Aside from the radio itself, the next most important part of any communications system is the antenna. Here I will discuss some of the antennas that I have used and can recommend, as well as some that are used by radio operators everywhere. Where possible, I will include links to where you can purchase them, or to find building guides so you can build your own.
I will add more as time allows, so check back often.
Dual-Band Handheld Antennas
Super-Elastic Signal Stick™
I will start with what is probably THE most popular HT antenna you will see hams using, the Super-Elastic Signal Stick™, or simply Signal Stick. I have switched all of my personal-use HT’s over to this antenna and will continue to do so as I have the need/money. This antenna gets its own full-page article. Read the full Super-Elastic Signal Stick™ article here.
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
Nagoya NA-771
If you want a good antenna and don’t mind the length, this is a good deal. I have used these antennas on several Baofeng, TYT, Yaesu, and other brand radios with good results. They are slightly shorter than the SignalStick mentioned above, but they work almost as well.
Full Specifications:
Frequency Range: 140 – 148 MHz, 420 – 450 MHz
Antenna Length: 15.6 inches / 39.6cm
Frequency Center Tuning: 144 / 430MHz
Gain: 2.15 – 3 dBi
Wave: 1/4λ – 1/2λ
Connector Type: SMA (Male or Female available)
Impedance: 50Ω, VSWR: ≤ 1.5
Direction: Omni-directional
Max Input Power: 10W
TIDRADIO TD-771 GMRS
I recently acquired 2 of these, and tested them extensively with my NanoVNA. At least on paper they look great, especially for the price. I still have to do real-world testing transmitting to see what the spectrum analyzer says about the signals, but I have high hopes for these antennas. Even though this is sold as a GMRS antenna, I had really good SWR on other bands including 2 meter and MURS.
Full Specifications:
Frequency Range: 144/430MHz (136-174 + 400-480MHz)
Gain: 2.15dBi
VSWR: < 1.5
Max Input Power: 10W
Connector: SMA Female
Impedance: 50Ω
Direction: Omni-directional
Antenna Length: 15.3 inches
ABBREE AR-771 Ham Radio Antenna Dual Band VHF/UHF
I recently bought 2 of these antennas to test against some of the other names/branded antennas that are all exactly the same looking design and packaging. I tested them extensively with my NanoVNA. At least on paper they look great, especially for the price. I still have to do real-world testing transmitting to see what the spectrum analyzer says about the signals, but I have high hopes for these antennas. It had really good SWR on ALL of the bands I tested including 2 meters, MURS, 1.25 meter, 70 centimeter, and GMRS. So far this antenna has the best overall results on my NanoVNA. One warning I have, and downside I found, was that these antennas both had a really tight center pin connecter. When I first went to screw them onto my radio, I thought it had bottomed out after only 1 full rotation, whereas all other antennas tested bottomed out after 3 full rotations. I pulled out my calipers, and measured everything. It all looked good. So I once again tried, but felt a LOT of resistance after only 1 full rotation. I twisted harder, and it finally went on for the full 3 rotations. However, this could potentially damage your radio, so be careful with these antennas.
Full Specifications:
Frequency Range: 144/430MHz (136-174 + 400-480MHz)
Gain: 2.15dBi
VSWR: < 1.5
Max Input Power: 10W
Connector: SMA Female
Impedance: 50Ω
Direction: Omni-directional
Antenna Length: 14.96 inches
Single-Band J-Pole Antennas
Single-band J-Pole antennas are a great home build project. My first amateur radio antenna was a 2 meter copper-pipe J-Pole antenna. A friend of mine gave me the dimensions from his, and I built it and tuned it myself. I was able to get a GREAT SWR on it, and it worked a fairly wide range on simplex due to its resonance and height. A Single-Band J-Pole antenna can be built from lots of different materials to suite your needs and budget. For a permanent installation, I can recommend copper pipe, or aluminum. For portable use, or just cheap experimenting, you can use ladder line or even coat hanger wire and coax to make a simple J-Pole or Slim Jim antenna.
There are some great websites that will walk you through everything you need to do to calculate the dimensions for a J-Pole or Slim-Jim antenna tuned for any frequency or range. One of the best sources I have found is by John M0UKD located here with the measurements in Metric, or here with the measurements in “Freedom Units” (AKA, inches, lol).
Dual-Band J-Pole Antennas (OSJ)
One of the more common VHF/UHF Dual-Band J-Pole antennas is an OSJ (Open-Stub J-Pole). You can get these in multiple frequency coverage ranges with the two most popular being the 2m/70cm model which covers 143 – 149 MHz and 430 – 450 MHz with a VSWR of less than 1.5:1, and 152/462 model that covers from 150 – 160 MHz and 450 – 470 MHz with a VSWR of less than 2:1. That antenna will cover MURS, GMRS, Business band, and some of the Marine band.
