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wing tip VOR antenna?

mknight

I'm New Here
Has anyone put in the wing tip VOR antennas from Vans in a RV7A? I wondered about going around the light wells. The instructions call for a 28" run at the leading edge glassed over. Sugestions! [email protected]
 
Forget it!

At least this was my experience, the VOR CU foil didn't work worth a darn...Certainly not good enough for IFR work.

I almost went with a cat whisker but couldn't bear to cut holes in my painted airplane so I went with an Archer with some reluctance.

Wow what a difference, it works great!

Frank 7a
 
AltonD said:
I am not familliar with the Archer. What does it look like?
Here in the Archer VOR antenna mounted in the wingtip of my 6A. It has performed flawlessly.

img000720ql7.jpg
 
Ditto what Rick6A said

Rick6a said:
Here in the Archer VOR antenna mounted in the wingtip of my 6A. It has performed flawlessly.
Not only flawlessly, but the best VOR reception I've ever experienced. Caveat: I'm using a Garmin SL-30 which is known for excellent reception to begin with.
 
I have the Van's wingtip antenna on my right wing and Archer marker beacon antenna on my left wing. With SL30 and GMA340 (with marker beacon receiver) the reception is very good (at least for my purpose). I did several practice ILS and one actual ILS. There is no problem picking up distance VOR neither. Installation is very easy.

Ted

http://tc1234c.googlepages.com/
RV9A, O320D2A, FP, 127 hrs
 
Wiring routing

I know that Bob's instructions that come with the Archer antenna are quite specific regarding how the wires in the wingtip should be routed with respect to the antenna.

However, it seems to me that the while the instructions make a lot of sense for the old style wingtip with the nav lights mid way down the side of the tip, they don't make a lot of sense for the new style tip (on -7's anyway) with the lights in the forward corner.

It it would very easy to place the VOR antenna in the aft 2/3's of the tip and keep the nav/strobe wires well clear of the VOR antenna. It would be a simpler and cleaner installation.

Is anyone else using this alternate approach to installing the Archer antenna and if so, does it work well?
 
DIY

Why would you pay good money for an antennae like this. Have built several similar antennae designs- for next to nothing and they work perfectly in senstivity tests. Build a plane? Surely you can put together 4 pieces of aluminium ?
:)
 
Willing to pay for the Intellectual Property

I am not an antenna designer and I am willing to pay someone like Bob for their design. If he sold a plans kit, I would pay for that an build it myself.
 
Neil said:
Why would you pay good money for an antennae like this. Have built several similar antennae designs- for next to nothing and they work perfectly in senstivity tests. Build a plane? Surely you can put together 4 pieces of aluminium ?
:)
Anyone can rivet several pieces of aluminum together to make something that they may call an antenna but will the antenna work. Not everyone can build an antenna that works or know how to build the "Gamma Match" used in the wingtip nav antenna that will be needed to make it work correctly. The science that is needed to select that little non-conductive material where the coax connects and the location of where to put it are what makes the little pieces of aluminum an antenna.
 
I know a good deal about antenna theory, and have built many antennae in my day. I'm not scared of making scrap aluminum, either. I am quite certain that I can build an antenna every bit as good as his.

Having said that - I am also quite certain that I can NOT build an antenna as good as his for anywhere near the time investment that his $60 price is worth to me. I will be buying the Archer antenna, and rewarding Bob for the time and R&D he put into it for a reproducible quality item.
 
Neil said:
Why would you pay good money for an antennae like this. Have built several similar antennae designs- for next to nothing and they work perfectly in senstivity tests. Build a plane? Surely you can put together 4 pieces of aluminium ?
:)

Yup, I built my own as well....I got a drawing off someone's web site, with measurments, but can't find it now....made out of scrap, it cost nothing, and works great!

Paul
 
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