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mnwrr
12-25-2005, 07:37 PM
All right, my Inferneto is up and running! :D :D :D
But about the antenna, how long must the wire be? And do I have to use the antenna pipe? On my first run with the X42s things got excited and I lost the pipe (found it later), so I just wrapped the antenna wire around the wing and the car was running fine. And that made me thinking about the necessity of using the pipe and the antenna wire so long.
:confused:

mat3833
12-25-2005, 07:56 PM
ummm well unless you are running a spectrum you need to route the antenna wire through a tube to keep the antena safe and to keep maximum signal reliability.

Matty

Hikari no Tenshi
12-25-2005, 08:32 PM
Matt's right. To a certain extent, the antenna wire is "tuned" to a certain length. If you cut it shorter, you lose signal distance in a hurry. As far as the necessity of the tube, keeping it outside of the body is good, keeping the antenna away from other electronics is good and the best way is via the tube. Just make sure you install the next one (they're like a quarter a piece, I usually carry a couple as a just in case) deep into the mount. The stock mount is pretty darn good and should do a good job of holding the tube if you press it in far enough.

bermbuster
12-25-2005, 08:34 PM
dont cut the wire..... the wire is tuned to the rx....if you do not want to use the tube you can wrap the wire around a flat pc of lexan and mount it under the body someplace. Remember the antenna wire can pick up interference from other electrical sources on your buggy. Placement of the wire is critical.

mnwrr
12-25-2005, 09:24 PM
Thanks guys! Well then, no wire cutting. I did find the pipe afterwards, but it's a MAJOR PITA to pass the wire through it (the wire is too soft - argh!!! :mad: ). Right now I'm trying to rerout it around the chassis somewhere, but I'll take care to keep it away from eletronics. Just thought about runing it around and under the wing. Let's see.

bermbuster
12-25-2005, 09:29 PM
put something slippery on the wire (soap, talc powder, armor all etc...)then you should be able to slip it in..... I do it a little different i coil the wire on the od of the pipe then i put a pc of shrink tube over it........My antenna tube becomes about 100mm long....

racermike
12-25-2005, 10:33 PM
I know they say you're not supposed to, but I tie a knot in the end after I thread the wire through the rod. That way, if the rod comes out of the holder, it still can't come all the way off and you don't lose it. I've read places where you shouldn't tie knots in the wire, but 1 little one never hurt mine.....I don't tie it tight enough to break anything though......

Hikari no Tenshi
12-25-2005, 10:43 PM
Mike, just some advice, and feel free to discard it if you like, but after over a year of working at a hobby shop, my best advice on antennas is, let it hang free. I hate caps, I hate shrink wrapping the extra to the tube, knots, etc. The Minis probably aren't heavy enough to do it, but if the tube is removed forcefully, it'll actually tear the wire in the process. Now you have an upside down runaway.

mnwrr
12-26-2005, 01:04 AM
I tried wrapping the wire around the wing mount like what I did in the pic. I tested it indoors, and even at 15 meters (with walls inbetween) the buggy responded fine. So I guess it works ok. ;)

Trickpatrick
12-27-2005, 10:14 PM
I have tried this also and have noticed that although it works it seemed to slow down the response time.
It gets worse as the battery starts to drop voltage.

mnwrr
12-28-2005, 01:29 AM
Trick, I've notice that too. :( When the battery is strong it isn't much noticeable, but when the voltage drops it gets annoying. If you're close (< 5 m) to the buggy it's not a problem, but if it's far away you'll have to walk near it.

Thomas P
12-28-2005, 06:58 AM
LUW my tip for you is to get the K-Factory 1:8-1:10 buggy antenna. itīs one h**l good and holdy antenna,with alloy/plastiv mount, newer been boken, and i have crach a lot :D. to bad its a lot more costy then a regular cheap-tube, say 75 swe kronor appr 7-10 dollars, but when you tried it, you cant live or ride without it :D

this is the 1:10 buggy antenna,smaller mount, the 1:8 is littlebit bigger.

http://galleriet.hobby-site.com/bilder/xraym18/xrayantennen.JPG

mat3833
12-28-2005, 04:49 PM
i just take the antenna and cut it about where the bodt sits. then i take a peice of fuel tubing and join the peices together. now i have a flexy-bendy antenna that cost like 1.00 for 5. (my LHS has realy long ones so i use those.)

Matty