Garmin GPS Ground Plane Compliance

[CharlieWaffles]

I am wondering how many people are ensuring there is the recommended ground plane around the Garmin GPS antenna? On the -10 the antennas are typically installed on the canopy top which is fiberglass. Are people adding foil tape or other ground plane as recommended by Gamin?

[vic syracuse]

I installed mine on the aluminum tailcone aft of the fiberglass turtle deck. Works great.

[Brantel]

I can tell you this...originally I installed mine under the cowl with little to no ground plane. It worked....

Later I installed a bigger ground plane and the signal levels definately increased.

[CharlieWaffles]

Interesting, Garmin recommends that you can use this 3M #438 aluminum foil tape to create the ground plane. I wonder how you coat this though? I would be worried a fiberglass layer over the top would just pull off of the tape once the tape delaminates.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=AS0K3MKEU5H24

[Brantel]

I think the glass plane builders use some kind of metal mesh?

[CharlieWaffles]

I wonder if I can just install a think metal plane on the backside of the canopy on the inside of my overhead console that fits the groundplane requirements - or close to it, it's just separated by a inch or so of foam and fiberglass. Not sure if the ground plane needs to be right at the base of the antenna.

[CharlieWaffles]

I thought this topic had come up before, and sure enough I even responded to it, so this doesn't need to be beaten up unless someone has something new to add.

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=88457