SignalStuff was created by a man named Richard Bateman, KD7BBC. I really admire this man and his dedication to amateur radio. He started the company SignalStuff and makes some of the best HT antennas around, the Super-Elastic Signal Stick™ more commonly known as the Signal Stick. The Signal Stick is a very flexible antenna made with Nickel Titanium, also known as Nitinol (pronounced night-in-all). Nitinol is an extremely interesting metal alloy in that it has a “memory” state that is temperature dependant. In other words, if it is straight at room temperature, it will always want to be straight at room temperature. If you bend it, it will want to go back to it’s normal state (within reason, don’t make really sharp bends with this antenna or anything). This is why it is called “Super-Elastic”. It’s really neat stuff until you try to solder it, then it is a bit of a hassle. Fortunately, the people at SignalStuff know how to handle it, they do a great job building them, and they stand behind their work with a lifetime warranty on the Signal Stick antennas. They come in dual band, and single band configurations.
As you can see in the gallery below, on my particular radio, there is a small gap between the base of the antenna and the radio. This gap doesn’t hurt anything, but it doesn’t look good. This is not the case on all radios or all connector types though. If you have a radio that has a gap when the antenna is installed, SignalStuff sells rubber spacers that will fill in the gap on most models. Even if you don’t think you will need it, order one (or more) when you order your antenna just in case. They don’t cost much, and you don’t want to have to pay for extra shipping just to order one later. I didn’t order one when I got my antennas (not sure if they were offering them yet), so I just made due with an O-Ring from a kit I already had on-hand for exactly this reason. I had already run into this issue with other HT antennas, and wanted to have a fix handy for any radios/antennas that had the same issue in the future. The SignalStuff SMA female antennas currently have a bell shape at the bottom that covers the connector better; see the last 3 pictures of the SMA-Female on my Baofeng 5RM. I wish they had that option for the SMA-Male as well, but so far they do not offer that. See my gallery below for pictures and more information.
One of the most popular versions of the Signal Stick is the dual-band 2m/70cm antenna that is a 1/4 wave on 2 meters (144-148 MHz) and a 3/4 wave on 70 centimeters (420-450 MHz). Below are the specs for that model.
Full Specifications
Frequency Range: 144-148 MHz, 420-450 MHz
SWR: Has been measured as low as: 1.3:1 @ 146 MHz, 1.5:1 @ 440 MHz
Max Power: 50W continuous duty cycle, 100W at 50% duty cycle.
Length: Approximately 19 inches
Connector options: BNC male, SMA Male, SMA Female
The tip of the antenna has a small ball to protect you from getting poked, and the antenna itself has heat shrink on it, so you can get it in different colors, plus it looks nice. I have used these antennas on multiple radios, and I can tell you they definitely make a difference.
If you can’t stand the full 19 inches sticking up while you carry it, you can easily bend the antenna into a loop to reduce the overall size, and yes, it still transmits and receives in this configuration – although if you are going to be using the radio to talk not just listen, you may as well uncoil it and get the benefits from the full length while doing so. I love the fact that you can coil the antenna to reduce the size when carrying it, and then uncoil it to have the full length.
These antennas are a HUGE improvement over most of the antennas that come with your radio. Not only are they longer which means your line of sight is a little higher and you have more of the wave length, but they are tunable (if you don’t mind cutting them) to suit your needs. Keep in mind that if you cut it, you will need to either put the original ball end back on the antenna (if you can get it off, I have never tried) or use something (hot glue or Plasti Dip) to make a protective tip.
While there is no such thing as a “best” antenna for every person, or every situation, this antenna is currently my “go-to” antenna for my HT’s in most situations. Head on over to SignalStuff and check out their offerings. They even have mobile antennas (quarter and half-wave), magnetic mounts, adapters, and dual-band open-stub J-pole antennas. Not only will you bet getting a great antenna, but your purchase will help fund HamStudy.org which is an invaluable tool to assist people studying to become amateur radio operators. Help keep amateur radio alive!
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