Hello all!
I have been trying to expand my home lab over the past year. Thus far I don't have a dedicated clock source [10 MHz] for my lab, and I have decided on using the proven Trimble Thunderbolt GPSDO as my source.
I mentioned this to a friend of mine and he gave me a Thunderbolt module that he had laying around and that wasn't being used. The one I was given has an F connector for the antenna port. The "bullet" antenna that Trimble sells comes in 2 versions, one with an F connector and one with a TNC connector and although it isn't mentioned in their datasheet, I would expect [based on the connector choices] the antenna(s) to be matched for 75Ω. The Thunderbolt module itself has components that [according to the internet] are expecting a 50Ω impedance [from the antenna], and Trimble recommends their bullet antenna, which (as I mentioned) I reasoned was probably 75Ω.
My questions are this; Does Trimble indeed recommend a 75Ω antenna for use with their Thunderbolt module's? For what it's being used for, I've heard that it [matching] didn't matter and to just use whatever antenna I wanted on the Thunderbolt....have any of you guys heard similar advice, if so, what are your thoughts on ignoring the impedance of the antenna (and antenna feed line)? What impedance do some of you more experienced guys think the Thunderbolt hardware is expecting? What impedance{mis-match} would be acceptable without damage and/or noticeable loss of performance?
Thanks for your time and consideration!