Choosing an Antenna
We’re often asked: is it okay to use the ANN-MB2 antenna (ELT0317)? Here's a checklist of questions to help you decide if this antenna suits your needs. If the answer to all the questions (except the last one) is no, then ANN-MB2 will likely work just fine for you. If you answer yes to any of them, a different antenna may be a better choice.
Are you a professional surveyor? Do you need a top-tier antenna? Then you’ll want the Choke Ring 380 mm antenna (ELT0314). Just €2800—and it’s yours. ?
What’s the climate like where you’ll install the antenna? Do you get snow? Could water flood the antenna? Could birds perch on it? What about cats? Raccoons? Monkeys? Kangaroos? Pythons? If so, go with the Survey 160 mm antenna (ELT0123). It's not the cheapest, but its shape offers excellent protection from weather and wildlife. If the price feels a bit steep, consider the more budget-friendly Budget 38dB antenna (ELT0323). It has a shorter warranty and slightly lower performance, but it still provides protection from the elements and curious animals.
Do you need high accuracy—specifically a low phase center offset? Do you have a long antenna cable and require high gain? Then the best choice for you is the MultiPatch 100 mm antenna (ELT0194).
Are there buildings or trees nearby that could reflect GNSS signals and cause multipath interference? Then you’ll need an antenna that effectively suppresses multipath, ideally one designed with HELIX technology. Your choice here is the Quad Helix Antenna (ELT0316).
Looking for the most affordable option? That’s the ANN-MB2 antenna (ELT0317).
7b. Choosing a Power Supply
For local power delivery, we recommend using the power adapter that we supply with the base station. It delivers 3 A and provides a wide safety margin to ensure stable operation under any conditions.
If you wish to use your own power adapter, it is best to choose one rated for 2 A without any “fast charging” features. In other words, a simple, inexpensive charger intended for modern smartphones. This ensures stable power during the first few seconds after boot, when the station's power consumption is at its peak.
Attempting to use a computer’s USB port or a power adapter rated for less than 1 A will result in the base station either not starting at all, or operating unstably.
Please do not power the station from “fast” USB chargers or USB hubs from lesser-known brands. Fast chargers using Quick Charge or Power Delivery technologies operate at elevated voltages — up to 20 V or even higher. These voltages will destroy our base stations.
Low-cost chargers often fail to correctly detect when to switch to or from these high voltages. For example, one of our users first charged their iPhone via a USB hub with Power Delivery, and later connected the base station. The hub failed to cut off the elevated voltage, and the entire base station was fried.
For remote advanced base stations, the best power solution is Power over Ethernet (PoE). In this case, your station is connected using only a single Ethernet cable, which simultaneously provides both power and Internet. The supported standard is IEEE 802.3af, the earliest and most common PoE variant.
© Eltehs SIA 2025
