Even though every application is different I think we could eventually come up with building instructions for a handful of common types of antennas that are compatible with the Moteino, but are designed with different performance factors in mind. Provided all these designs use the Moteino/RFM69 we can take several variables out of the equation and offer antenna designs that have been proven to work. No need for everyone to re-invent the wheel every time.
For instance:
Short range antennas
For solutions that use the loss of signal to signal an out-of-range condition that can be used for locking doors, asset tracking, man-overboard scenarios, etc..). Range 1-10m. Type of antenna: a 50 ohm resistor, small loop on a pcb, bit of wire.
Medium range antennas
Range around 50-100m. Type of antenna: small loop on a pcb or helicals with the pcb as the groundplane. Suitable for Moteinos in a plastic enclosure.
Long range antennas
Range several km. Yagi’s, quarter wave verticals and dipoles fed with proper feedline. Suitable for Moteinos in metal enclosure.
It’s great to see that Felix already has made a model available with a pcb antenna and I think this would suit many. What I couldn’t find are the schematics, dimensions and performance graphs/swr curves for it. This could be an ideal starting point to bring all these various designs together and improve upon it as we go.
Not sure if a forum-post-structure is good enough to keep track of which designs work best as sometimes it can be hard to find what you’re looking for.