I am working with RX433 and TX433 modules to create a remote camera
control. I previously received some excellent advice on this forum about
using a phase locked loop in the receiver section to detect the signal from
the transmitter and eliminate most of the noise.

I breadboarded both the receiver and transmitter and gave it a trial run. I
am still a little shaky on the PLL, it seems there's maybe a little black
magic involved with the design there, but overall the system works. It locks
at the proper frequency, but now I don't seem to have as much range as
before the PLL. As a 'range booster', I used a piece of 24ga wire about 30cm
long on the receiver and about 15cm (almost quarter wave) on the
transmitter. both 'antennas' were vertical to the breadboards. That helped
to extend the range about another 15 feet or so.

I saw a surface mount antenna advertised in the mouser catalog and I was
wondering if anyone has had any experience with these. It is made by Yageo,
part number is 4311-121-20043, but there does not seem to be a data sheet on
it at the mouser site or at the Yageo site. My concern is that the receiver
and transmitter boards will be in the horizontal plane, and I am wondering
if a straight up telescoping antenna would output a larger range radiation
pattern. If I mount a surface mount antenna to the boards, maybe the pattern
will all be radiating upwards? Does anyone know? Also, can someone steer me
to a good tutorial or site that discusses radiation patterns of different
types of antennas?


TIA,
Joe
KB1KVI