RV-10 GPS antenna placement

[N427EF]

Has any RV-10 builder mounted all the GPS antennas and XM antenna on the
dashboard?
For practical purposes this seems like an exceedingly good place for reception and short cable runs.
Since the windshield fairing obscures the lower 1.5 inches or so it would not obstruct the field of vision.

I had originally planned on placing all the antennas inside the overhead console with cables running up the windshield brace.
I am not sure about the rather beefy roof and possibly metalic paint that might diminish GPS reception.





All suggestions appreciated.
Thank you.

[Mike S]

Ernst, yes that is how Steve did his, and I am doing mine.

I will end up with 4 antennas up there, two each side of the brace tube.

[orchidman]

Originally Posted by N427EF

Has any RV-10 builder mounted all the GPS antennas and XM antenna on the
dashboard?
.

I didn't see you say what type of GPS.
I have my 496 antennas on my dash also.
If you will have a 430W, make sure you maintain the minimum cable length as per the installation manual.
Most -10's that I know with 430/530/480's are putting them on top either on the fiberglass or AL. I have mine about 6" aft of the fiberglass top/AL top joint just to the right of the top J channel. Ran the coax along the right side and then aft of the baggage compartment bulkhead up to the puck. Length of coax was perfect for the min length.

[Gary 40274]

If you are planning WAAS IFR setup I would recomend against it. While many folks have sucessfully used antennas on the dash, Garmin and others warn against it because of the lower reception in that area. The satelites behind you are blanked out by the cabin roof. While that is ok for VFR, there are only a few WAAS satelites in the sky and you don't want to blank them out.

I have both of mine on the cabin top and my 900X is very happy with them there.

Gary Specketer

[N427EF]

Good info, thank you.
Initially it will be for the dynon GPS receiver, Garmin handheld and TruTrak antenna.
Later I might upgrade to a 430W and place its antenna on top of the rear fuse.
thank you.

[flion]

One other cautionary note. I was going to do that with my -6A but found that they did not work there for some reason. This was on a tip-up so the dash had a clear view to the sky pretty much all over. I know I'm chasing an RF problem from my EFIS, which may be the cause, but I could move the antenna forward so they would be in the engine compartment and they would work just fine. However, I didn't want to expose them to the engine compartment environment, so I ended up running them out to the wingtip under the glass, where they have been trouble-free. I don't think the cables will allow me to do the same on the -10 so I am planning to have mine on top.