Q: Position of external Flarm RF antenna on tow plane Aviat Husky A1

[RuudH]

Hi All,
We are installing a Flarm in our Aviat Husky A1 tow plane.
For better Flarm RF performance it will be better to use a external Flarm FR antenna like this one:
http://www.butterfly-store.de/en/External+antenna+with+cable+FLARM,i10.htm

Does anyone have experience with the best position of a Flarm RF antenna on a tow plane?


Thnx for you help.

[Bob Gibbons[_2_]]

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:55:32 -0800 (PST), RuudH
> wrote:

>Hi All,
>We are installing a Flarm in our Aviat Husky A1 tow plane.
>For better Flarm RF performance it will be better to use a external Flarm FR antenna like this one:
>http://www.butterfly-store.de/en/External+antenna+with+cable+FLARM,i10.htm
>
>Does anyone have experience with the best position of a Flarm RF antenna on a tow plane?
>
>
>Thnx for you help.

On our Pawnees we stuck the standard short dipoles high on the inside
of the windscreen. Seems to work OK.

Typical tow flights are too short to run a range analysis on the
flight logs to judge for sure.

You don't say where you are located, but be aware that the European
Flarms operate on a slightly different frequency than the US version.
Antennas intended for European PF use would likely not be optimum.

Bob

[bumper[_4_]]

On Monday, December 17, 2012 4:50:22 PM UTC-8, Bob Gibbons wrote:
>
> >Hi All,
>
> >We are installing a Flarm in our Aviat Husky A1 tow plane.


I'm using a portable PowerFlarm in my Husky, and getting good results with it mounted on the glareshield and using the "rubber ducky" style antennas that come with it (no remote mount antennas).

This is also the PF mount that SoaringNV is using in their Pawnee tow planes.

From only a few flights in my ASH26E, with dipole antennas mounted in the nose (copying Rex M. and PK) range with the remote antennas is improved over the rubber ducky mounts.

bumper

[Richard[_9_]]

On Monday, December 17, 2012 12:55:32 PM UTC-8, RuudH wrote:
> Hi All, We are installing a Flarm in our Aviat Husky A1 tow plane. For better Flarm RF performance it will be better to use a external Flarm FR antenna like this one: http://www.butterfly-store.de/en/External+antenna+with+cable+FLARM,i10.htm Does anyone have experience with the best position of a Flarm RF antenna on a tow plane? Thnx for you help.

Ruddh,

Craggy Aero LLC also has some antenna options.

http://www.craggyaero.com/cables_&_antennas.htm


I can also make the antenna cable to the length you require.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

[RuudH]

Thank you all for your input.
Next season we will be using a original Flarm in our Husky A1 tow plane (located in the Netherlands) with a butterfly display. Depending on our experiences we will later decide on the upgrade to a PowerFlarm with ADS-B. We already have a mode-s transponder with ADS-B out capability.

In Europe we have rather different results with the range of the Flarm RF signal.
Overhead dense populated area's the results of a Flarm range analyses go from average to poor, while flights over desolated area's like the high mountains of the French alps give excellent results.

Here you have a range analyses of a flight with a DuoDiscus with original Flarm plus dipole RF antenna overhead the French alps http://bit.ly/UbXQvu

This is a range analyses of the same glider with the same Flarm equipment during a flight overhead dense populated western Europe http://bit.ly/VQxBXQ

This indicates that the correct placement of a high performance Flarm RF antenna is very important

[RuudH]

Op donderdag 20 december 2012 17:44:53 UTC+1 schreef RuudH het volgende:

> Here you have a range analyses of a flight with a DuoDiscus with original Flarm plus dipole RF antenna overhead the French alps http://bit.ly/UbXQvu
>
Photo of dipole antenna can be found here http://bit.ly/VSvhiI