Where do you route your antenna
04-23-2002, 10:09 PM
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Where do you route your antenna
i route mine through the top of the fuse and attach it to the tail. seems to work fine. if it ain't broke dont fix it!
04-24-2002, 08:00 AM
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ma magazine
im still waiting for ama to send me my ma subscription. they said it should be coming any time now. lets see its been 3 or so months now
04-30-2002, 08:02 PM
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routing antenna inside the plane
I've just finished my latest project and I'm also faced with the problem of where to route my antenna wire. I've always just ran it along the bottom of my plane but I wanted to hide it a little more. I have a spare pushrod tube that exits out the back of the plane. I installed this just in case I wanted to install a push/pull rudder configuration. I'm using medal pushrods in the other tubes. Would running my antenna wire down the empty pushrod tube be ok to do without giving up range or causing other problems?
05-02-2002, 07:27 AM
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antenna through fuse and out the tail
Sig SE. Right now I have the antenna routed through the fuse and out the tail. The antenna is probably going to drag on the ground. Will it be ok??? I've seen people do it before.
05-03-2002, 01:52 AM
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Where do you route your antenna
Anyone want to chime in with their thoughts on external antenna's. Base loaded, Whip, etc.
I would like to read your thoughts. Bkf
I would like to read your thoughts. Bkf
06-02-2002, 03:06 PM
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Where do you route your antenna
What is the reflective value of a monocote (oracover, towercover whatever...) covered surface, if any, with respect to the radio signal? It's probably miniscule, but it stands to reason that anything between the Tx antenna and the Rx antenna has the potential to reflect, distort or otherwise degrade the signal. Thus the long-standing logic that the antenna go outside, usually from the rear of the canopy to the top of the vertical stabilizer.
If we all always flew straight and level (or inverted, or a continuous knife-edge circle) at a relatively low altitude and sane distance from ourselves this antenna placement would always yield line-of-sight with no obstructions. But what happens when this is not the case and the antenna is on the other side of the plane? Suddenly there are two smooth reflective surfaces (plus control rods, etc.) between your signal and your target; in addition any stray signal that may happen to be coming from the antenna side has the potential to be reflected back at the antenna, increasing its chances of taking over. Same with bottom exit, bank in and any other signal will be less reflected than your own.
We fly uncomfortably close to another club (about 2 1/2 miles) and I have occasionally watched the control surfaces on some of my FM receivered planes move in time to the beck and call of some far-off pilot's signals. This interference is masked when I switch on my Tx, but I sure know it's there. And whenever someone in our club takes a radio hit, it seems to be when the plane is in the general vector of the other field with the antenna on the other side of the plane pointing toward the other club.
For these reasons I have pretty much stuck with running my antenna through the fuselage on the logic that no matter what the attitude of the plane there will always be only one covered surface to interfere with reception, and any stray signal won't automatically have the advantage of being less attenuated than my own. And so far (knock on balsa) it has worked pretty well; I haven't had a noticeable hit since I adopted this practice (allowing me to claim full responsibility for all my crashes...
).
If we all always flew straight and level (or inverted, or a continuous knife-edge circle) at a relatively low altitude and sane distance from ourselves this antenna placement would always yield line-of-sight with no obstructions. But what happens when this is not the case and the antenna is on the other side of the plane? Suddenly there are two smooth reflective surfaces (plus control rods, etc.) between your signal and your target; in addition any stray signal that may happen to be coming from the antenna side has the potential to be reflected back at the antenna, increasing its chances of taking over. Same with bottom exit, bank in and any other signal will be less reflected than your own.
We fly uncomfortably close to another club (about 2 1/2 miles) and I have occasionally watched the control surfaces on some of my FM receivered planes move in time to the beck and call of some far-off pilot's signals. This interference is masked when I switch on my Tx, but I sure know it's there. And whenever someone in our club takes a radio hit, it seems to be when the plane is in the general vector of the other field with the antenna on the other side of the plane pointing toward the other club.
For these reasons I have pretty much stuck with running my antenna through the fuselage on the logic that no matter what the attitude of the plane there will always be only one covered surface to interfere with reception, and any stray signal won't automatically have the advantage of being less attenuated than my own. And so far (knock on balsa) it has worked pretty well; I haven't had a noticeable hit since I adopted this practice (allowing me to claim full responsibility for all my crashes...
).
08-09-2002, 09:50 AM
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Where do you route your antenna
I will often use a tube inside the fuselage (spare/scrap Nyrod sheath... or there is a tube sold just for this) and route the antenna inside the fuselage.
There are a lot of times that won'e work, or be appropriate... and I'll come out the top, side or bottom of the fuselage and string te antenna back to a pin on the fin or horizontal stab.
Then there's the flying wings... which usually get the antenna routed straight along the wing spar and out the tip.
