PowerFLARM FLARM Antenna, Shark Fin - With FLARM Logo
Works great as an external FLARM A transmit/receive antenna or FLARM B receive-only antenna. Designed to work well for all FLARM frequency ranges. It does not work as an ADS-B 1090 MHz antenna.

This antenna has a FLARM logo on it which is oriented such that the antenna looks great when mounted on the top of the aircraft. Mounting it on top of the fuselage just behind the canopy is probably ideal. Or it could be mounted inside the cockpit on top of the instrument panel cover. It looks much nicer than the standard dipole antenna. The version above without a FLARM logo looks good mounted either on the top or bottom of the aircraft.

The antenna housing is constructed of acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic (ASA) shell. The white color allows maximum performance without losses due to color pigments or unseen dirt. The antenna is supplied with cellular neoprene mounting pad and hardware. The antenna is designed to operate at speeds up to 350 mph and altitudes up to 50,000 feet.

This antenna is made by RAMI (R.A. Miller Industries, Inc.) and has RAMI part number AV-75 (-F). This part is available only through FLARM and their dealers.

Dimensions:

• Length: 4.10 inches (104 mm)
• Height: 3.9 inches (99 mm)
• Width: 1.0 inches (26 mm)
• Weight 0.33 Lbs (150 g)
• Mounting Studs: #8-32 UNC-2A threads, Stud Length: 0.75 inches (19 mm)

Specifications:

• Frequency Range: 864 to 930 MHz
• Impedance: 50 Ohms
• Polarization: Vertical
• Pattern: Omni-directional
• Connector Type: BNC Female

Included:

• Antenna
• Mounting nuts and lock-washers
• Cellular neoprene mounting pad - for use between the antenna and the aircraft skin
• Installation Instruction Sheet
• Mounting Template

Not Included:

• Ground plane with at least 6 inch radius
• Antenna cable for connection to FLARM, 50 ohm coax, RG-58/U or similar with male BNC connector at the antenna end and:
  • SMA-RP connector for connection to PowerFLARM Core FLARM A or FLARM B port or PowerFLARM Portable FLARM A port
    • Goddard: Cable-Ant-SMA-RP-BNC
  • SMA connector for connection to PowerFLARM Portable FLARM B port.
    • Goddard: Cable-Ant-SMA-BNC

FLARM Frequencies

• Australia: 921 MHz
• Canada: 902 - 928 MHz
• Europe: 868 - 868.6 MHz
• New Zealand: 869.25 MHz
• USA: 902.2 - 927.80 MHz

Tips for Ground Planes for FLARM External Antennas
I talked to Ben Ennenga at RAMI about external antenna ground planes. Some interesting notes from that conversation are below. Thank you Ben for the friendly and helpful support!

• A ground plane is required with both rod style and shark fin style transponder and FLARM antennas.
• The smallest recommended ground plane would be 12 inches in diameter (6 inches radius).
• A ground plane works about equally well regardless of whether it is made from a solid plate (such as aluminum) or instead made using 2 wires in a "+" arrangement. In either case, the radius should be at least 6 inches.
• When working with carbon fiber glider fuselages, the antenna must be mounted on the outside of the fuselage, but it is OK to mount the ground plane on the inside.
• The mounting screws for the antenna are connected to the antenna ground. Therefore, you can connect the ground plane to either or both of the mounting screws.
• It is OK for the ground plane wires ("+" configuration) to curve and follow the inside of the glider fuselage.