Like the title mentions I am new to Meshtastic and would like to buy a T-Deck Plus with an external antenna from Lilygo (as I heard the internal one is not that good). Does anyone know if an antenna like this would work/make sense with that device? What antennas do you use? Thanks in advance.
I spent some time with a cheap spectrum analyzer going through different antenna. Most of the ones designed for carry radios were not very good, but there is a limit to how much you can do with something that small. The two that I’ve had the best luck with are a 17cm whip and a 4.5cm “glue stick” stubby.
The specific models are available from many different sources, but here is a link for each, to get you started.
The 17cm Whip is actually a surprisingly good antenna. Unfortunately, I still find it too awkward for everyday use. On the other hand, my wife has no problem with it on the radio in her purse. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1713089150/gizont-915mhz-17cm-whip-antenna-with?crt=1&sts=1
This 4.5cm “Glue Stick” Stubby antenna is the same one that Heltec ships with their kits. It’s small enough to use anywhere. The performance is okay, which is actually pretty good for one that small. I got much worse results with a similar 5cm Stubby. https://muzi.works/products/stubby-antenna?_pos=2&_ss=r
Be aware that there are often big differences between antennas that appear to be identical. I found cases where the only obvious different was the branding printed on the outside, but where the SWR values weren’t even close (1:1.2 vs 1:9 in one case).
Good luck!