Choosing a Coaxial Cable

An appropriate coaxial cable matches the impedances of the antenna and receiver (50 ohms) and has a line loss not exceeding 10.0 dB. If the limit is exceeded, excessive signal degradation may occur and the receiver may not meet performance specifications. NovAtel offers several coaxial cables to meet GNSS antenna interconnection requirements, including:

  • 5 m, 15 m and 30 m antenna cable with TNC connectors on both ends (NovAtel part numbers GPS-C006, GPS-C016 and GPS-C032)

  • 2.5 m and 5 m antenna cable with an SMA connector on one end and a TNC connector on the other (NovAtel part numbers 60723177 and 60723178)

The SMA to TNC cables (60723177 and 60723178) are not recommended for permanent outdoor use.

For more information about antenna cabling, including using cables longer than 30 m and in-line amplifiers, refer to APN-077: RF Equipment Selection and Installation for OEM7.

A conversion is required between the MMCX, MMBX or MCX connector on the OEM7 receiver card and the female TNC connector on NovAtel’s GNSS antennas.

NovAtel recommends using high quality coaxial cables because an impedance mismatch is possible when using lower quality cables and this produces reflections in the cable that increases signal loss. Although other high quality antenna cables can be used, the performance specifications of the OEM7 receivers are warranted only when used with NovAtel supplied accessories.