Just anecdotal evidence here, but my Stemme came with a rod and ball
transponder antenna under the nose bowl.Â* I mounted a blade type antenna
about 6 inches aft of that for the Flarm B.Â* I haven't noticed any
difference in flying qualities, drag, etc.Â* Maybe it's measurable but
who cares?Â* I'm not in contention for a world record or title.

On 1/1/2020 1:36 PM, MNLou wrote:
On Wednesday, January 1, 2020 at 8:32:48 AM UTC-6, India November wrote:
I am thinking of the theoretical advantage in drag coefficient of a blade vs rod antenna which holds for any speed.
Assuming, as previously stated, that the blade antenna is aligned with the airflow around the fuselage at that point.

I would think that the drag of a misaligned blade antenna could be significantly higher than the perfect alignment drag.

For that reason, I'm personally going with a rod and ball antenna. The manufacturer's recommendation for mounting a transponder antenna is in an area where I have no idea how the air really flows.

Does anyone know if the difference between a perfectly aligned blade antenna and a rod and ball antenna is at all significant at, say, 100 kts airspeed?

Lou

--
Dan, 5J