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Hello Listers,
We have our IV upsidedown doing body work on the
gear doors and belly. It looks like a dead bug.
I'd like to ask for some advice from those
of you with antenna knowledge. We're considering covering the belly with
thin copper screen to act as a ground plane. My guess is that one large
ground plane is probably better than several smaller ones. Is this a reasonable
assumption? If so, what is the best way to accomplish it? I'm thinking that
running a bead of solder down the x and y
axis and connecting a grounding strap to the intersection would povide good
conuctivity of each strand to airplane ground. To attach the screen I'm thinking
about imbeding it in a thin layer of micro with maybe a 1 bid of glass or carbon
on top (well, actually on bottom but you know what I mean).
Have any of you used this or a similar
method? How'd it turn out? Does this make sense electrically and/or
structurally? Is it overkill?
I know that one alternative is the conductive
paint but I've heard that this may not be the best choice since it is reported
to degrade over time. Would the carbon itself provide adequate conductivity for
a ground plane? (I'm guessing not)
Finally, any good sources of copper
screen?
Thanks Guys.
Bill Harelson
N5ZQ 320 1,250 hrs.
N6ZQ IV 11.79001
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