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Antenna Improvement

A

AtomSphere

Member
Nov 25, 2005
7
1
11
I have this antenna, silver in colour and its a coil, can i improve the recieving and tranmitting performance by just adding more surface area? like coiling the silver coil with copper wire?

Or maybe get a copper rod and wind alot of copper wire around it? Anything i should know and look out for??

You view in this matter is highly appriciated by me!
 

I dont Think this is something you should try.That antenna was designed to work on a certen freq range.If you try an add stuff on the antenna it will throw that off and cause poor performance and high a swr reading.In the end you will do more harm than good.If you dont like the way it is then the best thing for you to do would be to buy something else.Like a 10K,Monkey Made or Striker(just to name a few).All can be had for less than $100.00 and are some of the best antennas you can buy.
 
AtomSphere,
No, you wouldn't be 'improving' anything. By changing the amount of surface area you in affect change the characteristics of the antenna (as in more inductance in the coil, shift in resonant frequency). The kind of metal used at HF makes very little difference because of it's conductivity (assuming you don't mean something like 'nichrome' which would mean a drastic worsening in conductance). Although, the one way I can think of to make the thing 'more better' would be to chop the coil out of it altogether, make a 'full sized' antenna. I'm also sure that isn't what you would want to do, since the difference really wouldn't be all that noticable (some, sure, a lot, no).
Not exactly what you wanted to hear, huh? Sorry 'bout that...
- 'Doc
 
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Doc is correct! *If* you can get rid of coils, you are actually better off with a full-size version. Coils create additional resistance (according to most theory) and they are used to save space or make do within established limits. While there is a lot of hype about "BIG COIL" antennas, I doubt they are really any better than a 102" whip. However, they often ARE fairly efficient when compared to other loaded antennas and tend to handly more power. To some people, big coils and multiple coils may look "cool", they really don't do as much as they LOOK like they might! :p

CWM
 
FL Native,
This is being 'picky' but does add some clarification to what you said (NOT saying you're wrong at all!).
If you would add 'loading' to the coil in your explanation it would save some possible confusion or misinterpretation.
- 'Doc
 
AtomSphere said:
102inches? thats a long long antenna. I forgot to mention i am using only a handheld now...
Click to expand...

A 102 whip with spring and ball mount is a long antenna, but 11 meters is a long wavelength. Antennas are designed to be used at specific frequencies and their sizes are usually some multiple of the wavelenth of the frequency being used. 102 inches closely approximates a quarter wavelength of the CB frequencies and it needs no coils or traps to operate on CB. A shorter antenna needs coils to make the antenna work on frequency. Since the whip needs no coils, it is considered a full-size antenna.
 
a full-size 1/4 wl antenna for 462 Mhz. would be about 6.25 - 6.50 inches in length. the 102" whip less the spring and ball would be approximately 15.7 1/4 wl (wavelengths) long at 462 Mhz. you could conceivably trim the 102" for 15 1/4 wl and feed it directly with 50 ohm coax via a matching network to achieve a type of high-gain uhf vertical.
 
freecell said:
.....you could conceivably trim the 102" for 15 wl and feed it directly with 50 ohm coax via a matching network to achieve a type of high-gain uhf vertical.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. If it was stacked elements, then yes. But this is far beyond the simple question originally asked.

The original post was incomplete and is understandable why everyone was thinking CB antennas; although the answers were correct regardless what band he was using.....pretty much.
 
very sorry for not enough information given because i know nuts :roll:

Its a handheld GMRS radio using 462Mhz. Thats all i know. I am sure improving the antenna WILL improve performance. Its a 3 watt transmitter
 

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