Cover

A pit lid comprises a passive radio repeater to relay radio signals between a base station and a wireless communications device such as a water meter at the bottom of the pit. Upper and lower patch antennas 42, 48 are coupled by a stripline 45. The lower antenna radiates downwards perpendicular to the plane of the patch to communicate with the device at the bottom of the pit, and may be tuned to the pit dimensions such that the pit acts as a waveguide. The upper antenna has a directional beam pattern in the elevation plane, concentrated at a predetermined angle from the plane of the patch, and may be excited using modes higher than fundamental. The stripline may be coupled to a ground plane 44 and separated from the upper antenna by a dielectric 43, having apertures for via posts 81, 82 coupling the ground plane to the upper antenna to induce the higher modes. The lid may have circular asymmetry to focus the radiation pattern in a predetermined azimuth direction. A set of pit lids and a method of installation are also provided.