Cut the conduit on my antenna, help.
04-10-2003, 10:32 PM
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Cut the conduit on my antenna, help.
Guys,
Somehow the conduit in the middle of my antenna on my R148DF Futaba receiver got cut in two places. I think from a crash. There is 1" of missing conduit after I removed the torn piece from the antenna itself. No damage to the wires. Would it be wise to fix this bare spot with some very small heat shrink tubing? Do a range check, and then fly? Thanks. Paul
Somehow the conduit in the middle of my antenna on my R148DF Futaba receiver got cut in two places. I think from a crash. There is 1" of missing conduit after I removed the torn piece from the antenna itself. No damage to the wires. Would it be wise to fix this bare spot with some very small heat shrink tubing? Do a range check, and then fly? Thanks. Paul
04-10-2003, 10:34 PM
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Re: Cut the conduit on my antenna, help.
Originally posted by Paul Cataldo
Guys,
Somehow the conduit in the middle of my antenna on my R148DF Futaba receiver got cut in two places. I think from a crash. There is 1" of missing conduit after I removed the torn piece from the antenna itself. No damage to the wires. Would it be wise to fix this bare spot with some very small heat shrink tubing? Do a range check, and then fly? Thanks. Paul
Guys,
Somehow the conduit in the middle of my antenna on my R148DF Futaba receiver got cut in two places. I think from a crash. There is 1" of missing conduit after I removed the torn piece from the antenna itself. No damage to the wires. Would it be wise to fix this bare spot with some very small heat shrink tubing? Do a range check, and then fly? Thanks. Paul
Don
04-11-2003, 11:47 AM
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Make a very close inspection of the conductor
When the plastic insulation is torn from a piece of wire, it is usually as a result of a violent abrasion. The strands of the conductor may have been damaged at the same time. Before you reinsulate with the shrink tubing, make certain that the strands of the wire conductor are not broken or nearly ready to come apart. If there is a break, repair it by soldering. A properly installed tight fitting shrink tubing will then make the antenna wire as good, or better, than new. As an overview...the antenna wire is cut at a very specific length, so as to be resonant with the frequency of operation. If the antenna length is shortened, or lengthened, it will perform with less efficiency. Since we are dealing with very low power signals, it is important to keep the antenna length as it was shipped by the manufacturer for peak effeciency. Neither longer, nor shorter. Also, keep in mind that the antenna likes to be straight out in a line, although we all typically compromise a just a little bit when we install it inside a fuselage. For an inside installation, do the best you can to minimize turns and bends, but dont ever just coil it up and stuff it in. Always do a range check before flying, it could help save your plane. I hope this helps.
04-12-2003, 12:57 AM
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Cut the conduit on my antenna, help.
He's not talking about a piece of insulating plastic, it's the plastic 'straw' that goes over the wire's insulation. If the wire insulation itself broke you should replace the wire completly if you don't want to take chances. Wire length needs to be close, but not exact, a half inch longer or shorter doesn't matter enough to worry about.
