Antenna Range Calculator

This page provides an antenna range calculator as part of a suite of converters and calculators. It determines the range of an antenna based on several key factors: transmit power, cable loss, transmit antenna gain, and receiver sensitivity.

EXAMPLE Antenna Range Calculator:

INPUTS:

• Frequency = 2400 MHz
• Pt (Transmit Power) = 20 dBm
• Gt (Transmit Antenna Gain) = 13 dB
• Cable Loss = 3 dB
• Receiver Sensitivity = -80 dBm

OUTPUTS:

• Free Space Path Loss = 110 dB
• Antenna Coverage Distance = 3147 meters

Antenna Range Calculator Equation

The following equation or formula is used for the antenna range calculator.

The image above illustrates the steps required to determine the antenna coverage range, taking into account the following inputs:

1. Antenna Transmit Power (Pt)
2. Transmit Antenna Gain (Gt)
3. Cable Loss
4. Operating Frequency
5. Receiver Sensitivity

Calculation Steps:

• Step 1: Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) is calculated. This is the amount of power the antenna radiates, taking gain into account.
• Step 2: Free Space Path Loss (FSPL) is calculated based on the EIRP and the receiver sensitivity (Pr). FSPL represents the signal attenuation due to the distance between the transmitter and receiver.
• Step 3: The coverage distance is calculated using the free space path loss formula. This formula relates FSPL to distance and frequency.

Important Note: Lambda (λ) in the Free Space Path Loss (FSPL) formula is equivalent to c/frequency, where ‘c’ is the speed of light (approximately 3 x 10^8 meters per second).