Flexible (long) wire antenna for an HT? Does this exist?

[kadetklapp]

Say you are backpacking in a remote area and would like to work a six or ten meter repeater off of an HT. Is there a suitable antenna on the market that would allow you to get out under those conditions at five watts? I think I've seen one somewhere before, but I cannot find one now. This would be something you could fold/roll up and stick in your pocket.

 

[ka3jjz]

How about a J Pole made out of twin lead? best regards..Mike

 

[gewecke]

Say you are backpacking in a remote area and would like to work a six or ten meter repeater off of an HT. Is there a suitable antenna on the market that would allow you to get out under those conditions at five watts? I think I've seen one somewhere before, but I cannot find one now. This would be something you could fold/roll up and stick in your pocket.

Yes, MFJ makes a longwire vhf longwire dipole for a talkie but you'd have to check their catalog for the model number.

73,
n9zas

 

[WA1ATA]

The 2-Meter Roll-up J-pole Antenna and
Portable Roll-Up 2-Meter J-Pole Antenna are examples of 2 meter J-poles made out of 300 ohm twinlead.

The rest of the antenna is a suitable length of coax and some string or fishline. Throw a rock or stick attached to the fishline over a suitable branch. Tie the line to the j-pole, pull it up into the air several feet and transmit away.

I have made several twinlead J-poles for the 157MHz marine band and 160MHz railroad band and have found that they have better performance than a dipole. That is a bit surprising, since a J-pole antenna is simply a 1/2 wave dipole end fed via a 1/4 wavelength matching section.

 

[kadetklapp]

Thanks for the great info guys.

 

[UPMan]

I'm still hoping someone picks up my patent idea and makes a product.

Telescoping antenna with retractable ... - Google Patents

 

[LtDoc]

It doesn't matter if it's connected to an HT or some other radio, a "long wire", or probably more accurately, a random wire antenna can certainly be made to work. Since how that wire will be run/mounted will make a difference in it's usability, figure on being able to tune it in some way.
Also figure on providing a ground, or the 'other half' of that antenna, that's going to be a necessity. If nothing else, and equal length of wire laid on the ground can work. A typical HT uses the radio's chassis and the one holding that HT as it's 'ground', which is never going to be all that 'good'.
All kinds of choices for a portable antenna, guess it just depends on how big your pockets are...
- 'Doc

Some definitions;
Longwire: typically at least two wave lengths long at the frequency of use.
Randomwire: typically at least a 1/4 wave length long and more.
'Chunker': what you tie on the end of that wire/cord to throw something over something else.
'Chunkee': the one doing that chunking.
Frustration: typical state of the one doing that chunking or antenna using.
Expectations: what that @#$ antenna was supposed to do!