In article ,
wrote:
I fly an ultralight and recently bought a Delcom 960 transceiver. I
to the ground plane?
.....
I am very handy, but just lack the basic dimensions.

Look at a J-Pole antenna. There are several websites with calculators
to design the one you want. While some people complain about their
performance J-Poles work fairly well, do not need a ground, are very
light and can be made for under a $1.

It may not be the best antenna for the job, but it will be simple
to make and may do the job you want.

Geoff.

A response to will be appreciated, but I will be
monitoring this group..

The use a real email address in your reply to.



--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson 972-54-608-069
Do sysadmins count networked sheep?

Joe wrote,
"---the stock rubber ducky sucks."

A wire 1/2-wave dipole should be about 3 ft, 10 in long. Feed it across
a middle insulator with coax. It should be placed about 2 ft below and
in line with the wing to get a small reflection from the wing and the
best signal fore and aft.

Don`t worry with a balun. Stick with coax alone. Save weight and enjoy
any radiation from the feedline.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

Joe,
You have several options depending on the construction
of your aircraft and how much 'trouble' you want to go to.
A simple 1/4 wave element mounted to a metal structural
member of the aircraft should beat the rubber-duck to
within an inch of it's life (only added weight would be the
antenna element and feed line, no 'plate').
The 'best' place to mount an antenna on an aircraft is
also the least convenient, usually. Guess that depends on
where the motor is (motors = RF noise makers). The center
of the aircraft is probably the 'best' mounting place since
it would give you a more or less omnidirectional radiation
pattern. Directional radiation patterns are NOT desirable
on an aircraft (com or nav)!
Good luck, and let us know what happens...
'Doc