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Diamond RH77CA for MGL VH6

 
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N804RV



Joined: 20 Aug 2013
Posts: 6
Location: Mount Vernon, WA

PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 10:08 am    Post subject: Diamond RH77CA for MGL VH6 Reply with quote

I have a tube and fabric EAB aircraft that currently has no radio. It also has no convenient surface for mounting a traditional antenna, so it won't be a simple task. I want to install an MGL VH6 radio and a simple antenna set up. I've seen gliders rig homemade half wave length antennas that are taped to the inside of their canopies. Was wondering if the little 1/4 wavelength (2 meter) Diamond antenna that I just happen to have would work for this application, if I mounted it to the inside of the canopy rail in a vertical orientation. I know the antenna isn't perfectly matched. But, its rated for 10 watts/50 Ohms and the VH6 puts out 6 Watts nominal. Its gotta be better than a handheld with the short rubber-ducky, right?

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 12:50 pm    Post subject: Diamond RH77CA for MGL VH6 Reply with quote

The antenna is tuned for 146MHz. When operating in the lower part of the
aircraft band (118MHz), the antenna will be way out of tune. The VSWR
may be 2:1 or higher, reflecting a fair deal of the 6W back into the
output stage of your VH6. Besides risk of damaging the output stage, you
may observe 'weirdness' such as interference on instruments and headset
noise. If you really want to try, get a local ham to borrow a VSWR meter
and check.

On 9/14/2017 8:08 PM, N804RV wrote:
Quote:


I have a tube and fabric EAB aircraft that currently has no radio. It also has no convenient surface for mounting a traditional antenna, so it won't be a simple task. I want to install an MGL VH6 radio and a simple antenna set up. I've seen gliders rig homemade half wave length antennas that are taped to the inside of their canopies. Was wondering if the little 1/4 wavelength (2 meter) Diamond antenna that I just happen to have would work for this application, if I mounted it to the inside of the canopy rail in a vertical orientation. I know the antenna isn't perfectly matched. But, its rated for 10 watts/50 Ohms and the VH6 puts out 6 Watts nominal. Its gotta be better than a handheld with the short rubber-ducky, right?

--------
Ken W.
N804RV(reserved)
RV-8 Empennage in work


Read this topic online here:

http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=472877#472877




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ceengland7(at)gmail.com
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 1:52 pm    Post subject: Diamond RH77CA for MGL VH6 Reply with quote

I'd hope that since the VH6 is a relatively new design, it would protect
itself from damage (just about all modern radios do that). It would
still be inefficient, but so is a rubber ducky.

A better option might be to just roll your own. 1/4 wave whips are
stupid simple to make, and the ground plane can be anything from nothing
(poor performance) to 3 or 4 radial arms roughly the same length as the
whip, to a disc of metal with the same radius as the whip. The whip can
be virtually any metal object, but wider (fatter) strips will tune over
a wider band than skinny strips like thin wire. A couple of adel clamps
slid around the fuselage tubing and screwed to the metal disc can
provide mounting.

It isn't a sure thing, but many rag/tube builders have mounted the
entire antenna inside the fuselage and reported adequate performance. If
you don't need 50 mile range (who really does?), then build one, duct
tape it in the back of the fuselage, and go flying to see how well it works.

https://www.google.com/search?q=diy+aircraft+comm+antenna&oq=diy+aircraft+comm+antenna&aqs=chrome..69i57.8849j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

A half-wave can be almost as simple to make, but tougher to mount in a
rag/tube fuselage.

Antennas are a black art, but they ain't rocket surgery. You'd be amazed
at what works 'good enough'. And better is the enemy of....

Charlie

On 9/14/2017 3:48 PM, Rob Turk wrote:
Quote:


The antenna is tuned for 146MHz. When operating in the lower part of
the aircraft band (118MHz), the antenna will be way out of tune. The
VSWR may be 2:1 or higher, reflecting a fair deal of the 6W back into
the output stage of your VH6. Besides risk of damaging the output
stage, you may observe 'weirdness' such as interference on instruments
and headset noise. If you really want to try, get a local ham to
borrow a VSWR meter and check.

On 9/14/2017 8:08 PM, N804RV wrote:
>
>
> I have a tube and fabric EAB aircraft that currently has no radio. 
> It also has no convenient surface for mounting a traditional antenna,
> so it won't be a simple task.  I want to install an MGL VH6 radio and
> a simple antenna set up.  I've seen gliders rig homemade half wave
> length antennas that are taped to the inside of their canopies.  Was
> wondering if the little 1/4 wavelength (2 meter) Diamond antenna that
> I just happen to have would work for this application, if I mounted
> it to the inside of the canopy rail in a vertical orientation.  I
> know the antenna isn't perfectly matched.  But, its rated for 10
> watts/50 Ohms and the VH6 puts out 6 Watts nominal.  Its gotta be
> better than a handheld with the short rubber-ducky, right?
>
> --------
> Ken W.
> N804RV(reserved)
> RV-8 Empennage in work


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user9253



Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1906
Location: Riley TWP Michigan

PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 4:12 pm    Post subject: Re: Diamond RH77CA for MGL VH6 Reply with quote

A com antenna should be somewhere between 22 and 23 inches long. Bob N has directions for making your own antenna:
http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/Antennas/DIY_Comm_Ant/DIY_Comm.html


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 6:14 pm    Post subject: Diamond RH77CA for MGL VH6 Reply with quote

What is the rail made of, any metal near?
If metal you could ruin the output of the radio.
Sent from my iPhone

Quote:
On Sep 14, 2017, at 3:48 PM, Rob Turk <matronics(at)rtist.nl> wrote:



The antenna is tuned for 146MHz. When operating in the lower part of the aircraft band (118MHz), the antenna will be way out of tune. The VSWR may be 2:1 or higher, reflecting a fair deal of the 6W back into the output stage of your VH6. Besides risk of damaging the output stage, you may observe 'weirdness' such as interference on instruments and headset noise. If you really want to try, get a local ham to borrow a VSWR meter and check.

> On 9/14/2017 8:08 PM, N804RV wrote:
>
>
> I have a tube and fabric EAB aircraft that currently has no radio. It also has no convenient surface for mounting a traditional antenna, so it won't be a simple task. I want to install an MGL VH6 radio and a simple antenna set up. I've seen gliders rig homemade half wave length antennas that are taped to the inside of their canopies. Was wondering if the little 1/4 wavelength (2 meter) Diamond antenna that I just happen to have would work for this application, if I mounted it to the inside of the canopy rail in a vertical orientation. I know the antenna isn't perfectly matched. But, its rated for 10 watts/50 Ohms and the VH6 puts out 6 Watts nominal. Its gotta be better than a handheld with the short rubber-ducky, right?
>
> --------
> Ken W.
> N804RV(reserved)
> RV-8 Empennage in work
>
>
>
>
> Read this topic online here:
>
> http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=472877#472877
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>






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