Antenna Suggestions (VHF) Kitfox model III

[RDavidson 183]

Has anyone tried one of Dale's antennas?

Dale,

I sent you an email.  I'm interested in trying one of these out.

I'll send you a PM too.

 

Thanks,

Ron

[C150L 6]

Good evening,

Ron, Check your email.

I attached a couple pics of an installation in a Champ. Kind of interesting how this guy used rib stitching cord to suspend the connection end of the antenna. Said he always does that. Guess it's a way to connect to something, when something is not already there.

Edit: I have to mention, in this Champ install, the one element is almost perfectly vertical. It does not have to be this way, but as for omni directional performance, this is perfect. When an antenna leans forward or rearward, (anybodies antenna), you loose some signal straight ahead and behind you. A leaning antenna does not mean you will not be able to talk to someone ahead or behind, they just might need to be a little closer than off to the sides.

Dale

Edited 3 Dec 2015 by C150L

[RDavidson 183]

Dale,

Thank you for the antenna!  I'm about a week from trying it.

I stole this idea for mounting it from another Magnum owner on the yahoo groups site.

It is mounted on the canvas that serves as the back stop of the cargo bay and will be on the back side of the canvas.  It is perpendicular to the length of the fuselage. It will be a "Y" shape with the short leg at the bottom.

Do you see any problems with this?  Does it need to be inline with the fuselage like the Champ pics in your post?  It is not too late for me to change it at this point.

 

Thanks,

Ron

 

[Av8r3400 1179]

Other than suff getting tossed into the baggage sack and repeatedly hitting it. 

You know this will happen. 

[RDavidson 183]

Your not kidding Av8r3400...that is an issue.

After actually reading the previous post, I might need to re-think this and place it just like the Champ pics.

I never learned to read ;(

I might try it on the ground as is...

 

Ron

[C150L 6]

Hi Ron,

Sorry, been awhile since I've had my puter on. Recently stepped up to a smart phone and do some/most of my internet stuff on that and not firing PC up as often. My tabs and frequent sites used not as friendly on a "phone".

Anyway, I don't see issue with it sideways and might imagine possible benefits. One concern, the antenna is not spread open as far as I would prefer. Short weekend this week (1 day), but if I get the chance, I'll pull one out, set it up like this and see that the antenna analyzer says about it. 

I understand concern about objects hitting it, but don't think it would hurt it short of knocking it loose and falling out of place. Just had a strange mental image of one of those mattress, automotive, etc induced motion/forces testing commercials to determine how much it will take to make this antenna fail, but then that mental image changed to a flaming mental rage after seeing Hillary on TV and wondering why she is not in jail yet.

(Sorry guys, if that offended anyone, but can't forget how easily and quick Petreaus (sp?) was taken down.) .

(Note to self: Don't hijack once own posts on message boards.)

[C150L 6]

Another mental image to open my yap on. Looking at photo Ron posted gave me an idea. Experiment with a fabric mounted version and eliminate the wood supports. Tape (Poly-Fiber) it to the inside of the fabric? Will take some R&D with our Avid project, buried in my shed along with some fabric and my analyzer to get it right, if it's possible to work it out that way.. I never worked with fabric on a plane. Wonder it would show up terribly and if that would be of concern to some/most. 

[RDavidson 183]

Dale,

First, securing it with fabric is a cool idea!  Other than Stewart's system, most use MEK and it will melt a lot of plastic stuff, so you might see if it will eat your antenna material.  However, it would be a cool way to mount it!

 

Let me know what you discover when you use it in the "Y" formation.  If it sucks that way, I could get it into more of an "L" shape.

 

thanks for the help,

Ron

 

P.S.  I'm with you on the Hillary thing!  I was in the Air Force and saw several people lose their jobs and security clearances for much less than what she did!  In my mind, exposing secrets because you think you are above the rest of us is traitorous!  You got me angry

Edited 30 Jan 2016 by RDavidson

[EDMO 1078]

I'm with you Ron, on the Silly Hilly thing - I wont discuss it farther, but when I was in the Army and went into a new job, the first thing that I was told was, "If a mechanic loses a wrench, we take it out of his pay.   If you lose a piece of paper, you will go to prison!" 

That was BC era (Before Computers)...

EDMO

Edited 30 Jan 2016 by EDMO

[KFfan 151]

Just put 'm all in a bag, shake thoroughly, dump it out and the first one to hit the water wins. They are all the same....

[Willja67 144]

I was doing a search for mounting my comm antenna to the fuselage and not the turtle deck when I found this thread. I like the idea of an internal antenna. I notice that Dale (C150L) hasn't posted in years.

So has anyone used the antenna? The link on the first page to the instructions if that's what they were nolonger works, so if anyone still has them I'd be interested. 

 

[RDavidson 183]

Send Dale a message...

the antenna works really well...

 

Ron

[Willja67 144]

Send Dale a message...

the antenna works really well...

 

Ron

I'm assuming you have one in a Kitfox?  If so what model and how did you mount it? Pictures would be nice. Ive got a model 1 which is kinda small for the ideal orientation of this antenna design ( one leg vertical with 39" between the ends of the long legs)