Over the past 30 years, the selection of wireless technologies for emergency services has grown exponentially, from LMR to 4G, FirstNet, and now 5G, along with GNSS and Wi-Fi. Others have come and gone, such as CDPD and 3G. And more are on the way, such as 6G starting sometime around 2030.
One thing hasn’t changed: Antennas continue to play a fundamental, pivotal role in ensuring the kind of reliable, high-performance connectivity that lives can depend on. But as the selection grows, so does the challenge of making all of those technologies co-exist — physically, electrically, and financially.
All Together Now
A prime example is the Ford Interceptor, the most widely used police vehicle in the U.S. Its roof has a dozen raised “ribs” whose spacing makes it challenging to find enough flat surface for multiple cellular, GNSS, LMR, and other antennas. They also should be a half wavelength away from the light bar in case its components generate RFI, a consideration that shrinks the available space even more.
The traditional approach to meeting all these requirements is drilling multiple holes around the roof and fishing multiple cables, at an average cost of $1,500 per hole between labor and materials. More holes also mean more money later on because each one has to be sealed when the vehicle is decommissioned for sale.
That’s why Taoglas developed the Patriot series of antennas, which cover up to 18 bands spanning 4G, 5G, LMR, GNSS (L1 and L1/L5), Wi-Fi, and other technologies in a single enclosure. At just 205 mm x 180 mm, each Patriot model is compact enough to fit the Ford Interceptor and other space-constrained installations.
Installers simply remove the existing OEM shark fin antenna and replace it with the Patriot, minimizing the need for drilling additional holes. The Patriot series includes a custom-engineered foam gasket to ensure a perfect seal between the antenna and the curved roof to keep water from getting inside the vehicle and damaging cables and connectors.
The Patriot enclosure itself is IP69K and IK08 rated to protect the antenna elements against dust, water, hail, tree limbs, and other falling objects that public safety vehicles routinely encounter, especially during natural disasters. (For more information about these specs and why they’re so important, see “How IP and IK Ratings Measure Real-World Durability.”)
Another option is the Taoglas Pantheon MA.750, which supports all 4G and 5G bands between 600 MHz and 6 GHz, as well as GNSS and Wi-Fi, in a compact, domed enclosure. One reason why agencies such as the Sparks Police Department in Nevada choose the Pantheon is to accommodate cellular’s increasing usage of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems.
MIMO increases 4G and 5G performance by using multiple antenna elements to transmit and receive. For example, a 2×2 MIMO system has a total of four antennas. To operate effectively, each antenna needs to be at least 120 mm away from all of the others — including ones for non-cellular technologies such as LMR. The Pantheon MA.750 enables Sparks to maintain that distance and “accomplish communications we wouldn’t be able to accomplish otherwise,” says Matt Dryden, I.T. Support Specialist. (For the full case study, see “Pantheon Antennas Keep Sparks Police Department Reliably Connected.”)
Strength in Numbers
The Patriot and Pantheon also are examples of how first responder agencies can future proof their fleets by selecting an antenna system capable of supporting a wide variety of existing and emerging technologies and bands. For example, the latest 5G standards support integration with non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) such as satellites and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) to extend voice and data connectivity in places where cellular coverage is unavailable.
The basic concept is similar to how agencies are increasingly integrating LMR with LTE to leverage each technology’s strengths and fill gaps in capabilities. 5G-NTN integration is ideal for use cases such as search and rescue in remote areas and operating in places where cellular infrastructure — including FirstNet — has been disabled due to natural disasters. (For a deeper dive, see “Introduction to Non-Terrestrial Networks.”)
This multi-technology, multi-band strategy also helps ensure that fleets can quickly and cost-effectively accommodate changes made by other agencies, such as federal. One example is adding support for their technologies to enable interoperability across a county, state, or province.
To get the most out of this strategy, focus on antenna partners that have extensive experience with cellular, satellite (GNSS and NTN), and Wi-Fi both in and outside of public safety. This is particularly valuable for integrating LTE with LMR and developing a custom antenna if off-the-shelf models can’t meet an organization’s unique requirements.
The ideal partner also should have extensive experience in system-level design, optimization, testing, manufacturing, and validating antennas for mission-critical applications. One example is identifying potential sources of interference and suggesting solutions such as bandpass filters.
Size Matters for Performance, Installation Flexibility, and Future Proofing
Regardless of technology or band, all antennas need an adequate ground plane to optimize performance and reliability. (For more information, see “Understanding Ground Planes for Cellular and GNSS Devices.”)
In the case of external antennas, the choice of installation location affects the ground plane. For example, an antenna mounted on a vehicle’s roof or trunk uses that metallic surface as its ground plane. The size of that surface and the antenna’s location within it directly affect signal quality and thus the performance and reliability of the services using that signal.
Compact all-in-one antennas such as the Patriot and Pantheon give agencies and their upfitters more flexibility to meet increasingly demanding RF optimization requirements in space-constrained installations. This also saves time and money because companies that specialize in public safety communications say they often spend three to four hours per vehicle drilling holes in multiple roof locations and then fishing cable to each one.
Finally, fleets also are continually evolving. Standardizing on an all-in-one antenna such as the Patriot or Pantheon enables agencies to continue using their familiar, preferred solution as they add new vehicle makes and models with different installation limitations.
