[jump4way]

Is there any good reason that a bent whip antenna such as the one at THIS link would not work as a top mount? I sure prefer the bent whip if all things are equal.

 

[rv9av8tr]

Comm Antenna down...

I would think if mounted on top of the fuse, you could/would get signal shadowing.

 

[John Clark]

Communication antenna

Mike is correct, a top mount antenna isn't very effective in the air. Many airliners have both top and bottom antennas with dedicated comm radios. The top antenna works great on the ground and not that well in the air, the bottom works very well in the air.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

 

[Mel]

If you are planning to mount the antenna on top, a straight whip will work better. The only reason a bent whip is bent is for ground clearance. Vertical polarization works much better.

 

[jump4way]

Thanks for the feedback. I had a feeling the bent whip might not work well from above.

 

[Greg Arehart]

On the other side of this coin, I put a bent whip on the top of my 9A and have had no problems in 110 hours. Nobody has compained that they couldn't hear me or vice versa.

just another data point....

greg