On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 7:07:15 AM UTC-7, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
Flarm antennas are a real pain for ships with carbon hulls. Coverage is always poor, especially below. Is there a way to make a perfectly flat and thin antenna that could be taped to the outside of the hull and fed through a small (1/8"?) hole? I am thinking 2 thin wire strands, or foil strips, fed through from the inside, then taped in place with wing tape. I would put one on either side of the nose for good coverage. The wires could even be longer (some wavelength ratio) for better gain. The tiny hole could easily be filled later if the install was reversed.

Any RF engineers out there care to take a shot at this?

Matt,
Not an RF Engineer but I am a self appointed internet expert and I think you and I have the same type of ship. Richard at Craggy sold me a whip (I have also heard this referred to as a duck) antenna to mount on the glare shield. Not sure how it would do directly beneath me (Would probably be in a turn if that were the case) but I get max range for transmission and reception. PM if you need a pic or call Richard.
Kirk