The Open-Stub J-Pole can be built if you have the right tools. However, Arrow Antennas makes a great antenna kit that doesn’t cost much more than you would spend on the cost of the materials if you sourced everything yourself, so unless you already have a drill and drill bits, access to the right raw materials, 3/8″ die for the ends of the antenna rods, and the expertise to use a die to make threads, you are much better off just buying their kit and assembling it. You can usually get aluminum angle, aluminum rods, nuts and the pole mount at any home building store, but again, it adds up pretty quick. I have built several Open-Stub J-Pole in different frequency ranges, but I have the taps and dies, drill, and access to a metal supply company. Even with all that equipment and the expertise needed, it was still tempting to just buy it from Arrow Antennas and save the effort and time.
The build document for the Arrow Antenna Open-Stub J-Pole including parts list with dimensions, drilling pattern, and directions will show you what you would need to build one yourself. They are not complicated to build with the kit from Arrow Antennas. Arrow has an option for either a solid 57-1/2″ rod, or a segmented rod that makes it easier to take down and transport/ship. If you plan to put it up and leave it, get the solid rod. If you would want to be able to travel with it, get the 2-piece option.
To see the information including dimensions and spacing for any of the Arrow Antenna products, click here to see a list of their build instructions.
Dual-Band VHF/UHF Mobile Antennas
Comet CA-2X4SR
Next on my list is the Comet CA-2X4SR Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antenna. This is what I have on my vehicle. I love the fact that it covers so many frequencies (140-160 MHz and 435-465 MHz) which covers the following bands: All of the 2m band (144 – 148 MHz), the top of the 70cm band (from 435 to 450 of the full 420 – 450 MHz band), and most of the GMRS band (462 – 465 of the full 462 – 467 MHz band). It is rated for 1.5:1 or less SWR for 144-148/440-450 MHz, and 2:1 or less SWR in the 140-160/435-465 MHz ranges. While it is not ideal for those who want to use only 2m and 70cm, it is a good compromise for those who want a lot of versatility without multiple antennas/rigs.
Full Specifications:
Frequency Range: 140-160 MHz, 435-465 MHz
Gain: 3.8/6.2 dBi
Max Power: 150 Watts
Length: 40 inches
SWR: 1.5:1 or less for 144-148/440-450 MHz, 2:1 or less for 140-160/435-465 MHz
Connector: NMO, or PL-259
Dual-Band VHF/UHF Base Station Antennas
Tram 1477
The Tram 1477 is a Dual Band 2m/70cm Amateur High Gain Base Antenna with a 150 watt power rating. It comes in a single section that is 43″ tall with three 7″ stainless steel radials. It is pretuned and is great for both outdoor or attic use. My son uses this one in the attic for his Yaesu FTM-200 dual-band radio. It has a really good signal, but not as good as the 1480 I use. Of course, it is in an attic which has some reflective objects, and it is not as high in the air (26′ to tip), so those factors will affect the antenna’s performance when comparing them. The Tram 1477 still works great, and is ideal when you are working with smaller spaces or when you don’t want to spend quite as much as the Tram 1480 costs. It is also great if you are in a restrictive HOA as it is smaller, and easily hidden or camouflaged. For local simplex or repeater work, this will handle all your needs.
Full Specifications:
Dual band fiberglass base antenna
Single section, 43″ tall
1/2 wave VHF, 5/8 wave over 5/8 wave UHF
3 stainless steel 7″ radials
144-148 MHz VHF / 430-460 MHz UHF
Pre-tuned
Great for outdoor or attic use
3.5 dBd (5.64 dBi gain VHF / 6dBd (8.14 dBi) gain UHF
Omni-directional
Fiberglass construction
Mast diameter accepted is 1 3/16″ to 2 7/16″ (30-62mm)
UHF female (SO-239) connector
Max power 150 watts
50 ohms
Available in white or black
Includes mounting bracket and hardware
Tram 1480
This is the same antenna I use at my house as a base station antenna for my dual-band Yaesu FTM-300 radio. I have the antenna about 30 feet high (at the tip) and I get GREAT signal reports when using it for local simplex work. It really reaches out and pulls in the weak signals. The antenna is easily assembled, has a great SWR on both bands, and as good or better than some of the other brands out there. I have learned to love and trust Tram for antennas and coax.
