Antenna guide

The antenna matters more than almost anything else in your station. Here is how to choose, place and check one.

Common antenna types

Rubber duck
The short antenna on a handheld. Handy and tough, but the weakest performer. Swap it for a longer one for a quick boost.
Whip
A straight metal rod, often a quarter wavelength. A simple, dependable choice on a vehicle roof or a metal plate.
Magnetic mount
A whip on a magnet. Goes on a roof in seconds with no drilling. Keep the base clean and the roof flat for the best hold.
Gain antenna
A longer antenna that squeezes the signal toward the horizon. It can reach farther, but it narrows how high it listens.
Ground plane
A vertical rod with radials sloping down. A good all-around home antenna in every direction.
J-pole
A tall, simple vertical made from tubing or ladder line. Cheap to build and works well on a mast.
Yagi
A beam with several rods that aims at one direction. Great for reaching a far repeater, but you must point it.

Height first: Raising an antenna helps more than adding watts. Get it above roofs and trees if you can.
Clear surroundings: Keep it away from metal siding, gutters and trees that soak up the signal.
Match the polarization: Mount base and mobile antennas vertically. A tilted antenna loses signal against the others.
Short, good coax: Every extra foot and every cheap connector wastes some signal. Use quality coax and as little as you need.
Seal the connectors: Water kills a feed line. Wrap outdoor connections with self-fusing tape.
Ground and protect: Ground the mast and use a lightning arrestor. Never run a mast near power lines.

SWR tells you how well the antenna matches the radio. A meter between the two shows it. Lower is better.

Near 1.0 to 1.5: Excellent. Almost all your power is leaving the antenna.
1.5 to 2.0: Fine for most radios.
Above 2.0: Check the cable, connectors and antenna length. Do not run high power until it is fixed.