QA: Flightaware antenna / mount

I have a question regarding to the hardware design of the antenna or likely the mount. What is the reason that the screw holes do not match the inset on the antenna? I would expect that the screws would fit the inset creating a secondary vertical fix (antenna resting on the screw), next to the horizontal fix by the screw.

That’s odd! We’re looking into this.

Thanks. It seems that the entire wholesale batch I received has this issue.

Same thing here with my antenna.

Same here. My antenna is a bit over 2 years old. Didn’t think much of it when I got the antenna and mounted it on the roof


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Mine is the same.
My Antenna should remain secure and in place with the additional support that is afforded by the strength of my RG213 coax and that its tie-wrapped to its pole.
I also felt that the top screw had lost its grip whilst tightening, compared to the bottom screw, but in the end, it torqued up a little so all is good, so far.

I also considered applying two ‘O’ rings to the grooves in order to make the holder a little more water tight, and a closer fit, but then considered the top ‘O’ ring would create a water trap, so disposed of that idea, but my ‘N’ plug has some PTFE tape on the thread, and a double layer of amalgamating tape over the plug itself, which should suffice and provide additional protection to the plug itself.

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Upon further research it turns out this has been going on awhile. We’re reaching out to our antenna manufacturer to see if we can get this remedied in future shipments. In my personal experience as long as you sink one screw in a groove you’re good. I’ve had a couple of these on the back of my garage for years in all sorts of interesting Houston weather. None has ever come down.

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@esmathews thanks for taking care of this. I am also quite comfortable placing the antenna’s outdoor, we have a bunch of them alread. This is just something that can certainly improved, and was likely designed better than it is currently manufactured.

How would you do that? - The spacing of the drilled holes are the same (i guess). If one goes in to the slot/groove, you can’t fit the other screw?

One goes into the groove, the other against the flat metal part of the antenna.

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Agreed. My desired end state is to change the bracket design rather than the antenna.

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The FA mount is actually one of the better mounting systems of most of the other available ADS-B specific antenna - much better than (only) the double u-bolt design in my opinion. Regardless of that fact, I’ve had mine pinned up in Phoenix AZ for about 4 years now without issue. We have all sorts of fun weather, no issues. (You guys are going to owe me another antenna here pretty soon if I keep touting these things!) I swear have have no allegiance to anyone so far as retail gear goes, I tell it as I see it.

The FA Antenna’s metallic collar is not only antenna support, but is also a decoupling sleeve through whose entire length of đș/4 (= 69mm), the rigid coax passes and connects to the N-Female connector at bottom.

FA Antenna Inside_570x500px

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Never had any problems myself with my antenna. Two years of hard winds, rain, lots of snow and ice and no problems what so ever. Seem more like a cosmetic issue than a technical problem.

I am using FA antenna since 2016, but never faced the screw alignment problem which the OP has mentioned.

Actually my antenna is indoors, and I have hanged the antenna by a string tied to the top of antenna, near a window, and never used the clamp, so did not face the issue :wink:

 

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I hereby order your antenna to be hanged by the cap until it’s dead, dead, dead!

Too bad you can’t partake in external installs @abcd567, you’d have a hoot.

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String, string, string, wonderful string.

@abcd567,
I think I have one of my antennas in the attic held up by a string.
It works well, for an attic setup.

I checked my old FA antenna from three or four years ago. It is the same.

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