Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Other Technical Questions... => Topic started by: hopeitfloats on September 28, 2009, 11:15:15 am
-
what are you guys thoughts on mounting radio aerials. i would like to mount it inside a fibreglass hull but not sure whether that may block or partly block the transmitter signals. {:-{
-
The aerials on my boats are fixed around the hull just below deck level. I thread the aerial through short lengths of plastic tubing glued to the fibreglass. That way if you need to take the aerial out again you can pull in a length of cord with it and re-installation is easy. I've never had any problems with range at all. HTH, Douglas
-
Fibreglass is transparent to radio. Just keep the aerial above water level, as water is not completely transparent.
-
All my receiver cables are mounted around the inside face of my coamings, passed through short lengths of tube.
Signal is OK for as far as I need it. ie boat to far away to see almost. :-))
-
I have only one boat/tug left on 40mhz now and the aerial was always routed around the coaming abover water level obviously, it as been like like that for the last twelve months up until yesterday when it started to cut in and out? Re-routed the aerial so it travels up the main mast and now works fine again, did a range check with the transmitter aerial down and it was fine?
My only thought is that there is some overwhelming signal from something/somewhere that interferes as i am the only one on that frequency?
Russ
-
hopeitfloats I try and keep the Rx away from all the other running items in the boat. Ariel cable straight up to below the deck ( as mentioned above water level) and carry on in a straight line done the side of the boat. Also can go up the way if you wish. Its a case of getting as much ariel to pick up the singal form the Tx as possible.
6705russell Are you saying you have radio problems on the water at a distance ?
-
thank you all. i was going to do as westcoater said and thread it through a plastic tube under the deck. may seem a dumb question but would the radio make/model be likely to have any effect, as in do some makes perform better than others in this situation. my set is a futaba 4EX-FM.
-
Mine are all Futaba, no bother. :-))
-
Seaspray,
It started to do it when it was only 5-6 metres from the jetty, strange because i have never had any problems before, i know a couple of the other members have a spot of trouble in a certain area of the lake about 10 metres out, like theres a dead spot?
Russ
-
thanks dickyd. i was hoping that would be the answer :}
-
Hi Russ
If everybody is getting the same problem in that given area(s). It could be as you suggested a dead spot.
You could prove the point by moving your position on the edge of the water say up or down 10 yards if possable ( transmit from a different angle. The biggest problem. I've found on radio failure is dead or bad batteries even the rechargeable ones, and connections. A top to toe inspection is always worth it.
I have Futaba radios too. 27 and 40 MHz no prob except when the time I forgot to put up the ariel on the Tx. Got 12 feet from the bank and panicked. Just remember this, I had intermittent radio failure due to Maplin rechargeable batteries. The top positive connection on these batteries is shorter than Ross's batteries and the maplin one were moving in the Tx which caused a gap between the contacts on the Tx and the battery
hopeitfloats Sorry 4 highjacking the thread.
-
Could also be in a spot where reflected signals cancel incident signals travelling direct to the aerial.........
A small movement along the bank would nullify this.
Rex
-
That as well.