Scale Antenna's

[Russell Bear]

I have been researching scale pictures and am looking for an antenna that will not take away from the look of the boat but still retain the radio signal. I use the Bru-line housing on all my other boats but I don't want that white tube sticking out of the radio box. I am also looking at the Dean's type but again, I don't want it to be that visible.

I noticed on some boats there is a long thin wire being used as the antenna. It can barely be seen. What are the specs on using this type of antenna? Pros/Cons?

Is anyone out there completely hiding their antenna by routing it inside the hull and not using a housing at all? I am interested in seeing what people are using. Send pictures if you got them.

Thanks........

 

[hgatjens]

On my new Budweiser T-3 I have installed one of the spectrum receiver units. You can trim the antenna to just over 3". Using one of the Dubro tube units we are mounting this so that it sticks up, but under the canopy. We are putting a small hole it the top of the canopy where the antenna sits on the real boat. A tiny bit of the white tube will stick out the and integrate into the fake antenna.

I haven't run it yet, but the same antenna, on my old boat, while on the outside of the cockpit, only goes to the same heigth.

Harry M. Gatjens

1994 Miss Budweiser T-3

http://rcunlimiteds.org

 

[Russell Bear]

Harry, you only have 2 posts. What do you know about scale hydroplanes..... :lol: :lol: :lol: Just KIDDING!!!! Your the man!

I'll be using 75MHz FM, so I will need to keep the antenna the original length. Do you know what I'm talking about on the small wire antenna's? Don Mock has them on a few of his. (On the video) I just want it hidden as much as possible.

Thanks........

 

[[email protected]]

Russell,

I have that set up on my tunnel. It works great and it's near invisable. Those are the pros. The con is you need to cut your antenna wire and solder it to the inner antenna unit.

 

[Russell Bear]

Russell,
I have that set up on my tunnel.  It works great and it's near invisable.  Those are the pros.  The con is you need to cut your antenna wire and solder it to the inner antenna unit.

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I don't mind cutting the antenna. Where can this setup be found?

 

[hgatjens]

Yes, he and I are teammates. I will take some pics for you and do a measurement.

Post it here after this weekend's Seafair race.

Harry

 

[Watercadet]

Is this what you are talking about Russel?

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXK821&P=0

I have one on a 3.5 tunnel (27 mHz FM) and it is glitch free. The wire is super fine, but it is 12" long. The base for the rigid wire is threaded so when you take it to concourse just unscrew it and put it back on for the heats.

 

[shoboat]

Russell,

We are using the Hayes in our SAW boat, and we have had great success

so far @ 91 MPH. :lol:

Good Luck,

Mark Sholund

 

[Don Ferrette]

On my new Budweiser T-3 I have installed one of the spectrum receiver units. You can trim the antenna to just over 3". Using one of the Dubro tube units we are mounting this so that it sticks up, but under the canopy. We are putting a small hole it the top of the canopy where the antenna sits on the real boat. A tiny bit of the white tube will stick out the and integrate into the fake antenna.
I haven't run it yet, but the same antenna, on my old boat, while on the outside of the cockpit, only goes to the same heigth.

Harry M. Gatjens

1994 Miss Budweiser T-3

http://rcunlimiteds.org

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Harry please be VERY cautious when you run that Spectrum unit. There have been numerous range issues with the current ones as they are intended for the r/c car guys. Spectrum is supposed to be releasing a longer range version but as far as I know it is not available yet. I last heard not until late September.

 

[Russell Bear]

Is this what you are talking about Russel?http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXK821&P=0

I have one on a 3.5 tunnel (27 MHz FM) and it is glitch free. The wire is super fine, but it is 12" long. The base for the rigid wire is threaded so when you take it to concourse just unscrew it and put it back on for the heats.

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Cool. I never seen that one before. Will it work on 75MHz FM as well. That might do it if it does. The one I saw on Don's boat looks to be about 24" long and very thin.

Thanks.........

 

[Russell Bear]

Yes, he and I are teammates. I will take some pics for you and do a measurement.
Post it here after this weekend's Seafair race.

Harry

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Thanks Harry, I look forward to hearing from ya.

 

[P THOMAS]

Octura make a nice brass mount for a wire antenna it can be mounted thru the radio box. There is a hole for the wire antenna and is held with a set screw. On the inside it has a screw to attach the reciever antenna lead. As long as the total lenght of the wire and cut off reciever lead are the same as the original it is in tune.

 

[Russell Bear]

Octura make a nice  brass mount for a wire antenna it can be mounted thru the  radio box.  There is a hole for the wire antenna and is held with a set screw. On the inside it has a screw  to attach the reciever antenna lead.  As long as the total lenght of the wire and cut off reciever lead are the same as the original  it is in tune.

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Basically it sounds like if I can make a mount and keep the same antenna length with a wire, then I will be OK. The Deans is the only one that you would change the length correct?

Thanks.......

 

[LOU]

Harry please be VERY cautious when you run that Spectrum unit. There have been numerous range issues with the current ones as they are intended for the r/c car guys. Spectrum is supposed to be releasing a longer range version but as far as I know it is not available yet. I last heard not until late September.

Hi Don, Where did you here this? I talked with Horizon Support this morning and he said he has heard nothing about this.

Thanks

Pete

 

[hgatjens]

Well several of us in the club have been running them (The Spektrum setups) all season at all of our courses and no one has had a problem.

It might be worthwhile for me to do some long range testing at one of our sites where there are "soft" landing areas though.

Thanks for the heads up.

As for the dubro unit you are talking about, yes, that is what Don uses on the Atlas. He cuts off the antenna wire on the receiver and then uses a roach clip type clip to attach it. I'll have to see how cautious he is about the overall length.

He has been using the system for as long as we have been racing together (17 years) and I don't believe I have ever seen him have a reecption issue.

 

[tracerbob]

What about the Deans antenna. Anybody using those?

 

[Russell Bear]

What about the Deans antenna.  Anybody using those?

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This is where I heard about the Deans antenna. I was shying away from these because of the white antenna that will stick out of the hull and I didn't want to go that route. Then, watercadet mentioned he just removes the antenna shaft from the base of the Hayes type and I looked a little closer at the Deans and it also has a removable antenna shaft. This might be the way to go.

 

[Yves Laberge]

Hello, you can use a thin piano wire for your antenna, you cut the wire to the lengh you want, maybe 12`` or 15``, and you cut the same lengh on the receiver antenna, you mount the wire on the transom of the boat, or anywhere you want and weld the antenna to the wire. impossible to see when the boat is runnig.

Yves.

 

[Don Ferrette]

Harry please be VERY cautious when you run that Spectrum unit. There have been numerous range issues with the current ones as they are intended for the r/c car guys. Spectrum is supposed to be releasing a longer range version but as far as I know it is not available yet. I last heard not until late September.

Hi Don, Where did you here this? I talked with Horizon Support this morning and he said he has heard nothing about this.

Thanks

Pete

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Actually I think there was a previous thread here on I/W about this. :blink:

 

[hgatjens]

Here is a little web page that shows the Octura Mount on Don Mock's Atlas

http://gatjens.com/cockpit/atlas.htm