Token authorized packet exchange between a plurality of store-and-forward nodes in a downhole networking environment and respective applications for data processing and communication are described herein. In one embodiment, the antenna is a planar element with a radiating element containing an elliptical curved portion connected to two curved regions, the curved regions meeting at a geometric construct. In particular, the decode logic operating in a current mode concurrently with the pre-decoder detecting a predetermined prefix, which indicates a subsequent instruction is a system command.