Antenna

One of the things I always hated about an RC car was the antenna sticking up through the body. The plastic housing always got scratched up and bent. Furthermore I think it just ruins the looks of a nicely painted body to see it there anyway. So I've opted to make the antennas on some of my RC trucks internal. The examples below use a Stampede and a T-Maxx, but these idea can easily be adapted to other trucks as well.

I used a total of three items to do this. Of those three items, two were wire ties. For the third item I took a ID card laminating pouch (which was roughly 2.5" in. x3.5" in.) and ran it through a laminating machine with nothing inside of it. This gave me a nice semi-hard sheet of clear plastic. You can also use a piece of scrap lexan and accomplish the same thing. I cut four holes in the middle for the wire ties to pass through, and then cut several notches on the sides of the card. Another option would be to use hole punchers to make holes instead of using the notches. I then placed the card on the front shock tower housing using the wire ties and looped the antenna around the card, securing it in the notches (or holes) made in the card. If you use lexan, and you made notches, you may want to consider using a little electrical tape around the antenna wire where it fits in the notches. My laminating sheet is a little more forgiving than lexan and over time the lexan could strip some insulation off of the wire.

For a few minutes worth of work you get a much better looking RC vehicle, and your antenna is protected in the process.

It should be noted that moving the antenna inside the truck may result in a decrease in radio range. I have not experianced this, but depending upon factors in your area and your radio equipment you may. If that happens you can return the antenna to it's normal position, or see if you can locate the source of the interference and run in an area that is not affected by it. The use of an FM radio will also greatly reduce the possibility of interference related problems.

A reader also suggested that you could use drywall tape instead of lexan or a laminated card, and I think it seems to make an excellent option for mounting the antenna as well.

Sometimes you may not want the antenna mounted internally due to interference where you run, or it's possible you don't like the look of the truck without an antenna. When that's the case many people often wonder what do I do with the excess antenna wire? You definitely don't want to cut it off. I often see the wire dangling on it's own, but that's a disaster waiting to happen as the wire can get nicked or cut, dramatically affecting your range which is no better than cutting the antenna to begin with.

There are a couple of ways to solve this problem. The easiest way would be to wind the excess antenna wire around the antenna tube and secure the end with a small piece of fuel tubing that's placed around the antenna tube as well as demonstrated on the T-Maxx below.

Another method would be to use some shrink tubing, and after loosly coiling the antenna around the tube, place the shrink tubing over it and heat it. You'll end up with a neat looking antenna, and the wire itself will be well protected.