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GS Antenna orientation

L

lr172

Well Known Member
I made a GS antenna from coax, based upon ideas on this site. I plan to glass it into the cowl, but wanted to confirm the best orientation. I plan to lay it horizontally from left to right along the bottom of the cowl, near the front. Can somebody help confirm that this is the correct or best orientation?

Thanks,

Larry
 
lr172 said:
I made a GS antenna from coax, based upon ideas on this site. I plan to glass it into the cowl, but wanted to confirm the best orientation. I plan to lay it horizontally from left to right along the bottom of the cowl, near the front. Can somebody help confirm that this is the correct or best orientation?

Thanks,

Larry
Click to expand...

That is as good as any option.
You may find this location, combined with what is typically a poor feedpoint coupling for a coax antenna at UHF, may result in unacceptable RFI.

A wingtip VOR antenna would be a better option.

Carl
 
I have an archer in the wingtip, but i have read that splitting it will reduce vor performance in the 430. That will be my backup plan if this doesn't work.

Larry
 
lr172 said:
I have an archer in the wingtip, but i have read that splitting it will reduce vor performance in the 430. That will be my backup plan if this doesn't work.

Larry
Click to expand...

The difference between a good antenna and a poor one is a lot more than the loss from a splitter. Some newer radios don't even give you a choice- the splitter is built in. But yes, you want your dipole horizontal, left-right in the airframe.
 
Last edited:
BobTurner said:
The difference between a good antenna and a poor one is a lot more than the loss from a splitter. Some newer radios don't even give you a choice- the splitter is built in. But yes, you want your dipole horizontal, left-right in the airframe.
Click to expand...

Are you suggesting that I should used a splitter off the Archer instead of the homemade GS ant?

Larry
 
lr172 said:
Are you suggesting that I should used a splitter off the Archer instead of the homemade GS ant?

Larry
Click to expand...

Well, that's what I did. But I have an SL-30 with built in splitter, no separate GS antenna input, so I really had no choice. Works fine for me. For Carl, too, I believe. Your proposal is probably less expensive for material/parts, but more labor, firewall feedthru, etc.
 
BobTurner said:
The difference between a good antenna and a poor one is a lot more than the loss from a splitter. Some newer radios don't even give you a choice- the splitter is built in. But yes, you want your dipole horizontal, left-right in the airframe.
Click to expand...

Does anyone know if a GTN 650 has a built in splitter?
 
Did a test flight today. Flew out against the ILS course for about 8 miles, then a 180 to the ILS course. Well before 90* to the course, the GS came alive and was rock solid all the way in.

Just wanted to report the success. I used an RG-58 cable and stripped off 8" of outer insulation. I then pulled the center conductor / insulator out of the braid and pulled the braid back over the main cable and sealed it all up with shrink fit insulation. I glassed the antenna portion of the cable on the bottom of the cowl well forward, just behind the alternator indentation.

Larry
 
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