Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014 - 48

Alpha Avionics
AIRCRAFT AS ANTENNA FARM

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Continued from page 47

found on late-model Cessna 182
series, but it’s also suitable for
a host of other single- and twinpiston 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 CI-2480-201 blade antenna combines both GPS and
VHF comm functions into a single
unit that employs the same fourhole 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 us-

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ing 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 ComDat to
unite VHF, GPS and XM weather
datalink into a single antenna.
The patented design offers XMapproved performance for popular WX systems from Garmin and
Avidyne.
Comant’s built-in 80 dB lowpass 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
DO-160G, 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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Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014

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