Datalogger Orientation & Signal Strength: What does “polarization mismatch” mean?
Understanding Antenna & Tower Angle Differences
Polarization refers to the direction the radio wave’s electric field vibrates.
If the device’s antenna and the cell tower are polarized differently, they can’t exchange the full signal. The power received is proportional to cos²(θ), where θ is the angle between their orientations.
At 90°, the loss is nearly total — though real-world reflections usually allow partial recovery of the signal.
If the device’s antenna and the cell tower are polarized differently, they can’t exchange the full signal. The power received is proportional to cos²(θ), where θ is the angle between their orientations.
At 90°, the loss is nearly total — though real-world reflections usually allow partial recovery of the signal.