Subj : Re: Getting Started
To   : Andre
From : Vk3jed
Date : Mon Aug 24 2020 20:45:00

-=> On 08-18-20 16:24, Andre wrote to Warpslide <=-

 An> Most hams don't know their ass from their elbow. If it's not backed by
 An> data, don't listen to their anecdotes. The antennas that come with HTs
 An> are no worse than the 16" (or so) aftermarket antennas. Three-foot

I'd be very cautious about blanket statements.  My experience is there's a
mixed bag of results from experience - Some aftermarket antennas truly are no
better than the stock rubber duck, but some are definitely better.

I have an old (and rather battered!) Diamond SRH-999 quad band antenna on my
IC-T81A.  On 6 and 2m, it's about the same as a rubber duck, but on 70cm and
23cm, it actually performs extremely well.  As 90% of my operation at the time
was on 70cm, it turned out to be quite handy, and I also used to frequent local
23cm repeaters when I was in Melbourne.

I've also had some anomalous results, where antennas worked better for
different purposes than what they were sold as.  One of the best 2m antennas
I've ever used on a HT was a scanning antenna called a "ScanDucky".  It was a
fairly stiff helical antenna around 30cm long.  Conversely, I had a dual band
antenna that worked better as a general scanning antenna than a ham radio
antenna.

 An> extenable antennas make a big difference. "Rat tail" counterpoise
 An> antennas are nonsense. The internal metal of the radio body, and to
 An> some extent your body while holding it, act as the counterpoise. You
 An> might see some better RX (receive) quality, but it's inconsistent. Last
 An> year someone did a lab test to show all that, which mimics the result
 An> of my son's science fair tests from a couple years ago.

I think you'll find that depends on a number of variables.  Another of my best
2m antennas was a home made 1/4 wave (made from a telescopic FM radio antenna
pushed into a SO-239 - BNC adapter) that improved dramatically with the
addition of a 1/4 wave counterpoise.  The counterpoise worked best when allowed
to dangle clear of the body and other conductors.  I often had other people
asled me what I used to get out, especially while on a train, because my 2m
train mobile signals were better than everyone else's - I could easily access
repeaters from sections of line where others would battle to open them up.

However, experiments with adding a counterpoise to commercially made antennas
of various designs were generally unsuccessful, so you're at least partly
right, hence my "it depends". :)

 An> Mobile antennas on a magnet base, placed on a baking sheet, will
 An> significantly outperform the ducky antenna.

Yep, no argument there. :)

 An> A home antenna, even in an attic, will outperform all of the above.
 An> Most people seem to think J-pole antennas of copper work best, but I
 An> don't know how much they outperform a purchased Comet or Diamond
 An> antenna (cheaper though, especially if you make it yourself). Outdoors

J poles do work quite well, though saying they outperform a good quality
commercially built antenna is a stretch.  But they are on a par for
performance.  Another design I've had a lot of success with is the coaxial
collinear on 70cm (and Australian UHF CB if scaled for 477 MHz).  These do
perform about as well as a commercially made antenna of equivalent gain.  At
lower frequencies like 6m, the coaxial collinear reduces to a coaxial dipole
(i.e. a simple 1/2 wave) and works well.  Of course, you have to allow for the
velocity factor of the coax if you build this type of antenna.  I have made a
few for 70cm and UHF CB over the years, as well as a 6m coaxial dipole, and all
worked very well.

 An> and as high as possible will perform best, as VHF/UHF are
 An> line-of-sight. Attics work well enough if you can't mount it on a tower
 An> or roof.

Height is might on VHF/UHF. :)

 An> Discone antennas are the best scanner/listening antennas.

And a handy standby transmitting antenna in a pinch, if you have the right one.

 An> Window mount are pretty marginal, especially if mounted inside the
 An> window. You'd be better off with the mobile antenna on a baking sheet,
 An> or a roll-up J-pole antenna hanging out the window.

Yep, definitely outside, and if you can, at least get clear of the roof line.


.... A pill a day keeps the stork away.
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