Please help! I am almost finished with my Funtana and am in question as to whether I should mount my antenna on the inside or the outside of the plane. I have been told both ways are O.K. but have noticed interference when the antenna is mounted on the inside of other planes. Thanks in advance for any help.

You answered it yourself. It appears you are more comfortable mounting it externally. If going internal then just take care in routing well around your batt and servos.

I agree with deputydog. You will get many different opinions on this one. I have all mine mounted internally, but I'm flying larger airplanes and have more room inside to keep things clear of any interference concerns. On my gas engine model I mounted the antenna externally as an added precaution.

When first setting up a model I always do a range check with the engine off and then on. After this initial check I always do a range check with the engine off before my first flight at the field. If I suspect a problem I will revert back to doing a range check with the engine off and then on again. Always fix any interference problems at the first sign of an issue. Never fly the plane until you are confident the problem has been resolved.

When mounting the Rx. try to keep the antenna as straight as possible and avoid allowing it to curl up at the end. Don't wrap it around anything. Avoid going one way and then doubling back when routing from inside the fuse to the outside.

Just don't take the short cut of not doing a range check before your first flight at the field. This is a critical step that you don't want to get lazy with.

I mount mine on the inside. But it is really a personal choice

I mount mine on the outside when possable. With the Funtana, you can exit the fuse on the bottom and run the antenna down the bottom of the plane covering it with white tape and no one will ever see it and it will be protected,

A lot of people (myself included) are experiencing glitching on this model (Funtana 90) using Hitec digitals with the antenna ran in the provided tube. I cured mine by twisting the servo wires and wrapping them around each other but were I doing it over again, I might just run it to the outside. I think the glitching in my case is due to running the servo's at 6 Volts as it seemed to go away after a couple of flights.

I couldn't get a good raqnge check on my funtana with the antena going thru the preinstalled tube. I diecided to run it forward thru the fuselage as everything electronic except for the throtle servo is at or behind where the cockpit is on the plane. I couldn't run the antena out the bottom of the plane because of where I've got my RX. I'd say do what works...It's alot cleaner looking on the inside, but sometime you've got to do what you've got to do to get a good range check!

Hi!
As I'm flying JR radios since they started manufacturing them in 1980 ....I can.. and have always mounted my antennae inside the fuselage without a glitch in all these years.
I have seen many people having trouble with Hitech radios though.....especially their RX seems to have been (is ?) problematic.

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

cstevec - I had the same experience in my Gene Soucy Extra with a 6 volt pack. This caused me concern until I realized servo chatter is normal with a hot charge on a 6 volt pack. Noisy little critters with the added juice.

I have flown all makes and models with the antenna inside, outside, stub, etc. In all the years of experiencing glitching or dead spots I finally found the answer. Every plane that I ever had an interference or glitch with the antenna run through the fuse I was using metal pull pull systems. I have not had a glitch or dead spot since. Now as for long servo leads and high voltage I'm sure we all can understand adequate seperation of the antenna from these items. It does however come down to common sense of where u place what, and personal preference as to what look you like on your craft.

Just my .02

Rick

Somebody, I think Hangar 9, has a device (probably an "O" shaped magnet), that you wrap the antennae through it, and it is supposed to reduce interference.

My airplane has a JR system in it, and the antennae is inside the fuselage, but I don't get interference in it. I think it is JR's ABC&W technology in their receivers that does a pretty good job at filtering interference.

I have been using the Dean's base loaded antennas. I drill a hole right behind the canopy, and run it straight up. I use silicone on the base inside the fuse, good isolation! I have been using them for about a year. Butch.

i run my antennas outside by drilling a hole in the top or the side thats above the half way point and then with a T-pin just punch the T-pin into the very tippy top and then just figure out some way of hookin the antenna to the T-pin. You can use a rubber band so that it has like some way of having stress relieve.

I had my antenna on the inside of my Funtana with Hitec servo's @6v. Futaba 8UAF. No problems. Probably 75% of my installations are internals and all are 6v w/Hitecs. The other 25% are profiles.

Roger, (RFW1953)

How did you mount your antenna on your Pitts? My RX sits under the cockpit and goes back in a tube I put in and exits out the back to the side of the tail gear but I have a LOT of extra wire! I have to watch as I push it around not to step on it. I did not see any antenna in your photos did you hide it some how?

Thanks,

Sheldon

Fellow Pitts owner with zero hours on it. (Waiting for help on the maiden from a more experienced flyer)

I had two really bad radio hits on my Funtana. It was probably the third or fourth flight and I was coming in for a landing when I got the hits. I was about 15 feet off the runway and maybe 150 away from me when suddenly, the plane dove for the ground! I yanked back on the stick and hit the gas and saved it on the first attempt and came around again and the same thing happened. During regular flight I had no signs of any radio interference, just on the landing attempts. I got it down on the second attempt even though I got hit again I still had enough runway to set it down.

After giving it some thought, I came to the conclusion that the hits came from running the antenna through the factory installed antenna tube. While I was attempting the landings I had up elevator held slightly and I think with the antenna facing directly away from me and the added interference from the servo leads caused the hits.

I would not recommend using the factory installed antenna tube.

What I did to keep the antenna concealed and get away from the servo leads was to install a Sullivan golden-rod push rod housing into the right wing and I put the antenna into the inner part of the pushrod. Now when I bolt on the wings I just slide the inner part of the push rod into the outer part I have installed in the wing. It works really good and since then I haven't had anymore radio hits. I tied a piece of thread to the end on the inside pushrod and tied a couple of knots into it to create some friction so the tube stays in the wing like it should. It's just a small step added to getting the plane put together at the field before flying.

Kenny H