Quick question about aerial

[Syholl]

Hi guys, my sons new lunchbox took a lot of abuse at the weekend, and every time it lands on its roof the aerial is getting bent right over. The tube is now knackered and needs replacing.

Have people found a way of preventing this....? I was thinking along the lines of cutting it where it goes through the body and putting in a small spring, like a biro spring or something, to save it from breaking again.

[Nobbi1977]

What radio gear you using? Most modern stuff has a shorter aerial that does not have to be so exposed. I got fed up of the aerial on my 27mhz so swapped it all out to get around this very problem.

[Pteppic]

I've heard of people using fuel tubing to reinforce sections of aerial tube that regularly get bent (or even to make a flexible join by cutting the aerial tube and using the fuel tube to rejoin it), as it seems to give the tube a change to bend and flex.

That said I've changed to 2.4GHz and all my cars have internal aerials. Buggies are more tricky, but the shorter aerial seems to take rollovers better.

[Syholl]

I'm using a 27 MHz system, maybe I should look into upgrading. What's involved....? Is it just a new transmitter and receiver...?

[Nobbi1977]

I'm using a 27 MHz system, maybe I should look into upgrading. What's involved....? Is it just a new transmitter and receiver...?

Just that. Just like 27mhz you can go from £20 up to £200 depending on what features you want

[XV Pilot]

Alternatively, you can use a bit of heat to bend the antenna tube to fit within the confines of the shell. You sacrifice a bit of range, but not as much as you might think, and it looks a lot neater.

[Backlash]

I used to run an internal (under the body) aerial on my race cars to save them from being damaged or ripped out during a race..

I just used a strip of plastic, and drilled some 2mm holes in it and run the aerial wire through it..

Here is a pic of the one in my old M03 Mini... http://tamiyaclub.com/pictureframe.asp?t=n&id=img4672_17012005105723_2.jpg (Note the strip of clear plastic on the rear (right hand side of the photo) that has the aerial wire threaded through it..)

Of course, you could go to 2.4 GHz like others have suggested, but most of the receivers still have an aerial wire, they are just shorter on the 2.4GHz systems...

[Syholl]

Thanks for the help guys, I'm on a fast learning curve at the moment. Only got back into RC in the last couple of weeks, and things have changed a lot in the 20 years i have been away...!!

Got to get my head around lipos and brushless yet!!

Just purchased a 2.4 ghz set to give it a try. I think I'll fit it in the pumpkin that is in the post, and get another for the lunchbox....

[Droopy1975]

I also would recommend 2,4ghz.

Shorter antenna, less inference and if you go a step above basic you have model memory and in most cases fail save. And the fail save can save you model in the case you do loose signal.

[waterbok]

The Tamiya 2.4 TX/RX that comes with most XB nowadays doesn't have an antenna at all. The set sometimes appears online for 25€