On Thursday, July 5, 2012 7:48:21 AM UTC-4, John Godfrey (QT) wrote:
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 11:50:53 AM UTC-4, Dave Nadler wrote:
Rex is looking into making glare-shield antenna mounts
for the PowerFLARM dipole antenna, especially for
gliders with glare-shields that jettison with the
canopy (Schleicher, LS). The mount will featu
- mast sticks up above glare-shield
- base mounts underneath glare-shield with velcro
- anti-glare flat-black finish
This arrangement permits safe canopy jettison
and easy canopy removal.

You'll cut a ~ 3-4" round hole in the glare-shield,
afix the velcro, then stick on the antenna so it
is vertical in flight attitude (with coax at
about 45 degrees away from the antenna).

Cost guestimated at $75 including shipping.

Please send Rex an email if you're interested as
he needs to gauge interest; contact info he
http://www.williamssoaring.com

Thanks,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

PS: If you're interested in a mount for a flat-top
glare-shield (SH, etc) - send Rex a note.

I'm not an antenna maven (certainly not at GHz frequencies, but we are talking about a device that operates at about the transponder frequencies. Transponder antennas are pieced of straight wire with a ground plane.

Seems to me that it should be possible to craft a very good antenna from a piece of piano wire (read so thin it is virtually invisible) and a (sloped down a bit) ground plane.

Any antenna geeks out there?

QT
Never confuse a graduate engineer with a competent technician...

Antenna QT describes will work for areas above the ground plane.
I believe dipole is being used to provide a better transmission pattern both above and below the glider.
Another voice.
UH