Antenna peak gain and VSWR data from Walsin Technology (Walsin) will not survive a quick number extraction. We read all 36 filled Peak Gain cells: 19 hold a bare figure, 17 hold a floor, and 5 return a frequency, not a gain, when the first number is taken. Three of those five look like believable gains.
Venatech Limited, an authorised Walsin distributor in Hong Kong, holds the Walsin antenna export, 44 rows. This post is written from the Peak Gain, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio and Series columns of Walsin_Antenna_ALL.xlsx, read as raw text; its twin Walsin_Antenna_FRESH.xlsx is identical. A Slovak metering or tracker design that sorts antennas by gain meets this column first. Every part number below is real. We hold no Walsin antenna datasheet, so every figure is the export’s own value and a shortlisting aid, not a specification.
How many ways does the Peak Gain column state a gain?
Three, and they are not the same quantity. We read all 44 rows. 8 hold no gain at all, three cable assemblies, three connectors, one NFC antenna and one wireless-charging antenna, so 36 cells are filled. 19 are a bare figure such as 2 dBi, 12 are a floor such as > 3 dBi, and 5 are multi-band cells that give a floor for each band. The column is called Peak Gain; 17 of its 36 cells say “greater than”.
| Notation in the cell | Cells | A real part carrying it | What the figure means | Match / mismatch against a gain filter written for bare numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
N dBi |
19 | RFANT3216120A1T |
a stated value | reference |
> N dBi |
12 | RFPCA460605NNAB301 |
a floor | Mismatch — the figure is a lower limit, not a value |
band: > N dBi, one line per band |
5 | RFDPA151414IMLB902 |
a floor, per band | Mismatch — two numbers, plus two frequency ranges inside the cell |
We have not seen this counted anywhere. A filter for “gain of at least 3 dBi” treats > 3 dBi and 4 dBi alike, and they are not the same promise: one is a guaranteed minimum, the other is a number whose basis Walsin does not state in the export.
Which antenna families use which gain convention?
Each family has one, with the dipole the only exception. We grouped the 36 cells by the Series column. All 12 chip antennas state a bare figure; all 3 FPC antennas, 5 of 6 PCB antennas and 1 of 2 metal antennas state a floor; the 13 dipoles are split 7 bare, 3 floor and 3 multi-band.
| Series | Cells filled | Bare figure | Floor | Multi-band floors | Match / mismatch when comparing a chip antenna with this family on gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chip Antenna | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | reference — 2 or 4 dBi, bare |
| Dipole Antenna | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | Mismatch — three conventions in one family |
| PCB Antenna | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | Mismatch — a floor, not a value; RFPCA460605NNAB301 reads > 3 dBi |
| FPC Antenna | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Mismatch — a floor; RFFPA202506IMAB301 reads > 3 dBi |
| Metal Antenna | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Mismatch — a floor; RFMTA060206NNBB002 reads > 1 dBi |
Putting RFANT3216120A1T at 2 dBi beside RFPCA460605NNAB301 at > 3 dBi and concluding the PCB antenna has more gain compares a bare figure with a floor. The data does not support the conclusion in either direction. For the band side of these parts, see chip antenna selection.
What does a first-number extraction return from the gain and VSWR columns?
A frequency, on 5 gain cells and 2 VSWR cells. We ran the shortest parser an engineer would write, the first number in the cell, over all 36 rows. On 5 gain cells it returns a frequency: 2.4 on three, 850 on one, 863 on one. On 2 VSWR cells it returns 824 and 863. The 2.4 results are the dangerous ones, because 2.4 dBi is a believable gain.
| Part | Peak Gain cell as written (first band shown) | First number returned | Match / mismatch against the real first-band figure |
|---|---|---|---|
RFDPA141300SBLB801 |
2.4~2.5GHz: > 5 dBi |
2.4 | Mismatch — silent; reads 2.4 dBi for a stated floor of 5 dBi |
RFDPA151414IMLB902 |
2.4 ~ 2.5 GHz: > 4.0 dBi |
2.4 | Mismatch — silent; reads 2.4 dBi for a stated floor of 4.0 dBi |
RFPCA430805IMLB301 |
2.4 ~ 2.5 GHz: > 3 dBi |
2.4 | Mismatch — silent; reads 2.4 dBi for a stated floor of 3 dBi |
RFDPA131012IMTB301 |
850 MHz: > 2 dBi |
850 | Mismatch — loud; 850 dBi is absurd, and the VSWR cell returns 824 |
RFMTA010504NNRB002 |
863~872 MHz: > 1.5 dBi |
863 | Mismatch — loud; 863 dBi, and the VSWR cell returns 863 |
Three silent errors and two loud ones from five cells, 13.9 percent of the filled column. The five are exactly the five multi-band cells. One of them, RFDPA141300SBLB801, separates its two bands with a run of 67 spaces and no line break, so a line-based reader also loses the 6 dBi figure for 5.15~5.85 GHz. The other four use a line break.
What does a maximum VSWR of 2.0 mean as return loss?
