The surface mount antenna is likely to be a patch, or microstrip,
antenna. When mounted on a horizontal surface, They radiate or receive
most strongly straight up, although they do reasonably well at lower
angles and have some response at the horizon. Among other applications,
they're commonly used as GPS antennas, for receiving signals from
satellites. But a vertical antenna would almost certainly do much better
in your application.

I don't know of a site or tutorial that gives the kind of basic
information you're looking for, but you might find what you need at
http://www.cebik.com. Be cautious at other sites, since there's a huge
amount of misunderstanding and misinformation about antennas out there,
and the ability to make a fancy and professional looking web site has
nothing to do with whether the author really understands the subject
matter. If you're interested in a little more depth from a reliable
source, the _ARRL Antenna Book_ is a good investment.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Joe wrote:
. . .
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