RV Installation

[shineymoh]

Hi, I'm new here so first thing is to say "hello" !

Has anyone installed the Internal Antenna Installation Kit in a RV?  It's been suggested that the Coax Antennas are fitted to the floor underneath the seating or rear baggage floor, but before I go ahead, it would be great if anyone had any suggestions  or alternatives.

Many thanks
Martin

[Young_C]

Hi Martin,
Welcome to the forum. There is a separate thread on RV installations, see link below:

http://forum.pilotaware.com/index.php/topic,1167.0.html

I've posted some details of our recent RV-7 installation, which has external antennas. I have no experience of internal antennas so perhaps another member could advise.

Good luck 
Chris.

[exfirepro]

Hi Martin,

I have a couple of friends who run PilotAware in RVs with the unit in the space behind the dash and internal antennas attached either side of the canopy, but much better results are generally achieved with external antennas mounted beneath the fuselage.

Just be careful to emsure adequate spacing from other (e.g. transponder) antennas and to ensure they aren’t fitted where they are obscured by for example undercarriage legs.

Lots of advice on the thread recommended by Chris.

Best Regards

Peter

[shineymoh]

Thanks Chris and Peter for your help, I'll take a read through the thread.

Regards
Martin

[shineymoh]

Guys, after reading some of the RV Info, I'm not sure I have purchased the best option. I have bought the internal antennas, but looks like I should have purchased the external ones, what are your thoughts?

Thanks
Martin

[PaulSS]

It seems to me the RV is such an easy aircraft in which to install external antennas that you'd be daft not to. Drill a couple of holes (in suitable locations), tighten a couple of nuts, zip tie two coax cables and plug in. No ground plates etc to worry about and no shielding of internal antennas by the metal bath in which you will sit.

I know what I would do 

[Young_C]

Hi Martin,
Yes I would agree that external antennas are the best option for an RV.

In our RV-7 even with external antennas there are still some angles where airframe shielding causes blind spots e.g. between 3 and 5 o'clock above, due to the wing. I would imagine that internal antennas would be worse in this regard and there would be significant blind spots below.

Best Regards,
Chris.

[exfirepro]

Martin,

I agree with Paul. If you can fit external antennas, especially on a metal aircraft, they significantly reduce the likelihood of signal obscuration by aircraft metalwork and big bags of fluid (us). Over my 5 years with PilotAware I have done extensive testing of antennas and in my experience, external antennas mounted below the pod on my flexwing (in my case with an internal aluminium foil ground plane) are giving the most reliable signal of any setup I have tested so far. Just remember to keep the (shorter) 1090MHz one in particular as far away from your transponder transmit one as practicable to minimise the possibility of interaction between your transponder and the PAW 1090 Receiver. There are lots of RV users out there who can advise on best locations.

Best Regards

Peter
p.s. If you feel you have bought the wrong thing, drop an e-mail to Ash at PilotAware Support. I’m sure he will be able to help.

[Alanr]

Fitting and mounting Rosetta to a full metal airframe is obviously a different ball game to mounting on a flexwing or Fabric aircraft with little or no obstructions.
If Rosetta had 'Antenna diversity' then a top antenna could also be fitted to the fuselage. A thought for future Rosetta versions maybe?

Alan.

[shineymoh]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your inputs, I have dropped a line to Keith and am re-ordering the antenna installation kit.

Cheers
Martin

[exfirepro]

Alan,

You would be surprised at how many ‘obstructions’ flexwings present compared to metal-bodied aircraft when trying to fit antennas to give all round visibility. (Which is why I now use externally mounted antennas beneath my pod for PAW P3i and FLARM.)

Whilst there are obvious benefits from antenna diversity when working with systems like FLARM, - designed to give warning of proximity of aircraft which normally operate at very close range to each other, this is far less significant with aircraft operating at normal GA ranges. As long as the antennas are mounted to give as clear a 360 degree view as possible (preferably below rather than above the wing), it is almost impossible for an aircraft to approach close enough to present a danger without it already having alerted the user to its presence.

Best Regards

Peter