Stratux aerials - ADS-B Discussions

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Stratux aerials

8/2/2020 7:05 PM

Joined: 1/1/0001

Posts: 0

Stratux aerials

Love my Stratux, but wondering if there's any alternative aerials that are shorter? The Stratus has no external aerial, and the Garmin products just use a single, flt aerial. Yes, I understand these are both WAY more expensive than the Stratux, but shorter aerials would be really nice.

8/3/2020 2:46 PM

desert flyer

Joined: 3/25/2010

Posts: 206

Re: Stratux aerials

Ian, I assume you mean the aerial as the antenna cable between the antenna puck and the Stratux. It is a tad long but some planes put the Stratux in the back of the plane so they need the long cable. I just roll mine up in a small bundle and tie-wrap it to something under the glareshield.

Dick Welsh

8/4/2020 4:33 PM

Joined: 1/1/0001

Posts: 0

Re: Stratux aerials

No, I mean the 2 black screw on areials that connect to the top of the "box".

8/4/2020 6:38 PM

desert flyer

Joined: 3/25/2010

Posts: 206

Re: Stratux aerials Modified By desert flyer on 8/4/2020 6:42:41 PM

The reason there are two antenna connections is the Stratux had dual frequencies, the 987MZ and 1096MZ and each has a separate antenna. The 978 MZ band is for planes flying below 18,000 feet and the 1096 MZ is for planes above 18,000 feet. My Cessna 340 regularly flys above 18,000 feet, so to be legal I need both frequencies. The antennas have to be that long to match the wave lengths of each frequency. I would suspect Garmin buries the antennas in the box which is probably bigger to accomodate the antennas.

Dick Welsh

8/4/2020 6:52 PM

Cobra

Joined: 4/20/2011

Posts: 2602

Re: Stratux aerials Modified By Cobra on 8/4/2020 6:54:17 PM

I'm not an expert in electromagnetism, but I do know that signal reception is related to antenna geometry. Most Stratux kits or parts list specify antennae (or "aerials", if you prefer) that are a reasonable compromise of convenient size and availability vs reception performance. Selecting a different aerial size/shape may adversely affect performance.

I'm not smart enough to do the math to figure out those sort of trade offs myself, so I stick with what the smart folks who built the kits came up with. If you're really serious about trying to find a different antenna, it would probably be best to try to find some EM/RF-savvy type people who could help you make those sorts of trades, like maybe on a HAM radio or similar tech hobbyist forum.

Edit: I was kinda slow, and overlapped with Dick's reply... Sorry for the partial duplication.

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