When choosing antennas for UAV communications, most people start with the obvious option: vertical linear antennas. They’re cheap, simple, lightweight, and on paper they can provide excellent performance.

But in real-world UAV flying — especially in the 4.4–5.0 GHz band — many teams find that RHCP (Right-Hand Circularly Polarized) antennas deliver a more reliable link, fewer dropouts, and more consistent performance over distance.

So why does RHCP often outperform “simple verticals,” even though circular polarization can introduce a 3 dB theoretical mismatch loss in some setups?