ARCIA Land Mobile Radio: Antenna and Transmission Line Fundamentals and Testing - Sydney 20 August 2026

Join us in Sydney for a face-to-face training course covering Land Mobile Radio, Antenna and Transmission Line Fundamentals, and Testing. This hands-on course is ideal for anyone working with or around radio communications systems, providing a solid foundation in LMR principles, antenna behaviour, transmission line performance, and practical testing techniques.

Join us in Sydney at The NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre in Surry Hills on Thursday, 20 August, for a day of hands-on training.

This course introduces the student to land mobile radio base station antenna fundamentals. Modules include land mobile radio antenna systems and transmission line theory. Students will acquire theory and practical understanding of setup, calibration of antenna test units and how to interpret results.

This course is designed for students (individuals) new to the radio / critical communication industry. A knowledge of basic radio communications and frequency concepts would be advantageous.

Candidates must complete an assessment on the day with a 75% pass rate to obtain an ARCIA certificate of competence.

Sign up to become an ARCIA Member and save $$$ on every ticket purchased. 

Date: Thursday, 20 August 2026
Time: 9:00 am- 5:00 pm (AEST)
Trainer: Chris Stevens, CartGIS
Cost: ARCIA Member = $960 +GST; Non-member = $1200 +GST
Venue: NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre
Address: 37 Reservoir St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010

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Course Outline

Radio Antenna Systems

• What is an antenna

• How antennas work

• Antenna Types

• Antenna radiation patterns

• Antenna Gain

• ERP and EIRP and calculations

• Antenna Characteristics (Bandwidth, front-to-back, Sidelobes, nulls etc)

• Antenna Polarisation

• Antenna Resonance

• Common Antenna Configuration

Transmission Lines

• What is a transmission line?

• Skin effect

• Attenuation

• Return Loss and VSWR

• Transmission line characteristics (bend radius, power, ratings etc.)

Antenna and Transmission Line Testing

• Understanding an Antenna Test Unit

• Test unit set up and calibration

• Return Loss / SWR Test Set Up

• Interpreting Return Loss / SWR Test

• Distance to Fault Test Set Up

• Interpreting Distance to Fault Test

Practical

• Set up Antenna Test Unit for use, including

  • Ports identification

  • Calibration

  • Frequency limits

  • Markers

  • Cable Type

  • Velocity

  • Distance Limits

  • Frequencies

• Test VSWR / Return Loss

  • Using multiple antennas and different feeders

  • Interpret results

• Test Distance to Fault

  • Using multiple antennas and different feeders

  • Interpret results
    

Visit ARCIA's events page for more information and other events and training opportunities.

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