There are a lot of times that won'e work, or be appropriate... and I'll come out the top, side or bottom of the fuselage and string te antenna back to a pin on the fin or horizontal stab.
Then there's the flying wings... which usually get the antenna routed straight along the wing spar and out the tip.
09-01-2002, 12:04 AM
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Where do you route your antenna
You want something that "should" spell disaster.. I've got a glider with an ALUMINUM boom, and the antenna is right down the middle of it.
Range check... better than with the antenna strung outside the fuselage and parallel to the main wing spar.
Why? No clue. It just works. I've not gotten the glider up more than about 1200 ft so far...
Range check... better than with the antenna strung outside the fuselage and parallel to the main wing spar.
Why? No clue. It just works. I've not gotten the glider up more than about 1200 ft so far...
09-26-2002, 08:49 AM
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Rather discouraging...
Here I am, getting registered on this site to ask a question, only to find that no one will have the same answer!
First a little summary about me. I've never really flown an r/c airplane before, except for about 4 minutes at a local fun-fly where an instructor was allowing the public to try their hands at a trainer with a buddy radio system. I've been hooked ever since. I've done extensive research on the hobby and what to buy, and now I've done it. I'm the proud owner of a Midwest Aero-Star .40 and an O.S. .46FX engine, though both are still in their boxes.
When I bought the plane, I had originally researched the Great Planes' PT-40 as my first trainer (reading through it's entire manual online), but the hobby shop owner suggested the Midwest Aero-Star instead, and I've now finished reading the that entire manual as well.
Now to the point of the post: the PT-40 routes the antenna through the fuselage in an antenna tube, but the Aero-star does not, it suggests routing it through the underside of the fuselage and pinning it in place near the end of the fuselage. Since I already have an antenna tube (I thought I might need one when I bought the Aero-star based on the PT-40 instuction manual), I was wondering if I could just route the the antenna inside the fuselage just like the PT-40. But will this affect the operation of the Aero-star?
I guess that by reading these other posts in the this thread.. the answer is yes, no, and maybe
First a little summary about me. I've never really flown an r/c airplane before, except for about 4 minutes at a local fun-fly where an instructor was allowing the public to try their hands at a trainer with a buddy radio system. I've been hooked ever since. I've done extensive research on the hobby and what to buy, and now I've done it. I'm the proud owner of a Midwest Aero-Star .40 and an O.S. .46FX engine, though both are still in their boxes.
When I bought the plane, I had originally researched the Great Planes' PT-40 as my first trainer (reading through it's entire manual online), but the hobby shop owner suggested the Midwest Aero-Star instead, and I've now finished reading the that entire manual as well.
Now to the point of the post: the PT-40 routes the antenna through the fuselage in an antenna tube, but the Aero-star does not, it suggests routing it through the underside of the fuselage and pinning it in place near the end of the fuselage. Since I already have an antenna tube (I thought I might need one when I bought the Aero-star based on the PT-40 instuction manual), I was wondering if I could just route the the antenna inside the fuselage just like the PT-40. But will this affect the operation of the Aero-star?
I guess that by reading these other posts in the this thread.. the answer is yes, no, and maybe
09-29-2002, 06:15 PM
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Where do you route your antenna
On the AeroStar, what are the pushtrods that run through the fuselage made of? If they are solid metal rod all the way inside a tube, that's the most likely to cause a harmonic interference problem 9which is rare even then... the rods have to be just the right lengths for that to happen.) Almost any other material... shouldn't be a problem with the antenna running practically right alongside the pushrods.
Try routing the antenna inside, as you desire. Do a good ground range check (your instructor will explain how, and help with it.) IF (very unlikely) the range check shows a problem, THEN re-route the antenna. (or look for other interference causes, such as a metal clevice at the carb when the engine has a metal throttle arm, which is much more likely to be a problem than antennae routing.)
Try routing the antenna inside, as you desire. Do a good ground range check (your instructor will explain how, and help with it.) IF (very unlikely) the range check shows a problem, THEN re-route the antenna. (or look for other interference causes, such as a metal clevice at the carb when the engine has a metal throttle arm, which is much more likely to be a problem than antennae routing.)
09-30-2002, 08:14 AM
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Where do you route your antenna
fhhuber: The pushrods in the Aero-star are wood. Or most of it is. The pushrods are wire from the servo to a stick of square wood dowel that goes through the fuselage, until it reaches the end of the fuselage, from there, it turns back to wire and attaches to the rudder/elevator. The wire is attached to the wood with some shrink-wrap tube, and then CA is added for better grip.
10-01-2002, 05:58 PM
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Where do you route your antenna
I'm cheap - so for an antenna housing, I use some large soda straws 'borrowed' from the kitchen! Taped together they are light, straight and did I mention 'cheap'?
Just remember NOT to cut off the excess antenna if any extends outside the plane
Jerry
Just remember NOT to cut off the excess antenna if any extends outside the plane
Jerry
