|
One other thought (which I wasn't going to voice until I saw the complexity of the antenna install) is to consider either a hand-held marine radio or a standard radio with a short antenna located inside the aircraft.
What I have found is that heigth is a huge advantage. When you're at a heigth of 1000 or 5000 feet (as opposed to 30 feet on a boat), your receive and tranmit distances become very large. A hand-held unit typically has 5 watts transmit output power, but I use one 30 to 40 miles away from our island home to let my wife know I'm approaching, so she can pick me up at the airport. A standard radio, with 25 watts output, could be connected to a short (about 2 feet long) standard antenna inside the aircraft, one that can be removed when you don't need to use it. This should provide nearly the same range as the installation that you're contemplating.
Depends, of course, on how often and how critical is the need for this capability. But you might consider trying one of these two options first to see if the communications quality is satisfactory.
Ernie
|