PowerFLARM antenna mounts

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.

Having a glare-shield mounted antenna is like sitting behind a support column at a basketball game. No matter how hard you try, you are going to miss part of the game.

We seem content at compromising field-of-vision with cockpit reflections, compasses, PowerFlarm units and antennas, and multi-function displays. Yet, uncomprimised field-of-vision is our #1 accident preventer.

PowerFlarmUSA...please find a better antenna solution.





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.

On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 12:16:38 PM UTC-7, (unknown) wrote:
Having a glare-shield mounted antenna is like sitting behind a support column at a basketball game.

Complete Nonsense. The antenna and any decent
mount are thin, and you won't notice them after
5 minutes. The angle blocked is only slightly
more than your yaw string.

Are you going to remove your yaw string too ?

Really now.

On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 8:42:39 PM UTC-7, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 12:16:38 PM UTC-7, (unknown) wrote:
Having a glare-shield mounted antenna is like sitting behind a support column at a basketball game.

Complete Nonsense. The antenna and any decent
mount are thin, and you won't notice them after
5 minutes. The angle blocked is only slightly
more than your yaw string.

Are you going to remove your yaw string too ?

Really now.

No doubt PowerFlarm USA can come up with more aesthetic antenna and solutions.
I will have to compromise meanwhile, but am expecting a better solution will followup shortly once they start shipping and have more time.
The pictures I saw so far hurt my eyes...

Ramy (who is eagerly waiting for his brick unit)

On Jul 5, 12:07*am, Ramy wrote:
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 8:42:39 PM UTC-7, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 12:16:38 PM UTC-7, (unknown) wrote:
Having a glare-shield mounted antenna is like sitting behind a support column at a basketball game.

Complete Nonsense. The antenna and any decent
mount are thin, and you won't notice them after
5 minutes. The angle blocked is only slightly
more than your yaw string.

Are you going to remove your yaw string too ?

Really now.

No doubt PowerFlarm USA can come up with more aesthetic antenna and solutions.
I will have to compromise meanwhile, but am expecting a better solution will followup shortly once they start shipping and have more time.
The pictures I saw so far hurt my eyes...

Ramy (who is eagerly waiting for his brick unit)

I guess I am not sure what you are seeing that is so ugly?


Here is what I see from my cockpit:

https://plus.google.com/photos/10893...22263754238914

I only see about one inch of the PowerFLARM antenna over my compass.

I have flown two nationals with the Brick now. I see aircraft up to
11 miles and could not imagine flying a contest without it. I had a
head on at my altitude alert with a closing speed of over 250 mph at
Parowan with W3. I would have never seen the other glider with the
light angle and speeds we were flying.

The common statement among pilots with PowerFLARM was "I can't believe
anyone would fly without PowerFLARM".

Tim (TT)

The common statement among pilots with PowerFLARM was "I can't believe
anyone would fly without PowerFLARM".

Agree...no arguments. My point is anything protruding into the available plexiglass field-of-vision is not desirable and IMO not acceptable. Example: there appears to be three objects above TT's glare shield base; in a "perfect storm", an aircraft could easily "hide" in the shadow of TT's compass. Splitting hairs? Maybe...but all it takes is missing one thermaling bird or a glint off a wing to change your day from outstanding to average or to DNF or to (God forbid) even worse.

Respected manufactures, please do not recommend application of your products into one's field-of-vision.

I'm curious about the requirement for the secondary PowerFlarm dipole
antenna to be oriented vertically. I flew with a rental box in the R8
contest and had great results. I did, however, mount the secondary dipole
horizontally at the forward edge of the glare shield. This was based on
conversations with radio & avionics folks that had looked at these
particular antennas with a spectrum analyzer and found no difference in
performance based on orientation. We also couldn't think of a scenario
where the signal would need to be polarized. Is there a PowerFlarm expert
out there that can shed some light on this.

Thanks,
Craig


On Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:42:39 -0700, Dave Nadler wrote:

On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 12:16:38 PM UTC-7, (unknown) wrote:
Having a glare-shield mounted antenna is like sitting behind a support
column at a basketball game.

Complete Nonsense. The antenna and any decent
mount are thin, and you won't notice them after
5 minutes. The angle blocked is only slightly
more than your yaw string.

Are you going to remove your yaw string too ?

Really now.


--
Using Opera's revolutionary email client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

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...

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

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.

End fed dipole could also be very thin.