rvmills
Well Known Member
Recently Don Pansier of Delta Pop Aviation asked if I would test fly and review his newest blade transponder antenna. I happily agreed, and I have nothing but great things to say about the antenna.
I’ve recently been running a Comant 105, after replacing my TED antenna in search of lower drag and more speed. My first impression of Don’s new design is that it’s a sleeker and thinner blade with very smooth lines. The mounting pattern is identical to the Comant 105, so the swap required no drilling, and took just minutes.
Here are a few pictures of the antenna, side-by-side with a Comant 105, and mounted on the plane.
DP foreground, Comant behind:
Head-on, DP on right:
From above, DP on right:
Nose on, DP behind:
Mounted on the belly:
Here’s one of the Comant (L), a TED, and the DP (R):
Believe it or not, a typical TED antenna reportedly has about 4 times the drag of a typical blade antenna. That data is taken from a soaring website that compared a RAMI rod & ball antenna (0.41 lbs drag) to a RAMI blade antenna (0.09 lbs drag) (both measured at 250 mph).
I did speed tests before and after I swapped the DP in for the Comant, and saw no speed difference between the two blades (just one 4-way test each, FWIW). However, going from the TED to a blade last year did seem to yield a little speed, but I was swapping multiple antennas and doing multiple experiments, so I can’t attribute specific gains to the blade…there may just be some small incremental advantage to a blade (I’m hopin’!)
Don’s blade is slightly taller, with a slightly larger base footprint, but as mentioned above, it’s noticeably thinner and has smoother contours. One thing I can give a very positive report on is its performance. On my recent trip to Taylor, Texas for the SARL race there, and then back to Reno via Phoenix, I had great coverage with ATC (flight following through or around several MOAs and into one Class B), and my Monroy traffic watch worked normally. Great results for this sleek antenna!
This new antenna is not yet up on Don’s website, but if it’s priced as competitively as his other antennas, this looks like a great buy…and it just looks kinda cool too! It definitely looks faster!![Big grin :D :D](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Thanks for the opportunity to test this antenna Don…looks like a winner to me!
Cheers,
Bob
I’ve recently been running a Comant 105, after replacing my TED antenna in search of lower drag and more speed. My first impression of Don’s new design is that it’s a sleeker and thinner blade with very smooth lines. The mounting pattern is identical to the Comant 105, so the swap required no drilling, and took just minutes.
Here are a few pictures of the antenna, side-by-side with a Comant 105, and mounted on the plane.
DP foreground, Comant behind:
![DPoblq.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F_YJjY_iLdt5M%2FTaEvsgPHXMI%2FAAAAAAAAAF0%2FQB7lgPaisf8%2Fs800%2FDPoblq.jpg&hash=9ffed39d1a91e5b91058bbc67100e0a5)
Head-on, DP on right:
![DPsbs%20ho.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F_YJjY_iLdt5M%2FTaEvzeN9MsI%2FAAAAAAAAAF8%2FD9Oemb3eJL4%2Fs800%2FDPsbs%2520ho.jpg&hash=ac654764c181afc020ea9dbbf6fb7df7)
From above, DP on right:
![DPohd.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F_YJjY_iLdt5M%2FTaExltQ45tI%2FAAAAAAAAAGI%2FFaO6RCtiOdE%2Fs800%2FDPohd.jpg&hash=736ea956f9c1cea0308a4a781e830439)
Nose on, DP behind:
![DPFB%20ho.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F_YJjY_iLdt5M%2FTaEx1LJLEEI%2FAAAAAAAAAGU%2FECaHZxVsU1w%2Fs800%2FDPFB%2520ho.jpg&hash=ad8786277ab682d5be19e6ecf0fefdd9)
Mounted on the belly:
![DPon%20plane.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F_YJjY_iLdt5M%2FTaEx2DCb0YI%2FAAAAAAAAAGY%2FmYV5rIKUmrc%2Fs800%2FDPon%2520plane.jpg&hash=f1ae1c0c53acdf6dfcc0bf06b11a8b66)
Here’s one of the Comant (L), a TED, and the DP (R):
![DPsbs%203%20ant.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F_YJjY_iLdt5M%2FTaEyCCJSo0I%2FAAAAAAAAAGc%2FHzDJxd4wENY%2Fs800%2FDPsbs%25203%2520ant.jpg&hash=24f757dfe319e02d5783746d6092786c)
Believe it or not, a typical TED antenna reportedly has about 4 times the drag of a typical blade antenna. That data is taken from a soaring website that compared a RAMI rod & ball antenna (0.41 lbs drag) to a RAMI blade antenna (0.09 lbs drag) (both measured at 250 mph).
I did speed tests before and after I swapped the DP in for the Comant, and saw no speed difference between the two blades (just one 4-way test each, FWIW). However, going from the TED to a blade last year did seem to yield a little speed, but I was swapping multiple antennas and doing multiple experiments, so I can’t attribute specific gains to the blade…there may just be some small incremental advantage to a blade (I’m hopin’!)
Don’s blade is slightly taller, with a slightly larger base footprint, but as mentioned above, it’s noticeably thinner and has smoother contours. One thing I can give a very positive report on is its performance. On my recent trip to Taylor, Texas for the SARL race there, and then back to Reno via Phoenix, I had great coverage with ATC (flight following through or around several MOAs and into one Class B), and my Monroy traffic watch worked normally. Great results for this sleek antenna!
This new antenna is not yet up on Don’s website, but if it’s priced as competitively as his other antennas, this looks like a great buy…and it just looks kinda cool too! It definitely looks faster!
Thanks for the opportunity to test this antenna Don…looks like a winner to me!
Cheers,
Bob
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