Full Specifications:
Dual band UHF/VHF fiberglass base antenna
8’4″ tall (comes in 2 sections for easy shipping)
5/8 wave 2 elements (2m) and 5/8 wave 4 elements (70cm)
20.5″ radial length
144-148 MHz (VHF)
430-450 MHz (UHF)
4 MHz bandwidth (VHF)
20 MHz bandwidth (UHF)
6 dBd gain (VHF)
8 dBd gain (UHF)
Radiator and coil are hermetically sealed in fiberglass tubing for low SWR in all weather
DC ground construction allows static dissipation for low noise ratio and maximum lightning protection
Mast diameter accepted is 1 3/16″ to 2 7/16″
UHF Female (SO-239) connector
Max power 200 watts
50 ohms
Maximum wind 110mph
HF Antennas
Dipole antennas
Without a doubt, the dipole antenna is one of the easiest to build, and popular antennas out there. A dipole antenna is a center-fed wire antenna that is usually deployed either horizontally, or in an inverted “V” (sometimes written vee) configuration where the center of the antenna where the balun is, is raised with the two free ends of the antenna wire are angled down to form an inverted “V” shape. This configuration increases the signal coverage area. You just need a simple balun (BALanced to UNbalanced), some coax, and enough wire to make up 1/2 wavelength for whatever frequency you want to tune. This antenna uses a piece of wire that is cut for 1/2 wavelength of your desired frequency, which is then cut in half to make two 1/4 wavelength antenna wires which will feed in opposite directions and connected in the center with the balun and coax. There are build directions all over the internet, and if you just want to buy one, you can find them anywhere, and usually pretty cheap. A dipole can cover a single band, or multiple bands depending on how you build it.
Fan Dipole
There are Fan Dipoles that are essentially multiple half-wave dipoles that are combined to a central balun and spread out. This allows the antenna to operate on multiple bands by having resonant wires of multiple frequencies (or bands) going out from the center in matched pairs. For instance 2 wires would be cut to be 1/4 wave resonant on 10m with one wire going in each direction, and another 2 wires would be cut to be 1/4 wave resonant on 17m with one wire going in each direction. The wires would start to make the balun look like a bird with its wings spread. You can add as many bands to a fan dipole as you want, although the more bands you add, the more those wires will interact with the tuning of the other bands. You can also build an Off-Center-Fed Dipole (OCFD) which is explained further down this page.
Doublet Antenna
Much like a dipole antenna, a doublet is very simple to build. The biggest difference between a dipole and a doublet is that a doublet antenna is fed with an open or balanced wire, like ladder line instead of an unbalanced wire like coax. Because the feedline is balanced, it does not require a balun, and , unlike a half-wave dipole, a doublet’s wires are often cut for a non-resonant frequency length, which is designed to be used across multiple bands by using an antenna tuner to match the impedance for the desired bands.
End-Fed Half-Wave (EFHW) Antenna
If you want to build your own End-Fed Half-Wave antenna, it’s pretty easy. The ARRL sells a kit made by HF Kits that is available here. I have bought and built this exact kit for my first EFHW antenna. Once I had it up and working, I made a ton of contacts on HF and was very pleased with the results. You will need an antenna tuner to use an EFHW, and I recommend an external antenna tuner unless your receiver just has a really good antenna tuner in it.
Once I had used it for a while, and knew what it could and couldn’t do, I decided to build another one that could handle more power. I do a lot of digital radio which has a higher duty cycle, which can cause some baluns to heat up beyond their heat dissipating specifications, especially if you’re using a lot of power and the enclosure is completely sealed with no vent. I used a heavier gauge wire, 2 toroids, and a higher rated capacitor, as well as adding a vent on the bottom to allow for pressure differences due to temperature, as well as allowing any moisture to escape. I can’t say that I SAW any difference, but it made me feel better to know it could handle whatever I was going to throw at it in the future, especially if I add a linear amplifier.
The End-Fed Half-Wave antenna is a great antenna, especially if you have a tuner. It covers a lot of bands with the most common configuration covering 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters. You can add a coil and a small amount of additional wire to the end to add 80 meters as well, and the directions are included to do that. This is a very versatile and easy to deploy antenna. It is great for POTA work since you only need to get one end of the antenna high up in a tree.
Off-Center-Fed Dipole (OCFD) Antenna
An Off-Center-Fed Dipole is exactly what the name says. It is a type of dipole antenna that has the balun offset to one side. An OCFD antenna uses two different lengths or wire, one on each side just like standard dipole, with a 4:1 Balun in the “middle” of the 2 wires. Compared to a standard dipole antenna, the OCFD will give you multi-band coverage at the “cost” of a higher SWR. Depending on the band, and what type of tuner you have, an antenna tuner can make the impedance match to allow the desired band to tune with a good SWR. For higher power, sometimes an external tuner may be required to make a better match than some internal tuners are capable of.