WINGS AND WHEELS Soaring Supplies
2049 Shadyside Road
Lakewood, NY 14750
Telephone (716)763-3213 Fax (716)763-3214
email: tim@wingsandwheels.com

COMMUNICATION, TRANSPONDER AND ELT ANTENNAS
(Crew Mobile, Base Station, and Aircraft)

Aviation band communications antennas for mobile vehicle, ground and base stations

1/4 WAVE

A single radiating element 1/4 wavelength long.  It is the simplest type of antenna. A loading or matching coil is not required. Typical gain is unity when mounted on a suitable ground plane

5/8 WAVE

A single radiating element 5/8 wavelength long. The 5/8 wave
has the best performance from a single element with 3dBd gain
with a suitable ground plane. Because the end fed impedance
 of the antenna is not suitable for matching the radio, an impedance
 matching coil is used at the base of the radiating element.

Some simplified antenna basics
The basic math for 1/4 wave antenna is quite simple
1/4 wave = 234 divided by frequency or to arrive at a proper antenna length in feet. As an example for 123.5 would be 234 / 123.5 = 1.9 feet x 12 inches = 22.8"....this length should however also take into effect the distance from the ground plane to the antenna mast tip. Considering this though an antenna cut for 118.00 would be 23.88" and one for 136.00 MHz would be 20.64 so the total difference is only just over 3" to cover the entire aviation band and 1/4 wave antennas are fairly tolerant and will function with fair results several MHz off from the "ideal" antenna length.
A 5/8 is an exception, and you MUST have some kind of matching device on the antenna like, a gamma match, or a tuning coil so for these refer to the manufactures data.
Here's a site that offers a quick calculator for 1/4 wave antenna calculations
Amateur Quarter Wave
Ground Plane Antenna Calculator
Ground Plane
Most antenna's require a ground plane, typically a metal surface to mount and ground the base of the antenna (not the center conductor of the antenna!)

For VHF airband communications and ELT antennas (121.5 MhZ) on composite or wooden aircraft an effective, light-weight, ground plane can be formed from radial strips of copper foil or other conductive metals. A doubler may be required to strengthen resistance to impact, vibration, ice, etc. and can serve as connection points for the radials. A ‘doubler’ layer of sheet metal, such as aluminum, can be mounted under the aircraft skin. Alternatively, four or more ‘radials’ fastened to the underside of the fuselage skin can be used to fashion a ground plane. Each radial can be metallic tape, 22 AWG wire, etc. Tape should be at least 1 inch (25.4 mm) wide and each radial 24 inches (60 cm), minimum. The ground plane connects to the shield of the RF antenna connector. Resistance between the ground plane and shield connection should be maintained at 0.003Ω maximum. A star washer should be used between the antenna connector housing and ground plane.

LARSEN SUPER 5/8 Wave
H.D. Magnetic Mount
Crew car antenna by Larsen Electronics 5/8 wave antennas cover narrower frequency bands than 1/4 wave antennas but have longer range and higher output capability. Ideally suited for use within about 3 MHz or less above and below the trimmed length, meaning an antenna trimmed for 123.4 (about 60" length) should provide suitable transmit and recieve use up to about 126.0 MHz and down to about 120.0 MHz and useful but less excellence outside this bandwidth. This one really works great! Field tunable, complete with magnetic base, 12' coax cable w/BNC Connector, frequency matching coil, 64" whip antenna and Simple Instructions.
$79.95

SPECIAL
Larsen 1/4 Wave Magnetic Mounted Crew Vehicle Antenna
1/4 wave antennas are simple and offer wide frequency coverage.
Magnetic mount crew car antenna identical to the Super 5/8 wave antenna but with 1/4 wave whip (22.77") and without the loading coil required for 5/8 wave. Field tunable to provide the best communication between glider and crew, Complete with 12' coax cable,connector and tunable whip. More compact and convenient than 5/8 wave but still a great performing antenna for use with crew vehicle transceivers or handheld radios.
$49.00

HIGH PERFORMANCE
BASE STATION ANTENNA
LARSEN SUPER BASE
Our most popular fixed base station VHF antenna!
Larsen's finest base station antenna.
Custom tuned 5/8 wave to 123.3 - 123.5 works throughout 118.0 - 136.0MHz)
Includes all mounting hardware
Cable and connectors additional
$136.00

 

