TwistPort: Waveguide Connector
Channel: RF elements s.r.o.
Date: 2020-06-11

WEBINAR RECORDING - TwistPort™ is RF elements' proprietary waveguide connector. It enables near-zero loss connection of third party RF radios and RF elements horn antennas operating in 5 GHz unlicensed frequency band used by Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs). 
TwistPort™ is optimized for intuitive and easy operation - installation of a radio is done with one hand in a matter of seconds and absolutely no tools required.
In this webinar we'll cover all the RF and mechanical properties and advantages of TwistPort™ and compare it with coaxial cable, aka pigtail.

TwistPort™ (TP) is based on a waveguide - a transmission line without a center conductor that is essentially a metal pipe. It can have various cross-section shapes - rectangular, circular, H shaped, etc. Each of these shapes brings its own advantages and challenges.

The best part about waveguide is that it has very low insertion loss and its mechanically durable. It also acts as a low pass filter - only signals above the cut off frequency can be transmitted via waveguide. This is because of the physics of waveguide and the cut off frequency depends on the diameter of a circular waveguide. In general it depends on the dimensions. 

The upper frequency limit of waveguide operation is usually given by the cut off frequency of the first higher order mode. This is a frequency point when the fields inside a waveguide start to have a different distribution. The energy of the RF signal is then distributed among the two modes. If we feed the waveguide with signal between the first and the second cut off, we know how they work and their performance is predictable. This is why most of waveguide based devices operate in this 'single mode bandwidth'. 

Compared to coaxial cable, waveguide has typically two orders of magnitude smaller loss and four magnitudes higher power handling capability which really puts it apart from coaxial cable. 

TwistPort™ is RF elements waveguide port featured on all our 5 GHz WISP sector antennas. On top of all the advantages of waveguide as a type of transmission line, the TP locking mechanism provides bullet proof connection of a radio to our antennas. It locks in four points so there is no chance of accidental disconnection or half-connected situation. Thanks to superb mechanical design of TP, it will last for huge amount of reuse cycles.

For 3rd party radios we have TP adaptors that convert the coaxial interface on the side of the radio to a male TP interface. Any TP adaptor is compatible with every TP antenna, creating a whole new ecosystem of radio connection built around advantages of TP. Swapping the devices if you decide to change the brand is very easy - just replace the adaptor and you're good to go.

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0:00 Intro
1:19 RF part
5:14 First mode
6:45 Useful bandwidth
7:37 TwistPort cutoff frequency
8:36 Waveguide shapes & examples
10:35 Comparison to coaxial cable
17:40 Coax VS waveguide table
18:17 Mechanical part
19:05 Locking mechanism
20:47 Environmental sealing
22:14 An ultimate solution
22:58 TwistPort adaptor