WaynePierce Posted October 7, 2021 Report Posted October 7, 2021 I've got two CI-196 Antennae on top of my 1985 J. One gets MUCH better reception from ATC than the other. Unfortunately the radio end of the coax does not allow the switching of the antennae on the radios, one is too short. I'm thinking of replacing the antennae going to the new Avidyne IFD 550. Would you replace it with another CI-196? If so where would you make this purchase? Would you go with something else? What? Quote
OR75 Posted October 7, 2021 Report Posted October 7, 2021 maybe best to try to understand first why one has a poor reception ? coax ? grounding ? ...? a new antenna $$$ may not solve it Quote
carusoam Posted October 8, 2021 Report Posted October 8, 2021 Typical antenna challenges… dirty connections, oxidation… crummy ground plane… verify where the antennas are actually at… many Mooneys may have a com antenna on top, and on the bottom…. crummy reception on one may be because of ant. location… With a new radio installation… Expect to be replacing wires for RG400 Selecting an antenna that is multi talented…. PP thoughts only, stuff that is discussed around here often… Bestt regards, -a- Quote
Marauder Posted October 8, 2021 Report Posted October 8, 2021 I've got two CI-196 Antennae on top of my 1985 J. One gets MUCH better reception from ATC than the other. Unfortunately the radio end of the coax does not allow the switching of the antennae on the radios, one is too short. I'm thinking of replacing the antennae going to the new Avidyne IFD 550. Would you replace it with another CI-196? If so where would you make this purchase? Would you go with something else? What?A good avionics shop can determine the resistance on your antenna. It’s likely still good. The real culprit may be the 36 year RG-58 in the plane or a failing BNC connector. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro 3 Quote
jamesm Posted October 13, 2021 Report Posted October 13, 2021 Something to consider... In one of my previous configurations... I had a LORAN antenna. When I added 2nd nav/com rather than drilling more holes in fuselage. I reused LORAN antenna and reused existing RG58 coax cable. I put in female to female bnc adapter and put in short coax cable. I worked fine for many years. James '67C Quote
PT20J Posted October 17, 2021 Report Posted October 17, 2021 Not much can go wrong with antennas. The biggest issue is often corrosion underneath increasing resistance to the fuselage skin which acts as a ground plane. RG58 is really fine at comm frequencies and short runs (hard to get runs over a few feet in a Mooney). Before replacing stuff, I’d make an extension cable to allow swapping the antennas. If the IFD is new and everything worked before, I’d suspect it. Skip Quote
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