Hi,
Is it possible to use external antenna without any calibration to DWM1001 modules? I want to improve line of sight for module.
It is not really possible to do this without going to a lot of trouble hacking the board.
Even if you did you have to be aware of the consequences of Tx power and regulations.
I have done this in the past, removed the built in antenna and soldered a short cable and SMA socket in its place.
It was a horrible hack but ended up working as well as could be expected given the lack of impedance control.
Obviously any range type measurements require the antenna delay to be re-calibrated. You have to be especially careful of this, a loose connector or changing the cable for a theoretically identical one will have a significant impact on the measured range. I ended up using a process that automatically re-calibrated all antenna delays on system startup.
You also have to be careful that the cable and chip are sufficiently well shielded at close ranges, I had issues with the signal skipping the antenna and being picked up directly by the chip at short ranges. The signal through the antenna was significantly stronger that the signal skipping the antenna and cable but to the chip that just looked like a very strong reflection.
If all you want to do is transfer data then no calibration would be needed.
As has been pointed out, this will impact any regulatory approvals, not an issue for a prototype but a potential issue for any end products.