Engineering for Harsh Environments

We knew from the outset that better antenna performance would be a key differentiator. But we also understood that it had to be achieved in parallel with quality and durability that matched, or better yet exceeded, the best in the industry. That’s why antenna quality has never been an afterthought. It’s been a core part of our engineering culture from day one, guiding every decision from material selection to mechanical design and testing.

That starts with sourcing the best materials. We’re fortunate to have Warwick and Wei on our team. Their long careers at GME and RFI have given them deep insight into global supply chains and the standards required to build antennas that survive in the real world. While we compete with GME and RFI, we hold both companies in very high regard. They’ve set the benchmark for traditional antenna design and continue to build exceptional products. Zetifi is taking a different path, not by trying to outdo traditional manufacturers at their own game, but by innovating in both design and functionality.

While not all of our antennas contain active electronics, the methods we’ve developed to support those advanced features have raised the bar across our entire product range. Our work on smart antennas, including dual-gain models that dynamically switch between high and low gain, and combination LTE and UHF antennas that simplify installation and improve performance, has driven a deeper understanding of RF behavior, mechanical integration, and environmental resilience. These insights have allowed us to produce antennas with exceptional RF and mechanical performance, validated by millions of real-world data points from vehicles, farms, and field deployments across Australia.

Mechanical quality starts with great materials and excellent design. Our mechatronics engineer Ben, also formerly of GME, led the development of our radome using a first-principles approach. We chose a parallel radome design, which is rare in the industry due to its added material cost. But it delivers two major benefits:

1. Superior structural integrity, with better resistance to impacts like bird strikes and rough handling.
2. Consistent internal geometry, allowing us to secure the antenna element using a custom injection-moulded component we call the PCB array support.

This support has a small amount of flex, just enough to tension the antenna element inside the radome. The radome itself is made from high-strength fiberglass with a manufacturing tolerance of ±1 mm. The support compensates for this, eliminating rattle and ensuring long-term stability. Unlike foam, which compresses and degrades over time, our injection-moulded plastic maintains its shape and performance even after years of vibration and shock.

Vibration Testing: Simulating Real-World Abuse

To validate our designs, we use a Bruel & Kjaer V830-335 shaker table, a high-end electrodynamic vibration system used in aerospace and automotive testing. This machine allows us to simulate the full spectrum of vibration profiles encountered in real-world driving, including:

• Random vibration to replicate unpredictable terrain
• Sine sweeps to identify resonant frequencies
• Shock pulses to mimic potholes, bird strikes, and sudden jolts

The system delivers up to 9.81 kN of force, with accelerations exceeding 700 m/s², and supports payloads up to 160 kg. We run our antennas on this table for hundreds of hours at high intensity, simulating between 40,000 and 100,000 km of corrugated road driving. The vibration profiles are programmable, allowing us to replicate specific road conditions from different regions and vehicle types. Check out an example test:

After each test, we disassemble the antennas and inspect every component for fatigue, wear, and performance degradation. We’re not just looking to survive. We’re looking to outperform.

Real-World Validation and Warranty Confidence

Lab tests are only part of the story. We also offer an open invitation to anyone who has driven more than 200,000 km with one of our antennas: send it back, and we’ll replace it. Not because it has failed — it almost certainly hasn’t, but because we want to inspect it and ensure our lab simulations match field performance. So far, they do.

That’s why we’ve increased our warranty from 2 years to 5 years. We’re confident in our materials, our design, and our testing, and we want our customers to be just as confident.

Antenna quality isn’t just a feature. It’s a foundation.

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