Getting the most out of a hand-held radio?

BellyUpFish

BellyUpFish

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I'm flying a Nieuport 24 and the airport we fly out of is busy enough that knowing what is coming is a nice to have thing.

The Sporty's handheld I'm using can pick up ok, but just barely.

I'm thinking about a new remote antenna for it, just thought I'd see what the hive thought?

Anyone?


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PIck what up? It's easy enough adding an antenna. Are we talking a cloth over wood aircraft? You can build a small dipole and place it in the fuselage behind the pilot. Or you can build a whip and a counterpoise. Jim Wier has almost certainly written articles on both somewhere.
 
I use an iCom handheld in my Luscombe, with an external antenna. Reception is great. Xmit works ok, but I'd prefer something with more power. Perhaps I'd have better range if I flew higher altitudes. It's sufficient for comms in the airport environment.

Edit: I tried it with the rubber ducky antenna at first. Poor transmission, even in the traffic pattern.
 
Pick up traffic in the pattern, approaching the pattern, etc.. 25nm range would be plenty.

Cloth over metal.

Nieuport 24.

247bc4c3fd1dbe2f7a4d4c87b69f172c.jpg



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BellyUpFish said:
Pick up traffic in the pattern, approaching the pattern, etc.. 25nm range would be plenty.

Cloth over metal.

Nieuport 24.

247bc4c3fd1dbe2f7a4d4c87b69f172c.jpg



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Click to expand...

Those always tempted me, if I ever got a second small pattern local area plane those are the top of my list.

I'll second what the others said about a nice internal antenna with a hook up for a handheld with a headset adapter.
 
N659HB said:
I've always admired the Nieuports. Can you give us a pirep?
Click to expand...

This one belongs to a friend who hasn't picked up his TW endorsement yet. Local rental TD is down for good it appears.

It's a great flying little bird. Very much like a Champ. Needs more rudder than a Champ or she'll slide out on you.

This one has a Valley Engineering 2276 100hp on it. Plenty of power.

It feels a bit atypical of other bipes I've flown in that it doesn't seem to want to fall out of the sky when the power is pulled off.

Ground handling is honest, wheel landings are a breeze. 3 pointers are not bad either.

Makes me want to build a D-VIII, but it's a single seat which kinda bums me out.

Drive by 1917 style. So gangster.


4756ded2ad198e9c981cab39ac7ec31b.jpg



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Cloth over metal the frame of the plane is probably a sufficient counterpoise. You can buy or build a whip antenna and attach a little tab somewhere to your metal framing to support it poking out of the fabric.
 
Yeh, that's what I was thinking, but figured I'd run it by the "been there, wearing the shirt" types before I committed.


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I've got an Icom permanently installed in my Fly Baby. Currently, it's using a dipole antenna made from a long piece of coax and some toroids. I regularly hear traffic at airports ~90 miles away. Everyone hears me fine in the traffic pattern. So, yes, ditch the rubber duckie.
fun_meter.jpg

Ron Wanttaja
 
Yeh, looks like the ducky has to go.


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