RA Miller "Antenna Specialists" AV-1 Communications Base Antenna The AV-1 is a base station antenna for communications with ground vehicles or aircraft. It has heavy-duty construction with 3/8" diameter aluminum radials, a 1"diameter aluminum tube radiator, and is iridite-treated for durability. It mounts easily to a 1î diameter pipe or a 1-1/4" O.D. tube with locking set screws. A built-in gap-type lighting arrestor is an important design feature. The antenna requires no additional tuning and is designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 100 mph. $309.00 AV-5 on left, AV-1 on right AV-5 Communications Base Antenna   An economical Ground Plane base station antenna the AV-5 is ideally suited for use with Unicom transceivers and is field tunable for the frequency band desired. Also due to the more compact design and included ground plane the AV-5 is a great choice for use on Fiberglass top Motorhomes when no natural metal grounding is available. The redial arm angle is designed to give optimum VSWR at the tuned frequency. Durably constructed of high quality materials for a long operational life, the antenna is designed to withstand wind-speeds of up to 100 mph. Application: Communications : 118-136 MHz VSWR: 1.5 to 1 Maximum Impedance: 50 Polarization: Vertical Pattern: Omni-directional Connector: Accepts PL-259 Weight:1.0 LB RF Power Capability: 100 Watts Height: 34" $134.00  ANTENNAS FOR INSTALLATION IN AIRCRAFT note: not all antennas listed here have FAA approvals. Additional FAA Approved and TSO'd antennas are also available LARSEN 1/4 wave kit Ideal for external mounting on metal aircraft or internal mounting in composite or wooded structures with suitable ground plane. The 1/4 wave antenna kit is complete with and includes  RG58A/U cable, BNC connector, base, and Q-88 1/4 wave whip antenna mast. This kit makes an easy to install, effective 1/4 wave aircraft antenna for just. $39.95 AIRKIT Airband Ground Independent Dipole The Airkit is a completely ground independent antenna which is designed to be used in a wide variety of applications, such as  (non-certified) kit-build and composite aircraft. This products is not approved as a primary com antenna. Termination is provided to the industry standard BNC female and supplied with 10m of RG58CU coax cable. The Airkit antenna is one of the easiest antenna to install and has a maximum bandwidth of over 3MHz under 1.6 to 1 SWR. The Airkit is made in Australia with Australian parts and is covered by the manufacturers Mobile One 5 year warranty. SPECIFICATIONS: Type Vertical Dipole, Length 870mm, Weight 276 grams, Tuning Factory Preset, Frequency Centered on 127 MHz, Impedance 50 Ohms, Max Power 50 Watts, Pattern Omni Directional, Application Mobile or Base, Vswr 1.6 to 1 $149.00 COAX ANTENNA CABLE RG58C/U BELDEN RG-58C/U MIL-C-17G (8262) Coaxial Cable Stranded tin-coated copper conductor. Diameter .116" recommended for normal communication transceiver installations. $0.66Ft. COAX/RG400  MIL-C-17/128 (RG-400) Coaxial Cable Solid silver-plated copper conductor. Diameter .116" Highest grade Coax cable, recommended for Transponder installations $3.76 ft. Replacement antenna's for handheld transceivers short, flexible antennas (typically 6-7" OAL) are actually long wire 1/4 wave antennas spiral wound to be compact and still maintain 1/4 wave lengths for 118-146 MHz. NAV-151 "Rubber Duck" fits Icom, RHP and other handhelds using BNC (1/4 turn and lock) connection $26.95 or Yaesu (Vertex Standard) SMA threaded screw on type $26.95 GPS Antennas W&W Special compact active GPS antenna with shortened cable. Most GPS remote antennas come with long, (sometimes up to 20') coax cable leads. These should never be coiled as this can cause signal loss and create an RF loop in the signals as well. Additionally, many remote GPS antennas are available only with magnets for vehicle or boat mounting use which can also affect compasses and even some variometers. W&W had these new, non-magnet mounted antennas specially prepared with enough (2' or 8' Cable leads) for most sailplane mounting situations. These W&W special High performance active GPS antennas are suitable for GPS DATA-LOGGERS and any GPS using a BNC type connector. Available with or without magnetic mount base Note: Non-Magnetinc antennas have a screw base for mounting that can be cut off for flush mounting if necessary $69.00 New Super compact GPS Antenna Non-magnetic base so these can be used in panels with little effect on magnetic compasses 1.7” x 1.7” square Non-Magnetic, attached with double-sided tape on bottom of antenna. 