Jeff, I have to quote myself and add some emphasis to the key words in that sentence. Just because you have visually inspected and determined that your RX antenna is correctly positioned, it does not mean that it is working properly. The antenna must be
resonant at the frequency you are operating at for maximum efficiency. The antenna connection, transmission wire etc. etc. can all have a high impact on your RX system. You cannot
ASSUME anything. You must measure/check/confirm before decided that it's
this or perhaps
that. In my experience, assumptions waste far more time and money that taking the time to properly test and evaluate a faulty system.... You can spend an hour at a test bench or days trying this and then trying that without ever having a clue of what really is wrong. 2.4GHz gear is all around us, but while it seems simple, it requires a great deal of accuracy in the length/diameter of the antenna element, good solid connections and the proper transmission line which, without, can ruin an otherwise well working receiver.
Even at 440 MHz where I spent 12 years operating a fully automated Satellite Gateway station, if the Satellite signals seemed to get weaker, my first suspect was the antenna/cables.... the slightest ingress of moisture into my cables could wipe out those weak signals and only by using sensitive measuring gear could I determine if the cable or connectors were compromised, and if they weren't, it was the antenna that was next on the inspection list.... The electronics came last, as they were least likely to be the problem and if they were, it was usually pretty obvious as they would just die.... not always of course, but most of the time.
This is just some food for thought.....
kaptain_zero wrote: In your case it sounds like one or both ends of your prototype antenna/electronics is not up to snuff and it's impossible to determine where the fault lies without physically examining and testing the devices.