Campbell Scientific's narrow-band RF systems consist of a radio modem and a low-powered transceiver at the remote station(s), and a transceiver connected to a base station at the computer site. Up to 254 stations can be interrogated over a single UHF or VHF frequency. Stations with compatible radio and radio modem can serve as repeaters to extend the line-of-sight transmission of the base station. Transmission distance is typically up to 25 miles between stations (line-of-sight).

An FCC-approved frequency assignment is required before radios and antennas can be ordered. Within a typical RF telemetry network, field sites use a directional "Yagi" antenna, repeater sites use omnidirectional antennas, and the base station may use either an omnidirectional or Yagi antenna depending on the geographic distribution of the network.

A typical field station contains a datalogger and is located at the measurement site. Repeater stations act as a communication relay between stations that cannot communicate due to distance or obstacles. A repeater station can be upgraded to a field station with the addition of a datalogger and sensors.