Antennas According To Jim

[skippydiesel]

This article may be of intersted to the electronics members of the Forum

 

2802 Manual-s.pdf (rstengineering.com)

 

AND

 

XCOM Aerial Dummies Guide.doc (craggyaero.com)

Edited October 10 by skippydiesel

[kgwilson]

Tuning the aerial to the frequency band you most use will improve performance quite a lot. As I fly mostly in CTAF & uncontrolled airspace. I tuned the aerial to 126.7. I monitor area but as they have a powerful transmitter reception is no problem.

[FlyBoy1960]

Reception is not an issue on any of the aerials, it is tuning for transmission only.

 

Our old avionics technician at the flying club used to say all the time, "you can receive a signal on a wet piece of string"  referring to the fact that you can receive just about anything in the air band using anything from a wet piece of string to a coathanger, reception is not the problem it is transmission. If the length is out for transmission you will have all sorts of problems. The very worst aerial he ever saw was the mobile one ground plane independent aerial. The one with a little rubber ducky on the bottom. He would hang up the phone if anyone called saying they had transmission problems and they were using that aerial.