Hi,

I have a HItec Optic6 transmitter and would like to know if I can fit an external antenna to it which would be mounted on the outside of my car (full scale car that is).. I do not want to lose any range in the process.

I assume someone must have tried flying an aircraft from a moving car without having to hang out of the window with the transmitter.. This is not actually what I intend doing by the way..

Originally Posted by highwinger

Hi,

I have a HItec Optic6 transmitter and would like to know if I can fit an external antenna to it which would be mounted on the outside of my car (full scale car that is).. I do not want to lose any range in the process.

I assume someone must have tried flying an aircraft from a moving car without having to hang out of the window with the transmitter.. This is not actually what I intend doing by the way..

Of course you can. What are you asking for, a "how to" instruction?
Get an Amateur Radio Handbook and find out how to do it.
Ken

Originally Posted by highwinger

Hi,

I have a HItec Optic6 transmitter and would like to know if I can fit an external antenna to it which would be mounted on the outside of my car (full scale car that is).. I do not want to lose any range in the process.

I assume someone must have tried flying an aircraft from a moving car without having to hang out of the window with the transmitter.. This is not actually what I intend doing by the way..

You just need to buy the correct cabling and connector for your tx. I don't know much about R/C radios, but I know a *lot* about 802.11x technologies. They call it a "pigtail" for short runs. If you're doing a longer run, you'll want low-loss coax. Make sure you get a nice omni antenna, and keep in mind the longer the cable the more signal loss you have, so the higher gain antenna you'll need. 10db should give you a bit more range than the antenna you have on your TX with a 1m run of coax.

Why on earth do you want to fly from inside your car though, if I might ask? That sounds incredibly dangerous, the plane/heli could end up in a blind spot, and that's bad news. Not only that, but part of the fun of R/C is getting out and enjoying the outdoor world a bit. At least, it is for me. Great change from racks of servers and a few mainframes/tape silos.

Hello highwinger, welcome to RC Groups.

If you are in the USA, I think you will find that modifying a transmitter as you propose is not allowed by FCC regulations. For certain, a gain antenna as proposed in post # 3, is not allowed. When asking radio questions, it is a good idea to let the forum know what your country is. You can edit your profile.

If you are not in the USA, check your country's communication regulations - it may well be allowed.

Don't run out and purchase the Amateur Radio Handbook, it is a great resource, but it won't get you where you want to go.

As an aside, for some distance events, people have controlled model aircraft from moving vehicles, but usually from the back of an open pick-up truck.

Bill