My thoughts were that the carbon tube would be the exact same length as the copper tape required according to RST. I just thought since everyone says that pretty much only carbon arrows are now available, besides aluminum arrows that if they would work then OK. As I originally thought, on a KR the wooden spar as Mark mentioned would be a safe place for the copper tape antenna. Many composite airplanes copper antennas were laid into a slightly routed, dug, or scraped out trough into the foam of the winglet, tail etc before the initial glass covering was applied. I am now wondering what a guy with an all graphite covered structure would do? besides an external antenna of course. Would he glue the copper tape onto the surface of the graphite frame, then lay-up a layer of light fiberglass cloth? If that will work then the graphite arrow shaft should work. Mark I am in favor of you conducting (no pun intended LOL) the test you mentioned when time permits. Larry Howell
________________________________ From: Mark Langford <n5...@hiwaay.net> To: KRnet <kr...@mylist.net> Sent: Tue, February 9, 2010 8:57:21 PM Subject: Re: KR> Antenna Questions/Carbon Fibre/Graphite I said it was pointless to debate this, but I'm going to debate AGAINST myself. An analogy that makes carbon fiber less than attractive as something to wrap an antenna around is this: If you had a 3' aluminum tube from an old FM antenna and put a layer of shrink tubing around it to insulate, and then stuck the 21.3" copper tape to it for one leg of the dipole, you'd have a reflector that's longer than the element, and that would be Glenn's "extraneous loss". You'd have to cut the aluminum antenna (or carbon fiber shaft as the case may be) to the same length as the copper tape, and even then there MIGHT be problems, so I'm back to what's been mentioned several times already (including me), just use something else to stick your copper tape to and get in the air that much quicker... Mark Langford N56ML "at" hiwaay.net website at http://www.N56ML.com -------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html
