On which layers of four should the trace antenna be (433mhz)

Our team plan to launch a GPS device for food safety tracking, with a four layers PCB inside. Where should we locate the antenna?

PCB Design
November 14, 2023

Antennas deal with the world outside the device. This would tend to indicate that they should be located on an outside layer.

While it’s easy to say that circuit board substrate material (woven Fiberglas with epoxy binder) is “transparent” to radio signals, a closer look reveals a dielectric constant of 4 as versus a dielectric constant of 1 for free space. This difference will have an effect on the behavior of the antenna (probably not much at 433 MHz), but it’s still not a good idea to bury the antenna under a layer of laminate.

Don’t locate any other conductors on layers below the antenna – just keep them clear.

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

Oliver Smith

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