US Power FLARM Antennas

The data sheet for the PFBrick FLARM TX/RX and PCAS/ADS-B antennas
can be found here :

http://www.linxtechnologies.com/reso...-mhw-xxx-x.pdf

One has to wonder if an antenna tuned for 915MHz is the best choice
for PCAS/ADS-B. Maybe that antenna would be best used as the FLARM RX
only antenna?

Andy

On Jun 12, 10:00*am, Andy wrote:
The data sheet for the PFBrick FLARM TX/RX and *PCAS/ADS-B antennas
can be found here :

http://www.linxtechnologies.com/reso...nt-916-mhw-xxx...

One has to wonder if an antenna tuned for 915MHz *is the best choice
for PCAS/ADS-B. *Maybe that antenna would be best used as the FLARM RX
only antenna?

Andy

Picked up several PCAS hits this weekend with PF brick. The range
seems adequate, but not convincingly so. I think I'd like a little
more than what I am currently seeing. I'd like to be seeing pcas
targets at at least 3 miles, I don't think I'm getting that much
reliably. I don't know if this is a hardware limitation or the way
the software is set up.

Evan Ludeman / T8

On 6/12/2012 7:00 AM, Andy wrote:
The data sheet for the PFBrick FLARM TX/RX and PCAS/ADS-B antennas
can be found here :

http://www.linxtechnologies.com/reso...-mhw-xxx-x.pdf

One has to wonder if an antenna tuned for 915MHz is the best choice
for PCAS/ADS-B. Maybe that antenna would be best used as the FLARM RX
only antenna?

I thought the dipole was only for the Flarm A antenna, not the PCAS
antenna, as PCAS already has acceptable range. Remember, PCAS is
receiving signals from 130 to 250 watt transmitters, while Flarm
transmitters are 20 milliwatts or so.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

On Jun 12, 2:55*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
I thought the dipole was only for the Flarm A antenna, not the PCAS
antenna, as PCAS already has acceptable range. Remember, PCAS is
receiving signals from 130 to 250 watt transmitters, while Flarm
transmitters are 20 milliwatts or so.


Ah yes, but the PFB comes with 2 dipoles according to someone that
recently received theirs. The difference only being that one has a
standard SMA and the other an RPSMA.

Anyone with a new brick like to confirm that?

Andy

On Jun 12, 6:42*pm, Andy wrote:
On Jun 12, 2:55*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:

I thought the dipole was only for the Flarm A antenna, not the PCAS
antenna, as PCAS already has acceptable range. Remember, PCAS is
receiving signals from 130 to 250 watt transmitters, while Flarm
transmitters are 20 milliwatts or so.

Ah yes, but the PFB comes with 2 dipoles according to someone that
recently received theirs. *The difference only being that one has a
standard SMA and the other an RPSMA.

Anyone with a new brick like to confirm that?

Andy

That's correct.

T8

Wanted to follow-up on the Antenna(s) for the PowerFLARM "Brick": Got
mine today and the updated installation manual on the www.powerflarm.us
website is decent; though there's still room for improvement.

In the manual, they mention that the dipole antenna mounted on the
glareshield should be "at least 4 inches ahead" of the compass. From
the "Hall of Fame/Hall of Shame" photos, it would appear that this is
referring to the dipole being placed between the pilot's head and the
compass.

In my DG-300 my compass is not in quite the extreme-forward position
as shown in some of those photos. So I may be able to mount the FLARM
dipole 4-6 inches forward of the compass (between the compass and the
nose of the glider). Any PowerFLARM insiders care to comment on
whether this is a bad idea/location?

Also: Between my 2 loggers' GPS antennae and the PowerFLARM antennae,
I'm running out of places to stick them all, while maintaining good
separation. Any comments on whether the ADS-B antenna would work OK
if I stick it to the inside the "roof" of the turtledeck? The ship is
all fiberglass, but I wonder about the landing-gear metal below, the
nearby speaker in the turtledeck, the proximity to the wing-spars
(8-12 inches away), etc. Thoughts/comments/ideas?

Thanks!

--Noel

Mounting the FLARM antenna in front of the compass is by far the best location unless you have metal or carbon vent outlets forward of it at the same height.

We will publish an 'Antenna Installation' application note this week.
Don't worry too much about the ADS-B antenna, the signals it receives are pretty strong.

FLARM

On Jun 20, 2:27*pm, FLARM wrote:
Mounting the FLARM antenna in front of the compass is by far the best location unless you have metal or carbon vent outlets forward of it at the same height.

We will publish an 'Antenna Installation' application note this week.
Don't worry too much about the ADS-B antenna, the signals it receives are pretty strong.

FLARM

"FLARM" You're listening! Please please please find a better antenna
than this ugly center-fed dipole with plastic attachment that goes
right in our field of vision. The RAS thread found lots of bottom-fed
and bottom-mounted dipoles. Please check that one of them works and
send an antenna that even plausibly is suited for a bottom-fed
installation on a glider glareshield!
John Cochrane

On Jun 20, 4:07*pm, John Cochrane
wrote:

and bottom-mounted dipoles. Please check that one of them works and
send an antenna that even plausibly is suited for a bottom-fed
installation on a glider glareshield!
John Cochrane

While I don't disagree with John's desire for a "nicer" dipole, I am
barely going to see the dipole that came with my FLARM as I'm mounting
it beyond the compass and run the wire straight back and down (so the
compass body will hide it from my sensitive pilot's eyes).

The current dipole is *tiny*. The posted photos don't give you a
proper scale - the "center body" of the thing is barely larger than my
thumbnail! Here's a datasheet for what appears to be the same antenna
that came with my device. Less than 4" in total length -
http://www.linxtechnologies.com/reso...-mhw-xxx-x.pdf

If they want to stick with the same supplier, this dipole (also from
Linx) may be a simple substitute: http://www.linxtechnologies.com/reso...b1-vdp-xxx.pdf
(although I'm no electrical engineer!)

So in the end - it could be nicer but its not a huge issue IMHO.

--Noel

On Jun 20, 12:27*pm, FLARM wrote:
We will publish an 'Antenna Installation' application note this week.
Don't worry too much about the ADS-B antenna, the signals it receives are pretty strong.

Hope the antenna installation guide considers that most pilots like to
clean the inside of the canopy before every flight. On many modern
gliders the glareshield is attached to the canopy leaving little space
for a hand and cloth even when no antenna is present.

It's a bit surprising that people think the PCAS antenna positioning
is not important. I understand that the signal is stronger that the
FLARM signal, but ZAON is quite emphatic about the need for proper
positioning of the MRX PCAS antenna.

Hope FLARM will also explain the status of FCC certification and the
impact, if any, on sales of the brick.

Andy