Regarding Rx antennas, Balsabuster2003 sent me a great reference URL -
R/C Antenna Experiments - Does Rx Antenna Length Really Matter? Some great tests and results with different antenna routing and shortening method loss results.
Forgive my ignorance here...
Regarding an antenna's effective length... I'd read and the above confirms that if you double back and antenna, you cut the length and reception power in half... what if you don't double it back? Is the longest straight path of a 1-meter antenna considered the effective antenna length? In my SSE, there is about six inches of curved antenna from the Rx until it's straight down the fuselage with about 6" hanging off the back which is curved. Is the straight portion considered the effective antenna length?
On a Stryker I build recently, there were three straight legs to the antenna path, 8", a 45º turn, 16", a 30º turn and then a 14" leg. What would the antenna length be with this setup? Would the 16" length be the effective antenna length?
somegeek