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Mounting VOR antenna on the vstab

A

andrepew

Member
I've decided to mount my VOR antenna on the vertical stabilizer of my RV-10 build for a combo of aesthetic and technical reasons.

The nice part of this decision is I haven't assembled the vstab yet so it is super easy to add nutplates, doublers n junk.

The question is, how should I go about mounting it? Should I bother with a doubler on the top rib where I am adding the nutplates and a hole for the antenna connector to pass through?

Also, I need to cut a notch for the antenna elements on the rib flange and the skin. The antenna must be inserted as a unit with the elements attached so just a hole won't work. Since it is passing through a section with a rib flange, I assume the rib itself can serve as a doubler to prevent skin damage?

Anyone have any notes on how they did their install in this location?

Edit: it is one of these https://www.steinair.com/product/glideslope-dipole-antenna/
 
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Anyenna

I put mine there. Yes on the doubler. Yes on nut plates. Run a wire terminated with a BNC connector to allow removal of the stab if necessary.

The whips on my antenna are threaded, so slots were not necessary. I put two holes in the flange. Installed the puck and then threaded the whips into the puck. Worked fine.
 
rocketman1988 said:
I put mine there. Yes on the doubler. Yes on nut plates. Run a wire terminated with a BNC connector to allow removal of the stab if necessary.

The whips on my antenna are threaded, so slots were not necessary. I put two holes in the flange. Installed the puck and then threaded the whips into the puck. Worked fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response! the whips on mine are threaded as well, but there are grub screws as well to prevent them from backing out that don't seem accessible once the puck is nested in the rib.

I have a spare rib from the laser cutting situation that I suppose I should do some test drilling/fitting on to see if I can get away with just holes. Maybe there is a way to angle the puck out just enough to get access to the grub screws.
 
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No need for grub screws

I did the same as Rocketman. The holes in my fin have grommets, and the antenna rods are a snug fit. Still there after several hundred hours.
 
Yes

andrepew said:
Thanks for the response! the whips on mine are threaded as well, but there are grub screws as well to prevent them from backing out that don't seem accessible once the puck is nested in the rib.

I have a spare rib from the laser cutting situation that I suppose I should do some test drilling/fitting on to see if I can get away with just holes. Maybe there is a way to angle the puck out just enough to get access to the grub screws.
Click to expand...

I had enough room to get to the grub screws once installed
 
My VOR/ ILS antennas are glassed into the bottom of the cowl and the other antenna is in the wing tips. They work fine (I never traced the coax to find out which is which). Someone sells these for experimentals. Just another option other than the eye poker vertical stab mount.
 
Too many years ago to be sure but I think I made a mount that the antenna sat on and the mount screwed in place. The fairing was trimmed to fit.

I always meant to turn it around after ensuring it wouldn’t hit the rudder but never did.
 

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Same here to all of the above - puck mounted to nutplates right on top of the doubler, with cuts in the fiberglass fairings. Also, like others, I mounted the antennae facing forward. Even at close to max speed, it works great. No problems with flutter or any vibration that I know of.
 
same only different

I mounted mine on the rib of the vertical stab but my "whiskers" are pointing aft. Probably gained around .0213 mph that way.
And since my RV9 is a taildragger if I don't consciously think about them I darn near poke my eye out every time I'm walking around the tail but the install does work perfectly.
danny
RV9 with a bunch of old stuff installed
 
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