Originally Posted by
Steve Collins
OK. So if you buy into the notion that antenna pointing direction is important, how do you rationalize a transmitter, such as the Spektrum DX18, which has a rigid antenna?
I don't rationalize Spektrum's rigid antenna but I do know what my rf system likes because it tells me. Antenna orientation has always been a problem. Many a plane have been lost when antenna was pointed directly a plane some distance away when landing. We still hold the radio above our heads with the antenna straight up when trying to regain control of an airplane going down out of control.
I have flown Spektrum, 2 DX6, 2 DX7, and one DX 7s and only had one instance that I could trace directly to the system in all those years. Never gave any thought to antenna orientation till I got telemetry that showed me real time rssi strength. Perhaps I had been flying on the ragged edge sometimes but never lost a plane. BTW, most of my flying for the last 30 years has been with Futaba, even when I had a few Spektrum.
Whoops, lightning explained it while I were typing...