Having more-or-less finished the shelving behind the panel, I moved onto the antenna installation. I ordered the antenna I needed from Vans and Stein Air; 2 comm antenna, 2 GPS antenna, and one ADS B antenna.
I started with the ADS B transponder antenna which mounts under the tail. I had already final-sized the holes when I built the tail cone, but I had also primed in and around the holes. I spent time removing the primer to allow the antenna to connect to the ground plane.
With the primer removed I started work on a backing plate. I’m not planning to rivet the backing plate in place, I’ll secure it using just the antenna bolts. This isn’t quite as solid, but I really don’t want to rivet the backing plate in place. Since I can’t prime the parts, and this is at the bottom of the tail, there’s a chance of corrosion in this area. I’d rather be able to quickly replace the backing plate in the event corrosion occurs in this area.
With the plate made, I was able to easily install the antenna myself as access to both the inside and outside at this location is easy. I placed a bead of silicon to seal the gap.
