Review: CCHEQVAN 2pcs 915Mhz LoRa Antenna 5dBi gain SMA male U.fl IPEX $11 (for 2)

Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3VmgOU3 Price as reviewed: $11 (for a 2 pack) 2 Pcs 915MHz LoRa Antenna 5dBi High Gain Omni SMA Male + U.fl IPEX Antenna Adapter Cable Brand: CCHEQVAN This two pack of "915Mhz" antennas have male SMA connectors (screw into a female SMA) and also come with a female SMA bulkhead connector with a short coax to a U.fl IPEX board connector (as found on Meshtastic nodes). The antennas are generally resonant around 900 Mhz, but there is some variability between the two included antennas (and I expect that if you get a random bag of two antennas yours may be higher or lower than mine...) I tested them both in the "straight through" (180 degrees) and "bent" (90 degree) orientation. [One of the antennas actually had a better SWR at 906 Mhz when bent.] Antenna 1: bent 90 degress: 887Mhz SWR 1.35 (minimum SWR) 906Mhz SWR 1.98 at 180 degrees: 869Mhz SWR 1.3 (minimum SWR) Antenna 2: at 180 degrees: 900 Mhz SWR 1.08 (minimum SWR) 906 Mhz SWR 1.29 2 at 90 degrees: 906 Mhz: SWR: 3.6 (Minimum SWR below 850 Mhz) The US LoRa bands are right around 906Mhz, and these antennas had a minimums closer to 890-900 Mhz so they are closer to the Europena LoRa bands than the US bands. Bottom line: If you have a VNA to test them, you may get a reasonably good SWR, but if you don't, there is high variability between the antennas. Best case was SWR of 1.29, worst case was 3.6. This performance may be better than a default stubby or chip antenna that comes with kits, so would likely be a small upgrade for a small price. However, I've seen antennas that are calibrated to the US 906Mhz band directly that are about $15 (each), so if you are looking to spend a little more money and get the best, this isn't for you.