Antenna Tips

Now we all own and dearly love our HT's right? All those tiny buttons and the ability to listen to our favorite frequencies. They fit in our shirt pocket, purses or attach to our belts. And for those of us with extended receive coverage, we can listen to the weather, TV, aircraft, emergency services, 800Mhz, FRS etc. So much packed into so little space.

But what is the biggest shortcoming of these increasingly amazing units? The antennas of course. We spend after-purchase bucks to upgrade the stock antennas which typically don't perform all that well. Some of us get the long 15 or 17 inch skinny whip antennas and some settle for shorter, stockier antennas. Most perform better than the OEM antennas.

But there is a safety issue with the longer antennas that we might not normally consider. If you place your HT on a counter or table top someone could miss seeing the antenna (especially the skinny ones) and poke their eye on the tip of the antenna. Not a pleasant thing.

To help people notice the top of your antenna, simply paint the tip of the antenna with yellow paint. You can even get orange or yellow glow-in-the-dark paint that provides you some night glow during camping trips.

Another option is to attach some yellow or orange, small diameter, 1/4 inch or so heat shrink tubing to the tip of the antenna. The heat shrink offers no RF loading. You can even add short strips of tubing at various intervals to create an unique work of art!

These solutions will allow the antenna to be more visible and offer a lower potential for an eye opening accident.

Another tip is for those folks with the skinny antennas manufactured by Comet, Pryme and others. With use the shaft of the antenna can become loose in the base or snap off or bend. The factory rep suggests using appropriate sized heat shrink tubing to secure the thin shaft to the base. I have found a thin 1/2" long slice shrunk securely to the shaft right at the base followed by a slightly larger diameter piece secured to the base prevents the rotating shaft syndrome and offers additional break-resistance. The rep says the heat shrink does not affect the performance or tuning and that newer editions are going to be shipped from the factory with the heat shrink installed.

Enjoy your HT but remember antenna safety too.

Chip, WB7TFD