A variety of antennas have been tested in different combinations, and you can view the latest ChatterBox distance ratings by antenna, showing typical distances between different antenna types.
The antennas you select for different devices will have a huge impact on how well your cluster performs. I have stuck with fiberglass omnidirectional antennas for all deployed antennas, with good results. The fiberglass antennas can be spray painted with a thin coat of paint without noticeably impacting performance.
I have had great results from all of the antennas listed here. As long as you stick with antennas centered around your frequency (915/868), use good quality cables, make sure the connections are tight/good/waterpoof, really you should get good results from any good quality antenna. I have found Signal Plus on Amazon to have very high quality products, and they typically include various connectors and good cable lengths, so you don’t get surprised having to buy a weird adapter.
Since Altware Development LLC is an Amazon affiliate, purchasing any of these products from the links below helps to support further development of ChatterBox.
Rubber-Ducky-Type 17cm 915
Rating: Excellent
This is small enough to easily have with you (maybe not in your pocket), but has great sensitivity and range for its size. Most of my distance testing has involved this particular antenna, since I quickly became a fan.
For handheld and mobile devices, you’re going to have a hard time beating the performance of this one. I can confirm it pairs well with a 1 Watt LoRa amp, as well.
This will fit on a drone quite easily.
Source: Amazon
Price (2024): $18
Signal Plus 824-960 15″
Rating: Excellent
This is my go-to antenna for where I want good range without having something large. I have one of these permanently mounted on one of my vehicles, a golf cart (yeah, we drive golf carts here). This is small enough to easily fit inside a window frame, if that’s something you need to do.
Source: Amazon
Price (2024): $40
Signal Plus 868/915 35″
Rating: Excellent
This is the antenna I have on the chimney of a relative, which has line of site to the antenna on my roof. This is a great antenna, and typically reaches just as far as the longer antenna I have on my own roof.
Source: Amazon
Price (2024): $59
Tram-Browning 8079 Tri-Band
Rating: OK for LoRa; Unknown for 70cm/2m
This antenna works for LoRa frequency ranges, 70 cm band, and 2 meter band, making it useful for amateur radio as well. Since it has an NMA connection, there are great mounting options available for vehicles.
I have not yet done thorough testing with this, but it is my 24/7 “mobile” node antenna, paired with a low power SAMD51 node, and has received pings directly from my home “base station” as far as 11 miles away.
Source: Amazon
Price (2024): $42
Signal Plus 915 86″
Rating: Beyond Excellent
This beast is what I have on my own house. I live in a midwest rural town, and this thing can reach neighboring towns with no amps, just connected straight to the ChatterBox node.
Now, of course, I can’t stop there, so I’m testing out different amps with this, but I think this omnidirectional antenna is a great option for anyone who has a good place to mount it. Keep in mind, it is 86″, so it’s not exactly going to be invisible.
Source: Amazon
Price (2024): $159
Laird Phantom Stealth
Rating: Beyond Excellent
Very low-key, but for its meager size…wow. Pair this with an amp, and prepare to be amazed.
This may not be as sensitive as some larger more obnoxiously sized antennas, but if you stick this on your car, it is barely noticeable. Mine has survived many automatic touch carwashes using a magnetic NMO mount. Of course, if you’re worried about that, you can use a permanent mount.
Source: Amazon
Price (2025): $51
You’ll also need some sort of NMO connector/mount
Joymax GHX-328XSA3B
Rating: Good
This is a good performer with ChatterBox firmware. It’s not overly large. It’s a great choice for handheld or mobile devices.
The fact that it doesn’t have bronze or silver showing anywhere is also nice as far as looks.
Source: Digikey
Price (2025): $6