3G RHCP is a directional antenna with right-hand circular polarization RHCP, an SMA connector, and a gain of 20dBi for the 4.85-6.3GHz band. It is intended for the receiving side in long-range flying — on a tripod, ground station, or antenna tracker. RHCP polarization is suitable for analog video transmission or HDZero.

The beamwidth is 16° and is equally wide in both the horizontal and vertical planes; the -3dB drop therefore occurs already at a deviation of ±8° from the axis. This is a very narrow pattern and is the trade-off for 20dBi gain — the higher the gain, the narrower the beam and the more precisely the antenna must be aimed at the model. We therefore do not recommend using it as the only receiver antenna. The ideal setup on a diversity receiver is to combine it with an omnidirectional antenna: the directional antenna provides range and signal penetration through trees and buildings, while the omnidirectional antenna covers the nearby area, takeoffs, and landings. When mounted in a fixed position, the antenna is better suited for flying in a straight line or circling a known point; for freer flying, an antenna tracker makes sense.

The front-to-back ratio is higher than 20dB, so the antenna suppresses signals coming from behind to about one hundredth of the power compared to signals from the axis. This reduces interference from around the ground station and from pilots standing behind the antenna. The axial ratio of ±1dB indicates how accurately circular the emitted wave is; a value close to zero means lower losses between transmitter and receiver and better suppression of reflections from terrain and obstacles. Impedance is 50Ω and VSWR remains below 1.5 across the entire band, so only a small portion of the power is reflected back along the line.

The wide 4.85-6.3GHz band covers not only the common 5.8GHz channels but also the lower 4.9-5.3GHz and upper 6GHz range; the antenna therefore also works with transmitters outside the standard FPV band. However, gain varies within the range and reaches its maximum between 5.5 and 6GHz. The maximum transmitted power of 10W allows the antenna to be used on the transmitting side as well.

The antenna is a flat square panel measuring 208x208x35mm and weighing 255g. The bottom side has a tripod thread, and the back has four threaded M3 holes with 38x40mm spacing for a custom mount or tracker. It connects with the included flexible coaxial cable measuring 30cm, which holds its set shape. Operating temperature is -40 to +60°C.

Important notice: due to its size and weight, we do not recommend mounting the antenna directly on FPV goggles.

Maple Wireless is a Chinese manufacturer of antennas for wireless communication that, besides industrial and professional antennas, also focuses on FPV — omnidirectional antennas, goggle antennas, and high-gain directional antennas.