12' cable. GPSGM04 1575.4 with  SMA connector type GPSGM05 1575.4 with BNC connector type $69.95 TSO'd Transponder antennas    a Non-TSO'd transponder antenna durably constructed with a chrome-plated phosphor bronze whip set in a teflon insulator. The chrome plated ball tip provides low noise static discharge. Rigid specifications assure reliable performance in all kinds of weather. The antenna operates to speeds of up to 250 mph and altitudes up to 25,000 ft. $39.95 Identical to above but with TSO $139.95 ANTENNA/TRANSPONDER W/BNC CONN (AV-22) 1030 to 1090 MHz - Meets TSO C74c The AV-22 is a transponder antenna which utilizes a "BNC" connector that allows for a smaller mounting hole. The antenna is designed to operate at speeds up to 350 mph and altitudes up to 50,000 ft. It has a drag force of 0.41 lb @ 250 mph. $59.95 TRANSPONDER STUB ANTENNA (CI-101) Mfr Part No CI 101 Meets TSO C74c Transponder antenna with top loaded stub monopole. Antenna radiator is mechanically captivated and is machined from solid brass for impact resistance. Contact points are made from beryllium copper. Metallic parts are plated with bright nickel for corrosion protection. Mounts through a single 0.600" diameter mounting hole. $129.00 Composite/Metal Blade combination Transponder/DME antennas from Comant Industries On Left, Comant CI-100 mounts from below with up to 6 screws or machine screws has BNC connector flush to base. Base measures 5 1/4" long, 1 3/4" wide with overall height of 2". List price $264.00 ----- W&W Price $239.00 On Right, Comant CI-105-9 is a 2 stud mount base with short Coax cable and BNC connector. Smaller base at 4" long x 1" wide with a blade height of just 3 /14". List price $287.00 ----- W&W Price $245.00 Transponder antennas (non TSO'd) TRANSPONDER ANTENNA/STUB/BNC (104-12) Transponder Antenna - Stub BNC Connection ADVANCED AIRCRAFT ELECTRONICS, INC. ABOUT THE PRODUCTS These antennas are designed using the latest engineering technology.  Laboratory measurements show them to have better electrical characteristics than currently available products.  The unanimous reports from pilots who have been using them confirm that they outperform everything now available on the market. L2 Transponder antenna $99.00 5T and 5I Communications, NAV and ELT antennas $149.00 FLEXIBLE! These antennas can be formed to fit on some surfaces less than perfectly flat, though they should never be looped as pictured or beyond the recommended limits as described in installation instructions. For navigation the antenna should be mounted near horizontal, and for communications and ELT use should be at or near vertical up to a maximum recommended angle of 45 degrees from the ideal. ANTENNA USES & AIRCRAFT COMPATIBILITY NO Ground Plane . . . These antennas are designed to operate with the modern radios that are installed in today's composite airframes.  Just bond them in and connect the coax cable, don't use a ground plane.  Seal them into the structure, they last the life of the airframe. One antenna model works for communication, navigation, and for ELT (Three antennas in the aircraft, but all the same design), and this design is tolerant to installation errors.  They will work in metal airframes when a plastic or fiberglass wing tip or similar plastic component has been available to provide the mounting structure. This antenna is ideal for restorations of antique and classic aircraft when you don't want an exposed whip antenna. For navigation the antenna should be mounted near horizontal, and for communications and ELT use should be at or near vertical up to a maximum recommended angle of 45 degrees from the ideal. Antenna is 45" OAL x 1" wide + connections.  *Sailplane ELT Antenna  A simple solution to antenna installations in many sailplanes can be accomplished with  the use of a "Rubber Duck" antenna similar to those used on most handheld transceivers.  The Nav-151 Flexible rubber antenna 118-136mzh with BNC is one of the smallest at just 6" OAL.  simply run coax cable from the ELT to any surface, attach a surface mount BNC female connector (preferably through a metal sheet for ground plane and add the antenna. This can be inside a fiberglass, wood or fabric fuselage or mounted with a clear view through canopy of carbon designs.  Nav-151 Flexible rubber antenna 118-136mzh with BNC Just $28.00  RG58C/U coax cable $.50 per foot  BNC Surface connector (Crimp type) $5.00 BNC Male (crimp or solder) $4.95  * note: this may not be suitable for installations that require certification,  but ELT's are not required in sailplanes and can use this for an added safety feature.       ARTEX Flexible Dipole antenna  for emergency 121.5/243 MHz ELT frequency Many sailplanes simply don’t have room for the fixed antenna used with most ELT’s. W&W discovered a Flexible Dipole antenna specially tuned for ELT use that makes installation simple and effective. Manufactured by ARTEX $108.00

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