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VHF comm antenna in baggage area ?

jamcgee1978

jamcgee1978

Active Member
I am currently installing the Airwards access panels in the rear baggage floor. I had originally planned comm antenna locations to be under the seats following what others have done but access is damn tight in there. Having now installed the step access panels I wanted to ask is there any reason not to place them below this access panel? Would the step interfere with the signal ?

Thanks and happy holidays from across the pond in Scotland
James






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I don't know if this applies to the RV10 or not, but in the two place RV aircraft (6,7,9 etc.) if your COM radio's are installed or mounted forward of the wing spar, consider that you will need to run the antenna coax thru, or over the wing spar to get from the COM radio to the antenna and there are limited pass thru locations for this. Otherwise, there should be no concern with mounting the COM antenna's in that location as long as the normal antenna requirements for spacing and ground plane are met.
 
There shouldn't be any metal next to the antenna within one foot (the near field of the antenna).
 
I mount the comm antennas on the belly under the tunnel, aft of the main spar. The antenna backing plates gets a joggle so that one edge shares the rib to bottom skin rivets. This moves the forward antenna to the left edge of the tunnel, the aft antenna to the right edge. Doing so eliminates interference with the other tunnel components.

I like this arrangement as it provides easy access.

Carl
 
Carl - Do you have a pic of this? or a link to your builders log? I'd like to take a closer look.

Thanks,
Brad
 
Carl, Sounds good. I appreciate it!

I liked the idea of putting one of my comm antennas behind the aft wing spar, but when I mocked it up, I wasn't keen on the space by the push rod. I still have the bottom skin only cleco'd on. I moved on to working on the forward tunnel section. I also like the idea of putting a 2480 or 2580 antenna on the top of the tail cone for the other comm.
 
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