Van's Air Force
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Wing tip antenna
- Thread starter RV9er
- Start date
Sam Buchanan
been here awhile
Lots and lots of info in the archives about wingtip com antennae. Search using "wingtip and antenna" and look for the Bob Archer threads.
I have an archer antenna in my right tip.
It works great! What I did when I installed the antenna was to follow Archers directions carefully. I riveted it in along the bottom edge of the tip with the nut plates that hold the tip to the wing. Now the base of the antenna is attached close to the aluminum of the wing and grounded well. Then I took the top of the antenna and bent it up in a curve till it touched the top of the tip somewhere in the middle of the tips top surface. I stuck it there with silicone rubber. This gives you a vertical component that archer tells you is important. If you just lay the antenna down on the bottom or top surface you will get poor results. I do get slightly better reception on my right side than on the left. This is only noticeable when listening to someone very far away, like 75 miles or more. When I was flying alongside my buddy in his 4 he was able to hear another friend upstate NY while we were on Long Island. I couldn't hear him unless I turned around. As far as being close to other aircraft they all tell me my radio sound very good, better than most. Airports hear me well also.
It works great! What I did when I installed the antenna was to follow Archers directions carefully. I riveted it in along the bottom edge of the tip with the nut plates that hold the tip to the wing. Now the base of the antenna is attached close to the aluminum of the wing and grounded well. Then I took the top of the antenna and bent it up in a curve till it touched the top of the tip somewhere in the middle of the tips top surface. I stuck it there with silicone rubber. This gives you a vertical component that archer tells you is important. If you just lay the antenna down on the bottom or top surface you will get poor results. I do get slightly better reception on my right side than on the left. This is only noticeable when listening to someone very far away, like 75 miles or more. When I was flying alongside my buddy in his 4 he was able to hear another friend upstate NY while we were on Long Island. I couldn't hear him unless I turned around. As far as being close to other aircraft they all tell me my radio sound very good, better than most. Airports hear me well also.
Kevin Horton
Well Known Member
I've got a Bob Archer com antenna in one of my wingtips, and I am quite happy with it. It has good reception out to 75 nm on all azimuths. The signal is a bit weaker if the station is in a narrow band on the other side of the aircraft, but it is still readable. I've transmitted to stations 50 nm away, and they reported good reception.
I wouldn't use it for my primary com radio, but I'm happy with it as the antenna for Com 2.
I've read other reports from folks who were not at all happy with their Bob Archer wingtip com antenna. I don't know whether they simply were hoping for performance equal to a standard antenna on the belly, or whether theirs really is worse than mine. The instructions are quite emphatic that you need to follow them exactly. Possibly some other folks weren't quite as successful at replicating Bob's installation details.
I wouldn't use it for my primary com radio, but I'm happy with it as the antenna for Com 2.
I've read other reports from folks who were not at all happy with their Bob Archer wingtip com antenna. I don't know whether they simply were hoping for performance equal to a standard antenna on the belly, or whether theirs really is worse than mine. The instructions are quite emphatic that you need to follow them exactly. Possibly some other folks weren't quite as successful at replicating Bob's installation details.
