Here’s some pics of my internal antenna installation for those that are interested in not wanting an external antenna. I had some pointers from Chad Cole (Cole Aviation) and he also has a YouTube video of the installation as well.
I used 1” wide balsa wood for the frame and took a hole saw into some 1” plywood to make the gussets in the corners. To attach the wood, I used a 2 part epoxy and ziptied the antenna to the frame after it cured.
From there, it was a simple process of removing the luggage compartment for the final install. I purchased a 5’ BNC cable from eBay and a BNC male to BNC female 90° to attach it to my handheld. I’m impressed with the range. I’ve been able to transmit and receive calls out from 40+ miles, and the installation is well hidden IMO. The antenna on a ground plane just wasn’t working anymore.
View attachment IMG_5566.jpegView attachment IMG_5567.jpeg
I used 1” wide balsa wood for the frame and took a hole saw into some 1” plywood to make the gussets in the corners. To attach the wood, I used a 2 part epoxy and ziptied the antenna to the frame after it cured.
From there, it was a simple process of removing the luggage compartment for the final install. I purchased a 5’ BNC cable from eBay and a BNC male to BNC female 90° to attach it to my handheld. I’m impressed with the range. I’ve been able to transmit and receive calls out from 40+ miles, and the installation is well hidden IMO. The antenna on a ground plane just wasn’t working anymore.
View attachment IMG_5566.jpegView attachment IMG_5567.jpeg
