380–400 MHz 8 dBi 360° Fiberglass Omni Antenna, 3.5 m, Vertical Polarization, 7/16 DIN, LXQ4008V20A

The sub-400 MHz spectrum is the quiet workhorse of private and utility radio, and the demand for antennas that hold a clean pattern over a narrow but critical band has never been higher. Network planners are constantly challenged to cover a wide area from a single site, on a band where the antenna is taller than the equipment shelter and where wind, ice and UV are the real design constraints. The solution lies in collinear fiberglass omni antennas that put vertical gain on the horizon without asking for a rotator or a sector plan. We are proud to introduce the 380–400 MHz 8 dBi 360° Fiberglass Omni Antenna, model LXQ4008V20A, a 3.5 m vertical-polarized radiator engineered for trunked radio, utility and wide-area coverage sites.

This antenna represents a practical balance between gain, pattern roundness and mechanical survival. Its core advantage is the format: a single 3500 mm fiberglass radome at 51 mm diameter, weighing 6.7 kg, carrying a copper radiating element and terminating in a 7/16 DIN connector. The band is covered from 380 to 400 MHz at 50 Ohm with VSWR ≤1.8, gain is 8 ±1 dBi, and the horizontal pattern is a full 360° with ovality held to ≤2 dB. Power handling is 200 W, the element is DC grounded for lightning protection, and the radome is rated for wind of 36.9 m/s. It is the practical choice for sites where one antenna has to serve every talkgroup in range.

Technical Excellence: The Core Advantage

The antenna's performance rests on three pillars: a genuinely round omni pattern, vertical gain concentrated where the subscribers actually are, and a mechanical build that survives tower life.

360° Horizontal Coverage with 16° Vertical Beamwidth

An omni antenna is only as good as its roundness. This design specifies ovality at ≤2 dB, which means the horizontal pattern holds within a 2 dB window as it rotates through 360°, so a subscriber on the north side of the site gets substantially the same signal as one on the east. The vertical beamwidth is 16 ±3°, a deliberately narrow figure: the energy is concentrated near the horizon where handhelds and vehicle radios live, instead of being wasted on the sky above the tower and the ground at its foot. That is what buys 8 dBi from a single collinear column, and it is also what keeps the coverage footprint tight enough to be planned rather than guessed.

8 dBi Gain on a 3.5 m Fiberglass Radome

Gain of 8 ±1 dBi is delivered by a copper element inside a 3500 mm fiberglass radome measuring 51 mm in diameter. Glass fibre rather than plastic matters here: it holds its shape and its electrical properties through UV exposure, rain and the −40 °C to +55 °C operating range, and it does not become brittle after a few winters on a mast. The radome is finished in gray-white, which keeps solar loading down in direct sun. At 6.7 kg the antenna is light enough for a two-person lift and for mast hardware that was sized for older, heavier designs. Rated wind velocity is 36.9 m/s, so the mechanical margin is stated for the site rather than discovered during the first storm.

200 W Handling, DC Grounding and a 7/16 DIN Interface

Every port detail here is aimed at transmit duty, not receive-only duty. Maximum power is 200 W, which covers the output of a trunked base station or a repeater with headroom for multi-carrier operation. The radiating element is DC grounded, so static charge built up by wind and precipitation drains to the mast instead of travelling down the coax into the receiver front end. The connector is 7/16 DIN, the threaded interface that holds its impedance under vibration and weather far better than an N-type at this power level, and the one most low-band base station combiner outputs are built around. Impedance is 50 Ohm nominal across the band, matching the 7/16 DIN feedline without a matching section, and VSWR ≤1.8 keeps reflected power low enough that the transmitter protection circuit stays quiet.

Versatile Application Scenarios

The combination of 360° coverage, 8 dBi and a 3.5 m radome makes this antenna useful wherever one site has to serve a wide area on a low band.

Trunked Radio and Private Mobile Radio

Base station and repeater sites: a single omni column covers every talkgroup in range, which is what a trunked network wants at a hilltop or water-tower site where sector antennas would only duplicate coverage.

Rail, port and industrial estates: low-band propagation bends around buildings and terrain better than higher bands, so one omni antenna reaches handhelds inside sheds, yards and platforms that a sectorised 5 GHz link would never see.

Utility, Telemetry and Smart Grid

SCADA and remote telemetry: 380–400 MHz links are used for substation monitoring and feeder automation, where the antenna must sit unattended for years and survive ice, wind and sun without maintenance.

Pipeline, water and environmental monitoring: narrow vertical beamwidth keeps the link on the horizon, so remote sensors at the edge of the footprint still get a usable signal from a single mast.

Wide-Area Coverage and Site Sharing

Coverage fill and gap fillers: an omni column is the standard way to close a shadow behind a ridge or in a valley without building a new site.

Multi-operator and shared-mast installations: the 7/16 DIN interface and 200 W rating let one antenna serve several combiners at a shared site, which reduces tower loading and lease costs.

Conclusion: The Future of Low-Band Omni Coverage

The 380–400 MHz 8 dBi 360° Fiberglass Omni Antenna, LXQ4008V20A, is more than a passive component. It is the piece of hardware that decides whether a low-band site covers a district or a single street. By holding ovality to ≤2 dB across a full 360°, concentrating 8 ±1 dBi into a 16 ±3° vertical beam, and carrying 200 W into a DC-grounded element behind a 7/16 DIN connector, it gives planners a predictable footprint instead of a pattern to be discovered on site. The 3500 mm fiberglass radome, 51 mm diameter and 6.7 kg weight keep it manageable on the mast, while the 36.9 m/s wind rating and −40 °C to +55 °C operating range state its limits up front. For any 380–400 MHz network that needs one site to serve everything in sight, this antenna is the practical choice.