Avionics News September 2012 - 23

antenna for the PFD system, one for the transponder and two more for the CAS. “It’s about time we started seeing multipurpose antennae,” the tech said. “These dual-purpose antennae let me cut the clutter and have a better chance of mounting everything in a dead zone on the skin.” Consider these multitasking options for weeding out the crops of a fully mature aircraft antennae farm. Common Cause: VOR/LOC/GS… Three for VHF Nav Once upon a time, deploying a VOR/LOC receiver and a glideslope meant two antennae – one for the VOR/LOC scale, one for the glideslope. Today, various manufacturers make antennae capable of handling all three connections in one unit. Dorne & Margolin offers its DM N4-17N antenna package, a pair of blades designed to mount horizontally on a vertical stabilizer in applications ranging from general aviation to military. A combination VOR/LOC/glideslope antenna, the DM N4-17 meets technical standard order and mil-spec standards. Suitable for single-engine aircraft through jets, the unit is approved for use at speeds to Mach 1. Comant is another player in the multipurpose VHF nav antenna field. A division of Cobham, Comant offers several solutions that combine the three VHF nav functions into a single antenna each designed for a different mounting need. Comant’s CI-157P V and CI-215 dipole VOR/LOC/ glideslope antennas employs proven features, the former designed specifically for compatibility with the Piper Aircraft mounting, the latter for Cessna 182 and 210 – but suitable for many other piston model. Comant’s CI-120-400 VOR/LOC/glideslope antenna is found on late-model Cessna 182 series, but it’s also suitable for a host of other single- and twin-piston applications, according to Cobham. These are well-established multipurpose designs and solid solutions to minimizing the size of the antenna farm. Other designs embrace this philosophy with newer gear – specifically GPS and satellite-datalink weather receivers. Combination GPS and… The antenna that arguably launched the wave of multifunction general-aviation antennas, Comant’s CI2480-201 blade antenna combines both GPS and VHF comm functions into a single unit that employs the same four-hole mounting configuration as the company’s widely

used CI 121 VHF and CI 420 GPS antennas. This unit employs separate connectors for GPS and VHF, with the GPS circuit protected from VHF harmonics with the company’s built-in 80 decibel harmonic suppression filter. The CI 2480-201 GPS function is designed for use with Garmin’s panel-mount GPS systems that require 17 dB gain. The CI 2480-201 is standard equipment on many aircraft OEMs, including Robinson Helicopter, Cessna, Mooney and Piper. Speaking of Garmin, the company’s GA37 antenna receives GPS, WAAS correction signals and the datalink transmissions of the XM satellite radio-based weather datalink service. Garmin’s GA37 GPS antenna receives all three, allowing one antenna to perform where at least two might otherwise be needed. Comant’s CI-420-10 provides the same features for aircraft using Garmin’s GDL69/69A datalink receivers. Then, there’s Comant’s Combat CI 420-420, a combination GPS/XM weather antenna compatible with many panel-mounted GPS and WAAS GPS receivers. Similarly, the CI 428-410 WAAS GPS/XM receiver is another option for many Garmin navigators. Taking the multipurpose-antenna a step further is Comant’s CI 2480-400, the first Combat to unite VHF, GPS and XM weather datalink into a single antenna. The patented design offers XM-approved performance for popular WX systems from Garmin and Avidyne. Comant’s built-in 80 dB low-pass filter shields both GPS and XM antennas against VHF interference, with a 26.5 dB GPS amplifier for Bendix-King GPS and other GPS receivers requiring this gain value. Additionally, with Comant’s CI 511 GPS attenuator, the GPS antenna works with Garmin GPS receivers requiring 17 dB gain amplifiers. The company’s CI-2680-500 model provides the same functions for twin and light-jet aircraft, combining VHF COM/WAAS GPS/XM weather into one unit. The CI-2680-200 does the job for VHF COMM/WAAS GPS receivers, and the 2680-400 adds XM weather to its features. RAMI’s AV-925 antenna was developed to be used with airborne FM transceivers typically used in first responder type aircraft to provide a single-antenna solution for such multi-band transceivers. The AV-925 meets DO160G, Section 8, Category U requirements for vibration tolerance and is approved for installation on helicopters with unknown related rotor frequencies. Additionally, the AV-925 can also serve as the antenna for a 406 MHz ELT. q
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2012

Avionics News September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News September 2012