Tim Mara wrote:

Also I note that you say you have a transponder antenna mounted vertically
on the top of the fuselage.........this is also not a proper installation
since transponder antennas are intended to be directed toward the ground
(radar receivers) and Carbon fuselages will block or even absorb signals
rather than reflect them away as a proper ground plane does.


If there is a choice of being seen either from above, or from below,
I'll take above every time. I'd far rather be seen on the TCAS of an
airliner that is descending through cloud into me than be seen on a
controller's screen.

Has anyone actually measured the antenna patterns for top or bottom
mounted transponder antennas on a typical carbon glider? Is the
masking a real problem?


Andy