External antenna choices

There are two ways in which an external antenna can be used in place of the VTAP50 on-board antenna. Your decision will be affected by the type of enclosure you are designing to house the VTAP50-OEM reader board and its external antenna, and by the way that you plan to approach radio testing and certification of your end product.

Integrate a suitable tuning circuit into your own antenna assembly, which will then substitute for the VTAP50-OEM on-board antenna;
Design a separate tuning circuit that can be mounted in between the VTAP50-OEM reader module and an off-the-shelf external antenna.

You will need assistance from VTAP support engineers to design a suitable tuning circuit, as detailed knowledge of the VTAP hardware design will be required.

The VTAP50-OEM reader board already has modular certification, and our VTAP support engineers have experience of obtaining approval for use of the product with an alternate antenna. This involves seeking relevant regional radio compliance approvals, such as an FCC/ISED permissive change filing, which may be an approach you would like to follow.

Please consult VTAP support at an early stage, to discuss your plans and requirements.