Range without shunt component in matching network

[SaiTeja]

Hello, I am designing a custom board with NRF52832 IC. I followed all PCB consideration suggested by Nordic.

This blog suggests, If using a PCB antenna, the matching network should consist of one shunt component. devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../

But I don't have VNA to measure impedance of PCB antenna.

How much range can I expect without shunt component in matching network? My requirement upto 5 meter x 5 meter

[AmbystomaLabs]

No one can say. Depending on the board, two networks that are just slapped together could have anything form perfect performance to 30 or 40 dB of loss. PCB antennae can be very difficult to design. You should at least try to spend some time in a modeling app such as the free version of Sonnet to see if your pcb antenna is vaguely close to 50 ohm at 2.45 GHz.

I have seen plenty of comments from people on this blog who chose to not spend the time on matching and end up with devices that broadcast a few feet only.

As a compromise you can put the shunt position PRECISELY where it is supposed to be and just experiment with different values from a sample kit. Assuming you put everything on the board correctly you can probably get a few meters using this approach.

Here is a Sonnet PIFA example:mobile_pifa.zip

[AmbystomaLabs]

Yes the 0.8pF and 3.9nH are part of the nRF output match and must be included. Just google FCC and ETSI they are the worlds two biggest regulatory bodies for wireless products. In any country in the world shipment/sales of wireless products is highly regulated. So if you intend to ship and sell a product you will likely need to go through one of these organizations to get approval.