Teradek User Guide

Antenna Orientation

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Bolt 6 transmitters and receivers require the use of external antennas for basic operation. Different conditions will determine the type, orientation, and placement of the antennas.  

Vertical and Horizontal Antennas

Vertical (V) antennas are included as a standard item with your Bolt 6, offering good performance in a wide variety of short-to-medium range situations when quick setup and flexibility are key. V antennas are ideal for achieving diversity indoors. Once you move outdoors with the V antennas, the RF signals travel in a similar or identical manner towards the receiver, weakening diversity. Horizontal (H) antennas were designed for use with the V antennas. H antennas cause the RF signal from the transmitter to propagate in a perpendicular manner compared to the vertical signal from the V antenna. The H+V antenna configuration helps to maintain the quality and performance of your video transmission, especially when your signal would otherwise begin to deteriorate due to noise and/or longer ranges. 

For most setups, the ideal position for the four TX antennas and the five RX antennas is perpendicular to the ground/horizontal plane so that they point straight up and down. If the transmitter is mounted at an angle or on its side, the antennas must also be arranged so that they point up. Pointing the antennas in any other direction re-orients the radiation pattern and may reduce performance.

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