Aircraft Antenna Selection Guide

Identify what the antenna does — COM, NAV, glideslope, marker, transponder, ADS-B, DME, GPS or WAAS, ELT, satellite — and which unit it connects to. The avionics equipment is what constrains the choice: receivers and transceivers publish the antennas and cable-loss limits they are designed to work with, and for GPS/WAAS and satellite systems that guidance is usually specific.

If you are replacing an antenna, the removed part number is the strongest starting point. Note it, along with any placard or drawing reference, before it is discarded.

Antennas are built for a band and a purpose. Transponder, DME and ADS-B functions share a broad region of the spectrum, which is why one antenna family is often catalogued for all three — but that does not make every antenna in the family acceptable to every unit. Check the operating range published for the part number against the equipment's requirement rather than assuming a category name is sufficient.

Position affects both performance and what can legally be installed. Top-mounted positions suit satellite and GPS antennas that need sky view; belly positions are typical for transponder, DME and marker antennas. Whether a position may be used on a particular aircraft is a question for the approved data, not the catalog.

Practically, compare the footprint, hole count and hole pattern of the candidate antenna with what is already on the airframe. Where the manufacturer publishes a standard pattern, it is shown on the product page.

The connector supplied on the antenna has to match the coax assembly in the aircraft and the equipment it terminates into. Cable type and length also matter, because loss at higher frequencies can put an otherwise correct antenna outside the equipment manufacturer's budget.

Many aircraft antennas rely on the conductive skin around them as a ground plane. On composite airframes this is not automatic, and the antenna manufacturer's data will state what is required. Airspeed ratings also differ between blade, rod and bent-whip styles, and are published per part number.

An antenna's own approval status and the approval to install it on a specific aircraft are two separate things. Product pages state TSO information only where the manufacturer data explicitly provides it. Whether that antenna may be installed on your aircraft, in that position, depends on the approved data for the installation.

Always verify installation requirements against the antenna manufacturer's installation instructions and the approved data applicable to the aircraft.

If you already have a part number, search it directly — part-number and superseded-number matches are prioritised. If you are working from the application, the Antenna Finder narrows the catalog by system, specification and mounting in a few steps.