9.54 dB, which is just short of a round 10 dB. The VSWR column is filled on the same 36 cells. 32 of them read exactly 2.0 (max.), one reads 2.1 (max.), one 2.5 (max.), and two are multi-band cells. The multi-band cell on RFMTA010504NNRB002 gives 1.5 for 863~872 MHz and 2.0 for 907~928 MHz; RFDPA131012IMTB301 writes ≦3.0 twice, with the character U+2266, not the more usual U+2264. A search for the common less-than-or-equal sign misses it.
| VSWR as written | Cells | Return loss from that ratio (our arithmetic) | Reflected power share | A real part carrying it | Match / mismatch against a 10 dB return loss requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.5 (max.) (863~872 MHz) |
1 | 13.98 dB | 4.0% | RFMTA010504NNRB002 |
Match in that band |
2.0 (max.) |
32 | 9.54 dB | 11.1% | RFANT3216120A1T |
Mismatch — 0.46 dB short, as a ceiling |
2.1 (max.) |
1 | 9.00 dB | 12.6% | RFECA3216060A1T |
Mismatch |
2.5 (max.) |
1 | 7.36 dB | 18.4% | RFMTA060206NNBB002 |
Mismatch |
≦3.0 |
1 | 6.02 dB | 25.0% | RFDPA131012IMTB301 |
Mismatch |
These are conversions of a ceiling, so the real return loss is at least this good. The export has no return-loss column, no efficiency column and no radiation-pattern column. We read all 10 column headers of Walsin_Antenna_ALL.xlsx, and a design that specifies 10 dB must ask Walsin for the measured plot of the exact part number.
Do dual-band antennas state a gain per band?
Not always. We counted the antennas whose Working Frequency Range names two or more bands, eight in all. 4 give a gain per band and 4 give one figure for two bands. RFDPA191315IMLB301, a cable dipole for 2.4~2.5 and 5.15~5.85 GHz, states 5 dBi; its sibling RFDPA151414IMLB902 states > 4.0 dBi for the lower band and > 6.0 dBi for the upper. The two chip antennas RFANT6050110L0T and RFANT6050110L1T state 4 dBi across 2.4~2.5 and 4.9~5.9 GHz.
A single figure on a two-band part is the best case for one band and an unstated case for the other. If your product runs both, ask Walsin for the gain at each band edge; the export does not hold it. We hold 28 Walsin datasheets, 451 pages, and none covers an antenna.
What should a Slovak design review do before filtering antennas on gain?
Read the cell, not the number, and split by family before comparing. That is how our free cross-reference tool treats these columns, and it is why we state differences from your original rather than hiding them behind a tick. Three rules, each measured above:
- Never compare a bare figure with a floor. 19 cells are one, 17 are the other.
- Split multi-band cells before parsing. The first number is a frequency on all 5.
- Convert VSWR to return loss yourself, and treat
max.as a ceiling. A ceiling of 2.0 is 9.54 dB.
Specifications on this line must be confirmed with Walsin for the exact part number, and your incumbent antenna needs the same field-by-field check in the last column of any comparison. For the sub-GHz and GNSS parts see sub-GHz antenna selection and the antenna product page.
What is in Hong Kong is on ready stock — 1,125 part numbers as at 23 September 2026, a dated snapshot and not a live feed.
The short version
In Walsin’s antenna export, 36 of 44 rows state a gain: 19 bare, 12 a floor, 5 per-band floors. Every chip antenna is bare; every FPC antenna and 5 of 6 PCB antennas are floors. A first-number parser returns a frequency on 5 gain cells and 2 VSWR cells, silently as 2.4 dBi on three. 32 antennas state a VSWR ceiling of 2.0, which is 9.54 dB of return loss. 4 of 8 dual-band parts give one gain for two bands. We will not tell you an antenna matches on gain. We will show you what the cell says. Confirm against both datasheets and qualify in your own circuit.
Send us the band, the gain you need and the antenna you use today, and we will read the cell for you. And a question back: when your sort put a PCB antenna above a chip antenna, did it know one number was a floor?
Frequently asked questions
How does Walsin state antenna peak gain?
Three ways. Of 36 filled Peak Gain cells in the 44-row export, 19 hold a bare figure such as 2 dBi, 12 hold a floor such as greater than 3 dBi, and 5 hold a floor per band. Every chip antenna is bare; every FPC antenna is a floor.
Why does a gain parser return 2.4 for some antennas?
Because five multi-band cells open with the band, not the gain. A first-number parser reads 2.4 from 2.4 to 2.5 GHz on three cells and 850 or 863 on two more. Taking 2.4 dBi for a stated floor of 3 to 5 dBi is a silent error.
What return loss does a VSWR of 2.0 correspond to?
9.54 dB, with 11.1 percent of power reflected, from the standard conversion. 32 of the 36 antennas with a VSWR figure state 2.0 maximum. As a ceiling, the real return loss is at least that good, but the export carries no return-loss column to confirm it.
Does the antenna export include efficiency?
No. The export has 10 columns and none is efficiency, return loss or radiation pattern. Gain, VSWR, dimension, band, inductance, resistance and two connector fields are all it holds, and 8 of the 44 rows have no gain or VSWR at all. Efficiency must be requested from Walsin.
Do dual-band antennas state a gain per band?
Only four of eight do. Four dual-band antennas, including two chip antennas at 4 dBi, give one figure for two bands. The other four give a floor for each band. Where only one figure is given, the gain at the second band is not in the export.
Does Venatech hold an antenna datasheet?
No. We hold 28 Walsin datasheets, 451 pages, covering 26 MLCC and 2 chip resistor series. We hold none for antennas, so the export is the only figure we can show, and every value should be confirmed with Walsin for the exact part number before it goes near a design.