Bidule

My Feedback: (1)

Hi guys...

I have a very small plane and i want to know if it's safe to route the antenna in a plastic tubing completlely inside the fuselage. Is it going to reduce the range ?

Thanks for your replys

Stick Jammer

In a tube is no problem but make sure any extra antenna wire hangs out if the plane isn't long enough, don't bunch it up inside.

AirBearMA

My Feedback: (1)

Using a plastic tube is a great way to run the antenna out to the back of the plane as there is less of a chance it will get caught up with a pushrod or servo that way. The plastic will not affect the antenna as far as reception is concerned.

Bidule

My Feedback: (1)

Maybe i wasn't clear enough in my question...
Probably because i am a french guy and my english in not very good.
But this forum is by far the best r/c source of info i could find.
I just measure my antenna and it's about 40 inch long.
My fuselage is about 12 inch from where i want to put the receiver to the end of the tail.
What i wanted to do is fold the antenna wire in 3 and stick it in a plastic tubing from the receiver to the tail.... with no wire outside the plane.

The plane in question is a House of Balse P-51 1/12 scale.
It's pretty small. I don't think it's a good idea to cut the antenna wire. [&:]
And personally i don't really like the look of an antenna outside of the plane.
I think i saw a photo of a plane somewhere in this forum with an antenna completely routed inside the fuselage . But i can't find it !

Do i really need to have a portion of the antenna outside ?
or it can be all inside ?

Thanks everybody for your help !

Mike Ledbetter

If you want the antenna inside, do not fold it or cut it. Wind it around the plastic tube in a spiral and secure it with tape. Let us know if what I just wrote is unclear.

Regards.

Stick Jammer

Although I'm sure there are plenty of people who have wound their antenna around lots of different things, it's not really a good idea to wind it around anything. For the best reception that wire needs to be as straight as possible. If that means letting the extra hang out of the plane then that's what you do.

runover1

My Feedback: (10)

Maybe you can try to put it in the wing. I have a Sterling P-51 I want to build.

bsindel

Bidule,

If you want to try to reduce the amount of antenna length you have on you airplane try this. First, with the receiver antenna fully strung out from the equipment bay past the end of the airplane do a range check and find out what your maximum range is. This will be a little easier to do if the antenna on the transmitter is only pulled out a foot or so in order to limit the amount of power it can put out. Next, wrap the receiver antenna wire around the base of the tube in a very tight and neat spiral until the remainder of the wire will just reach the end of the tube. Tape the whole business to the tube, install it in your model and repeat the range check exactly as before. If you have lost a great deal of range it should show up fairly obvious. Just remember that you don't need as much range with the litlle guys because you don't fly them as far or as high as the big birds. If you do you can't see them, at least I can't.

Bill Sindel

flyboy1950

Hey Bidule. Another solution would be to use a loaded base antenna and eliminate the long wire. This is very popular in Europe. Deans makes a one or two peice base loaded antenna for about $10 US. You cut your receiver antenna down to between 4-10 inches and attach the wire for the loaded antenna. The deans antenna is about 8 inches long and stiff like a real antenna. It is best to install it vertical like a real antenna. I'm using
one for the first time in a Hanger 9 1.50 Mustang. Range checks fine. Flyboy 1950