Re: REFLECTOR: Antennas

[Alan Shaw <wingco@iu.net>]

Al Gietzen,

I put VOR antennas in the bottom of each of your wings in front to the
spar next
to the strake as per the original plans. The SWR test show 11% to 19%
reflection 
for the ribbon COM antennas on spar #S39 which is a little better than
the 
Sportcraft COM's in your winglets.   The carbon ailerons should not
intefer
with your "from" reception any more than the 1/2" steel rod does
normally.
Fuselage VOR antennas don't work as good as the wing ones even though
they have
the  advantage of a much shorter cable.  Wing VOR antennas are more
isolated
than those in the "busy" fuselage with it's RFI (radio frequency
interference),
carbon etc.

Usually fuselage antennas are put in the belly looking down to ground
antennas.
These are the GS, Marker Beacon, radar altimeter and Strike Finder. 
Good luck
getting the later to work right.  The GPS likes to be forward and up
with as
short a cable as possible. It goes on top of the panel visor or up in
the tip
nose looking up into space.

Most of this is in your plans like running power wires down one duct and
antennas down the other.  We also cannot over emphasize the importance
of not
kinking the cable...not even sharp bends.

Alan Shaw

> Many months ago (before the fuselage top was on) I installed the VOR antenna
> into the top