I was wondering if a smaller antenna would be possible for the M138, the one that comes with the kit is comically large, especially when attached to the huge metal ground plane. Coming from Argos/Kineis (Artic R2) with its minuscule antenna or even Iridium, this was a bit of a shock.
Any plans for a smaller antenna in the future (from Sparkfun or Swarm)?
Hi Drazvan,
“Ye cannae changes the laws of Physics!”
Swarm uses a much lower frequency (longer wavelength) than other systems, hence the longer antenna…
It might be possible to do something clever with a helical or patch antenna though. I’ll ask Swarm.
Best wishes,
Paul
It’s kind of funny, when you see their satellites in a video, they look smaller than the antenna + ground plane for the ground transmitters :). Maybe check what type of antenna they’re using on the satellites? We can live with a longer antenna but the ground plane requirements are killing potential handheld use (like emergency communicators - Garmin inReach Mini or similar).
I would imagine the antenna used on the satellites probably costs as much as a decent used car. Low cost can come with some concessions, like a larger antenna. 
I think the large antenna has more to do with the lower frequncies (as Paul mentioned above) and less with cost. Argos uses 400MHz and transmitters are fitted onto small birds (even the smol Artic R2 that Sparkfun sells is super small and lightweight and costs about the same as the Swarm modem).
The ground plane is what makes it too large imho, unless it’s vehicle mounted.
Those tape measure antennas probably cost them an arm and a leg!
https://spacenews.com/wp-content/upload … llites.jpgIn all seriousness, though, it will be interesting to see what kind of antenna solutions can be achieved. AFAIK Swarm was never intended for use in emergency situations (i.e. handheld devices). It’s designed and marketed as an IoT solution, so we should temper our expectations.
Cheers,
Adam
