"raptor" wrote in message
...

I wonder about something else. How long would a "full wave" antenna
have to be for aviation comm radios? I've got some old walkie talkies
that have those very long pull out antenna's, they must be 5 or 6
feet. Are those full wave?

The lenght of the antenna is proportional to the frequency used. Your
'walkie talkies' are most likely 27MHz CB type. A full wavelength would be
11 metres, which is a bit long to handle ;-)

On your plane, the comm frequencies are from 118MHz to 136MHz. The
wavelength in the middle of that range is about 2.35 metre. You can probably
hide a full wave antenna for that frequency in a fuselage but there's other
considerations like impedance and radiation pattern that influence the
decision. I'm sure Jim will be able to tell you the nitty gritty details, I
would have to look it up..

Rob