Long Receiver Antenna - Cut it off? :-)

What do you do with a receiver antenna that is too long? I know NOT to cut it. Also, it "can't" be folded back on itself, cant be coiled up, should'nt run along the metal boom, and most importantly, CAN'T be left danlging out the back.

So, what do you do with it?

ANY suggestions would be appreciated. How do you have yours arranged?

Thank you,

Jesse

[colin]

How long exactly is your antenae?

http://www.helifever.com/images/bell222-1.jpg

Take a look at the above pic. I joined the antenna to a rubberband, and tied the rubberband to the tail fin.

My antenna is slightly over 3 feet. It stretches just past the rear tail fin. I think I can probably tie it up similar to yours so that it does not run against the metal boom and stays out of the way.



Jesse

[darren_uk]

3 feet seems rather long - maybe it's sold "more than enough" to be trimmed as required?

I'm like Colin: the antenna reaches about 3 inches (approx 8cm?) from the tailboom, and then there's a rubber band stretching from it to the tail fin. Not my idea, done by the guy who set up my helicopter, Dick Wallinger of Midland Helicopters.

I would never cut the wire. I understand that the radio is tuned to the length you get. I have my antenna routed round my boom supports.

I would never never never adjust the length of a receiver!!!

[rotorz]

JHP is correct about the antenna lenght, DO NOT CUT IT, the antenna is part of the first tuned circuit of your reciever. I know thats a bit dramatic but if you consider that an actual resonant antenna at 35Mhz is long enough for fly by wire three feet is a tiny proportion and reliant on the RX tuned circuits to work at all.

This compromise is in part also overcome by the small distances that we put between tx and rx, usually a few hundreds of yards at best and even less for most heli pilots.

I have some of my antenna tied to the tail fin with an elastic band, nearly all pass through the outer of a cotroll snake that is fixed to the skids, scale is a different issue as there are usually loads of places that you can hide the wire.

What ever you do, don't forget to do the necassary range test at your flying site. it will save you from looking silly and make flying safer.
Happy Landings

[darren_uk]

Is it OK to double back a long antenna on itself? I was looking at my Shuttle and when Midland Helicopters tidied it up they made a loop in the end of the wire by doubling the wire back on itself by a couple of centimetres, sliding a short piece of fuel line to form a loop, then using an elastic band tied to this loop and attached the other end to the tail rotor.

I was just thinking of the 3 feet wire: perhaps he could do the same (but the doubling back, hence the loop, would be greater).

Then I figured would there be problems (I don't know, interference patterns or something) with doubling the wire on itself like this?

[rotorz]

Hi Darren-uk
Yes this is a fairly standard way to fix the antenna.
I don't have to many problems with lenght these days as the smallest heli is a Sceadu 50. I route my antenna through a piece of fuel tube to bring it outside the canopy which plugs nicely onto a piece of control snake outer that is fixed to the skids.
This takes a lot of the strain and hence does not pull on the rx, if the antenna is a little long you can then mount the snake forward of the front skid which makes the path of antenna at the front follow a lose "Z" I have not been able to find any difference when range testing.
Interference is another subject but metal to metal contact is a nightmare, I had a of aluminium weld drop lose inside my silencer that caused some interesting flight patterns, be afraid.

I do not like the commercially available short antenna, they do seem to work however, it is just a personal thing, I felt more secure using the standard lenght.
Happy Landings