Question (From Mark A to John D at Voler)
What does this mean?
Specifically – Pycom_002_Specsheets_GPy_v2.pdf, p19
Asking as we sometimes run w/out Cat-m to recreate problem like had above to queue up data on board. Do I need to worry about it if doing this for hour or so?
Answer
When the antenna is not connected, a portion of the energy reflects back into the chip/components. Normally this is not an issue, but in theory, it could cause problems like decreased range/bad cellular performance due to analog front-end overload damage.
For your lab testing units, we also disconnect the antenna. But, for production units, you should make sure an antenna is connected. You can also place a 50 ohm SMA terminator in the place of the antenna that will absorb the energy. Something like this: https://www.mouser.com/c/connectors/rf-interconnects/rf-terminators/?contact%20plating=Gold&impedance=50%20Ohms&rf%20series=SMA
--JD