2.4 Radio Antenna

[Ron Zaker Jr]

Has anyone ever made a full range check comparison? Antenna in the box, out of the box, tip bent 180*, tip straight.

with the antenna coming out you will need a cell phone with your helper to range check.

 

[Terry Keeley]

I tested a Futaba FASST system a few years back, gave up after 1/2 mile.

 

[RonShaw]

Don,

I was just sharing another perspective to look at?

I did not say it was right or wrong?

I have wired a lot of high and low voltage equipment in my lifetime,

and I do not think this is going to hurt the receiver wire.

Merry Christmas,

Mark Sholund

Hi Mark,

Your post kinda comes across as a bit more the "sharing another perspective" especially the second part-

I just bend the wire like we have with all the other radio antennas, it works fine for me,

don't believe everything you read.

The coaxial lead in the 2.4 antennas (all of them not just Futaba) is fragile compared to the old school stranded wire stuff we've used for years. Even though it might "work fine" for you it goes against what manufacturers recommend and I wouldn't want to see an issue occur for someone from doing this and breaking the lead from bending it too sharply under an antenna cap. Keep in mind that only the last inch is the actual antenna and the rest is just a leader so by folding it over it's possible one can potentially alter it's effectiveness. Not trying to get into a debate over what works fine for you, if you've been fortunate enough not to have any issues more power to ya but I'd hate seeing someone's boat trashed from us inferring that it's fine to ignore something a manufacturer tells you not to do.

Merry Christmas to you too!

Don,

The key part of your post, "..last inch is the actual antenna". I used to bend the last inch over the top of the antenna tube and hold in place with the cap. "Bad move". I lost a boat in the bank at the last D12 race as I went wide to catch the start, the boat kept going into the bank. Luckily I was going slow and hit sand where it went aground. I later found the end I was bending over had broken, thus leaving me with little or no antenna. I never really paid much attention to the antenna until that day. It is clear after this first initial inch, the coax "shielding" starts, so the rest of the antenna being shielded is no use for reception. I now split the antenna tube and tie the ends together with fuel tubing. I can then cap the end, slide the antenna up until it hits the cap, and add a small zip tie around the fuel tubing to clamp down on the antenna and prevent it from slipping back down the tube.

 

[brad nichols]

The range could change if you had a carbon fiber boat and left the antenna inside the hull?

Brad

 

[ALLAN YUEN]

I find out myself RX antenna touch on any carbon fiber body so will be loss out of control ( sometime ) because make high static must put foam wrap plate for RX and silcone plug with antenna tube or Aeromarine antenna ( put 2 Oring rubbers) for RX's wire antenna it is good working

 

[Patrick Mulvany]

Rick,

You know I'm "Old School"" and bring the antenna out of the box even if it is only an inch??? I run Offshore with that set up and if it works in Atlanta for Offshore it will work anywhere!!! I'm using Futaba Fasst!!! 2.4 psm? whatever I have had great radio experiences for the past two years!!

Later!!

Pat

 

[Lennard Cuenco]

Has anyone ever made a full range check comparison? Antenna in the box, out of the box, tip bent 180*, tip straight.

I did an 'old school' range check before I ran the boat initially, walked as far away as I could, while still able to hear each other, I didn't trust the antenna being left in the box, worked fine..
boat has CF canards, CF reinforced sponsons and bow blocks surrounding the radio box

your mileage may vary

 

[Ken Webb]

Follow the manuf. instructions. Shouldn't have any problems. Also set up the fail safe mode, that way if receiver isn't receiving the trans. signal then it will go into the failsafe mode and shut down the motor or whateveryou programed into it. Just that simple.

 

[Archie Martinez]

I use a small amount of duct seal (it's like kids clay, play dough, etc) on the antenna base inside the box to keep the wire from sliding down the tube. It will slide out w/o damaging the wire if you need slack and I just push the wire up and form it back before taping up the box.

For the folks at Jim's, there's some good reads on this over there. I cant copy URL's over here but if you search for the "Futaba 2.4 Antenna Wire" topic (page 2), it should pop up.

 

[timothy johnson]

Don,

I was just sharing another perspective to look at?

I did not say it was right or wrong?

I have wired a lot of high and low voltage equipment in my lifetime,

and I do not think this is going to hurt the receiver wire.

Merry Christmas,

Mark Sholund

Hi Mark,

Your post kinda comes across as a bit more the "sharing another perspective" especially the second part-

I just bend the wire like we have with all the other radio antennas, it works fine for me,

don't believe everything you read.

The coaxial lead in the 2.4 antennas (all of them not just Futaba) is fragile compared to the old school stranded wire stuff we've used for years. Even though it might "work fine" for you it goes against what manufacturers recommend and I wouldn't want to see an issue occur for someone from doing this and breaking the lead from bending it too sharply under an antenna cap. Keep in mind that only the last inch is the actual antenna and the rest is just a leader so by folding it over it's possible one can potentially alter it's effectiveness. Not trying to get into a debate over what works fine for you, if you've been fortunate enough not to have any issues more power to ya but I'd hate seeing someone's boat trashed from us inferring that it's fine to ignore something a manufacturer tells you not to do.

Merry Christmas to you too!

Don,

The key part of your post, "..last inch is the actual antenna". I used to bend the last inch over the top of the antenna tube and hold in place with the cap. "Bad move". I lost a boat in the bank at the last D12 race as I went wide to catch the start, the boat kept going into the bank. Luckily I was going slow and hit sand where it went aground. I later found the end I was bending over had broken, thus leaving me with little or no antenna. I never really paid much attention to the antenna until that day. It is clear after this first initial inch, the coax "shielding" starts, so the rest of the antenna being shielded is no use for reception. I now split the antenna tube and tie the ends together with fuel tubing. I can then cap the end, slide the antenna up until it hits the cap, and add a small zip tie around the fuel tubing to clamp down on the antenna and prevent it from slipping back down the tube.

I second Ron's experience! I left the top section above the tube which wore out the antenna and it broke off and it took the young retrieve boat guys at the Fall nats 1/2 hour to find my boat. A big thanks to them. The moral to that story is keep the whole section of antenna supported in the tube. Tim