Location for SV-250-GPS

[FreddytheK]

Installation instructions note that reception is degraded if the antenna is located within the airframe with no distinction made between fiberglass and aluminum airframes. For COM and XPNDR antennas, my fiberglass kit plane instructions say in effect that radio waves are indifferent to fiberglass and interior antennas are just fine.

Are GPS signals also indifferent to fiberglass composites?...or would "best practices" recommend that GPS antennas be mounted on the exterior of a fiberglass composite aircraft?

As you may infer, I am one of those guys who doesn't mind asking a pretty fundemental question...

 

[jakej]

Fred
My Glasair ( note: fibreglass only & no carbon fibre) has it's Gps antenna ( IFR GX 60) mounted inside since 1998 with no issues, you can safely do the same

Jake J

 

[Carl_Froehlich]

Last two RVs (8A and 10) have Dynon and Garmin GPS receivers mounted on the top of the glare shield with a piece of dark gray cloth on top to cut down the glare off the glass. No issues.

The RV-10 cabin top is all fiberglass so your results should be similar. If you have a carbon fiber plane (like the Lancair 4) you need to mount the antennas external. I have seen one Lancair 4 mount the GPS and Comm antennas under the all fiberglass tail cone but it might be simpler to just go external.

Carl

 

[Dynon]

We document that really conservatively, but my airplane (Glasair Sportsman) has this inside the fuse. In fact, the pucks are so sensitive that you can often get a lock inside a hangar or warehouse (we can in our warhouse). So the short answer is, you'll probably be fine whereever, but, the technical answer is still that you'll get the best performance with a clear view of the sky.

 

[Kestrel]

I have mounted mine under the E glass glare shield and although I have not yet started flight tests, I am getting a fix inside an all metal hangar with closed metal doors so hopefully will not have any problems while airborne. My fuselage and canopy frame is carbon & kevlar. ( my own design prototype RP-Kestrel)

 

[TRCsmith]

All my antennas are under glass with no problems.