Author Topic: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna  (Read 3266 times)

Alanr

Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« on: October 25, 2020, 12:06:06 pm »
I want to Take advantage of the CAA rebate scheme andplace an order for a Rosetta. To set up initially temporarily and then going forward make into permanent installation in my aircraft.

Trouble is Keith tells me currently I can only buy the complete external antenna kit with Cables/Charger etc which I don't need. I have Charge2 fitted in my aircarft and the cables in the kit aren't long enough anyway and for temporarly use I wouldn't get the carry on antennas.

So my question is where can i obtain a suitable P3i external antenna similar to what the Pilotaware shop normally sells to either cut down or modify to the correct frequency?

I don't feel confident to place an order for this equipment until I can see a route forward. If that cannot be found I will reluctantly have to reconsider my options.

exfirepro

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2020, 02:11:37 pm »
Alan,

As you have seen from the PilotAware website, the external antennas are normally available as a pair, without the cables and accessories, but in light of the current unprecedented demand and the short notice given to suppliers by the CAA, the existing stock of these antennas has been packaged as ‘Rosetta+ Kits’ - which comply with the requirement for the rebate claim to be against the purchase of ‘A Singe EC Unit’, - thus maximising the potential grant relief for PilotAware customers.

You are correct, in order to keep the price of the Rosetta+ packages down, the screw-on end-fed antennas normally supplied with Rosetta have not been included in the packages, but they are available separately.

If you can’t wait for further stocks of external antennas (without the extras) to come back into stock, the 1090MHz one can be replaced by a standard transponder antenna. The only viable alternative for the 869.5MHz P3i side would be one of the external antennas sold by various companies for use with FLARM transceivers. Although these will be tuned to 868 MHz, they should work fine on the slightly higher P3i frequency.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Peter
« Last Edit: October 25, 2020, 02:27:59 pm by exfirepro »

Alanr

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2020, 02:43:39 pm »
Thanks for the reply Peter.

I am just rather frustrated by this having finally made the decision to go with Rosetta!
I am certainly not going to pay £230 for a full external installation kit that I don't need when I all I need are £118 antennas. It sort of defeats the objective for me of the CAA rebate scheme doesn't it.

I had sort of realised I can use a simple TED Transponder antenna for ADSB but hadn't quite grasped that I could use a Flarm antenna for the P3i antenna so thank you for that.

Preliminary searches do though seem to indicate that a full Flarm antenna may be a bit expensive  so perhaps I need to do some thinking on what to do.

cyclone1

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2020, 11:58:38 am »
Hi Peter. I previously owned the classic and purchased the internal aerials to go with it but never used them. Now have the Rosetta. There was one dipole which is 6 inches end to end and the other an extension cable to go with the stand alone aerial. Is this dipole the 869 or the 1090 and can the extension lead be used on the other Rosetta aerial, which ever one it is? I've sent a mail to Keith but as yet no reply. Appreciate any help.

exfirepro

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2020, 06:47:11 pm »
Alan,

I appreciate what you are saying, but remember if you buy the Rosetta+ pack, with the 50% off you aren’t paying any more for the full antenna / installation kit than you would be paying for a Rosetta and external antennas as separate purchases (as if purchased separately the antennas won’t qualify for the rebate). Your choice of course, but just saying - and there will always be a market out there for the bits you don’t need.

Regards

Peter

exfirepro

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2020, 07:01:36 pm »
@cyclone,

Is your antenna black or flesh coloured? When the black ones were sold (for the Classics) they were intended primarily for the 869.5MHz P3i side, though the same ones were also often used for 1090MHz receive.

The newer flesh coloured versions are sold in 2 sizes - the ‘longer’ ones for 869.5MHz (P3i), with shorter ones for 1090MHz (Higher frequency = shorter wavelength), so your antenna was almost certainly intended for the 869.5MHz P3i side.

There is no reason why you can’t use your SMA to SMA extension to relocate either of your antennas to a more suitable position.

Regards

Peter

Alanr

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2020, 12:26:54 pm »
Alan,

I appreciate what you are saying, but remember if you buy the Rosetta+ pack, with the 50% off you aren’t paying any more for the full antenna / installation kit than you would be paying for a Rosetta and external antennas as separate purchases (as if purchased separately the antennas won’t qualify for the rebate). Your choice of course, but just saying - and there will always be a market out there for the bits you don’t need.

Regards

Peter

Well I now read on Flyer forum that someone has just managed to buy a replacement P3i Antenna from Pilotaware.
How come I wonder when I am told they aren't available except as a complete external installation kit?
I will wait a couple of weeks after that I will give up!

PaulSS

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2020, 01:00:04 pm »
That person on the Flyer Forum bought a replacement antenna which attaches to the Rosetta box i.e. one of these:

https://www.pilotaware.com/product/869-5-antenna

They are available to buy and you can get as many as you'd like.

What the Flyer Forum person did not buy was an external antenna. They are out of stock because everyone else is buying them as part of the external antenna package and getting their CAA rebate as a result. It sounds to me as if they are flying out of the Pilot Aware door as soon as they arrive.

You can either (a)wait until the furore has died down and Pilot Aware are in a position to sell individual items again or (b)buy an alternative. Rather stupidly I (quite some time ago) did (b) and bought one of these:

https://www.gps.co.uk/antenna-exterior-gav-868-flarm/p-0-2024/

Guess how stupid I feel spending that much on an aerial  ::)

Keithvinning

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2020, 01:41:44 pm »
External antennas will be available on the website later this week.
They have been dispatched from the supplier.
Expect 3 days for the parts to be delivered 
Sorry that you have had to wait but the demand for PilotAware is phenomenal at the moment and there is a backorder for installation kits

I have to have the antennas especially made and they are not available anywhere else

Regards

Keith

Alanr

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2020, 02:09:40 pm »
Thanks for the info Keith.

As soon as I see them the separate antennas available  I will place my order for a carry on Rosetta and the all the separate bits I need. :)

Alanr

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2020, 08:48:31 am »
Well, more than another week has gone by and despite reassurances that they would be available last week and on checking twice daily since there have never been separate External antennas available on the store website to purchase.
Will they ever be available or can a correct time frame ever be given I am begining to wonder?
Without this availability committing to Rosetta is not an option for me. :(

Mig29fuk

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Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2020, 09:06:23 am »
Rather than reading to your whinging at what is difficult time for all can you describe what you actually want in the way of an external aerial and for what aircraft and its placement.
I ask why? Because I have one that may well do for you from an aircraft I recently sold, FOC, just to clear this theme out of Forum!!!
PM me. I dont bite but can!
Gerry
G-MYUP
White Ox Mead Airstrip
Bath. England

Keithvinning

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2020, 09:50:08 am »
Alan

The antennas are held up in customs at Coventry we can do no more. I suggest that you buy a Flarm one if you are desperate. I guess you will not be flying for a month. I am genuinely sorry we cant help you but we cant

Keith

Alanr

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #13 on: November 05, 2020, 09:56:29 am »
Hi Keith,
Thanks for the update re holdup, Customs etc. Now I know what the situation is I can work with that and will be ok to wait a while longer.

Thanks,

Alan.

russp

Re: Sourcing suitable External P3i antenna
« Reply #14 on: December 09, 2020, 10:13:31 pm »
Did you get your external antennas sorted . I had similar issues previously and my solution and sources are set out in my write up here. https://spark.adobe.com/page/uOYLxiidmmgUz/