Land Mobile Radio: Antenna and Transmission Line Fundamentals and Testing - Christchurch 18 August 2026

RFUANZ, in association with ARCIA, will deliver a one-day course on Land Mobile Radio: Antenna and Transmission Line Fundamentals and Testing - spaces are limited, so secure your place early to avoid missing out.

Delivered by Chris Stevens, Managing Director, CartGIS, 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.

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. With both theory and practical elements, this course is useful for those who need a refresher, as it is for those at an earlier stage in their career.

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.

Each participant must complete an assessment on the day with a 75% pass rate to obtain an RFUANZ certificate of competence.

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Date: Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Time: 9:00 am- 5:00 pm (NZST)

Trainer: Chris Stevens, CartGIS

Cost: RFUANZ Member = $960* +GST; Non-member = $1200* +GST (Ticket prices are in AUD)

Venue: Tait Communications, Kauri Room

Address: 245 Wooldridge Road, Harewood, Christchurch

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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
    

More information on this course can be found on RFUANZ's website >>

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*Prices represented in AUD.