The 450 MHz UHF segment spans 450 to 470 MHz and is used for private mobile radio. Wavelength at the center of this band is roughly 652 mm, which sets the physical size of every resonant element and, with it, the gain a given form factor can reach.
Why the band sets the antenna size
A half-wave dipole at the center of the 450 MHz UHF band is about 326 mm long, and a quarter-wave element about half that. Every practical antenna in this band is a variation on that dimension: a collinear omni stacks several half-wave sections to trade elevation beamwidth for gain, a panel places elements over a reflector, and a Yagi adds parasitic directors ahead of the driven element. There is no way to get more gain out of the same aperture, so a higher gain figure on this band always means a physically larger part.
Below roughly 500 MHz the signal diffracts around terrain and penetrates buildings well, which is why this range is still the first choice for wide-area telemetry and land-mobile radio. The cost is antenna size and the narrow channel bandwidth the spectrum allocations allow.
Band summary
| Frequency range | 450–470 MHz |
|---|---|
| Center wavelength | 652 mm |
| Half-wave element | 326 mm |
| Typical service | Private mobile radio |
| Catalog models | 87 |
Gain options on 450 MHz UHF
| Gain | Shortest model at that gain | Length | Elevation beamwidth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 dBi | AW-HH-VU-STUBBY | 48 mm | 65° |
| 2 dBi | AW-HH0400-2 | 160 mm | 60° |
| 3 dBi | ACC-CAB-RUBBER-SMA-COMBO | 200 mm | 0° |
| 6 dBi | AW-TV-IN-6 | 320 mm | 70° |
| 12 dBi | AW-YG0450-12 | 870 mm | 38° |
| 13 dBi | AW-LP4386-13 | 1450 mm | 40° |
| 17 dBi | AW-TV-UHF-17 | 1250 mm | 28° |
Stacking Yagi Antennas models in this band
| Model | Band (MHz) | Gain | Polarization | Length | Connector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW-YG0450-12 | 450–470 | 12 dBi | Vertical | 870 mm | N-Female |
| AW-LP4386-13 | 430–860 | 13 dBi | Vertical | 1450 mm | N-Female |
| AW-HH0400-2 | 400–470 | 2 dBi | Vertical | 160 mm | SMA-Female |
| AW-HH-VU-STUBBY | 136–470 | 1 dBi | Vertical | 48 mm | SMA-Female |
| AW-TV-UHF-17 | 470–862 | 17 dBi | Horizontal | 1250 mm | F-Female |
| AW-TV-VU-12 | 174–862 | 12 dBi | Horizontal | 980 mm | F-Female |
| AW-TV-IN-6 | 174–862 | 6 dBi | Horizontal | 320 mm | F-Female |
| ACC-CAB-RUBBER-SMA-COMBO | 0–6000 | 3 dBi | Vertical | 200 mm | SMA-Male antenna + SMA cable |
| ACC-ADP-SMA-F-N-M | 0–11000 | 0 dBi | N/A | 26 mm | SMA Female-hole to N Male-pin |
| ACC-ADP-SMA-F-TS9 | 0–6000 | 0 dBi | N/A | 14 mm | SMA Female-hole to TS9 Male |
| ACC-ADP-SMA-FF | 0–18000 | 0 dBi | N/A | 22 mm | SMA Dual-female (hole + hole) |
| ACC-ADP-SMA-KKF | 0–18000 | 0 dBi | N/A | 22 mm | SMA-KKF Cross Adapter |
Matching the band to the link
Free-space loss at the center of this band is about 86 dB over one kilometer. Add the loss of the feedline, subtract the gain at both ends, and compare the result against the receiver sensitivity for the modulation you intend to run. If the margin is under roughly 10 dB the link will work on a clear day and drop in rain or foliage, which is usually the point at which a higher-gain aperture or a shorter cell radius becomes the cheaper fix.