Do you have a 915 MHz antenna for Meshtastic or Meshcore?

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Short answer: Not at this time. It might happen eventually, but there are no concrete plans right now.

Why not?

Believe it or not, a 915 MHz antenna would actually be harder to make than our existing dual-band Signal Stick™. Here are the main challenges:

  • Physical length: A 915 MHz 1/4-wave antenna is only about 3 inches long. Our normal jigs and fixtures for holding antennas in place while they cure simply don’t work at that scale.
  • Precision matters more: At shorter lengths, small errors have a much bigger impact on performance. The lengths need to be far more precise than with our longer antennas.
  • Cost vs. effort: The parts cost difference between a 915 MHz antenna and a dual-band Signal Stick™ is less than $2, but the shorter antenna takes more labor to build. Charging the same price would mean making less money per antenna for more work — a hard sell.
  • Minimal gain advantage: A 1/4-wave 915 MHz antenna would have essentially no gain. We don’t currently have the manufacturing ability to build a matching network into the connector that would enable a higher-gain design.

Can I cut an existing antenna to work on 915 MHz?

Yes — with caveats.

You can cut a 440 MHz monoband Signal Stick™ down to about 3 inches (measured from the tip of the pin to the end of the wire) to create a 1/4-wave antenna for 915 MHz. We’ve done this and it works, though we don’t have the tools to evaluate exactly how well it performs.

Important notes:

  • Some Meshtastic devices use RP-SMA connectors, which are not compatible with our standard SMA antennas. Check your device before ordering.
  • Cutting the antenna voids the warranty. We won’t replace it if the modification doesn’t work as expected, though we’ll still honor the warranty for unrelated defects.
  • A 1/2-wave antenna is not as simple as cutting to half the wavelength — that would give you a very poorly performing antenna. Matching networks are required for 1/2-wave designs, which we can’t currently manufacture.

Will you ever make one?

Plausible, but we make no promises. We’ve been discussing it and have some ideas, but nothing is concrete. It’s not on the roadmap right now because the production challenges are real and our time is already stretched thin.

If you’re looking for larger quantities for a project, feel free to reach out — but for now, cutting down a 440 MHz monoband is your best DIY option.