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Laird QWFTB120
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mmckenna
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Yes, that is a quarter wave antenna.
It is -tunable- between 118-512MHz. If you want to use it around 460MHz, you'll trim it to the correct length. The antenna should come with a cut chart that will get you 'close enough'.
It's going to be somewhere around 5.75 to 6 inches.
It is -tunable- between 118-512MHz. If you want to use it around 460MHz, you'll trim it to the correct length. The antenna should come with a cut chart that will get you 'close enough'.
It's going to be somewhere around 5.75 to 6 inches.
Ok thanks. But if I ignored what the cut chart says and cut it to say 19 inches. Wouldn’t that give me a half wave?
mmckenna
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A half wave antenna would be twice as long as a 1/4 wave, so on UHF frequencies, about 12 inches long. However the feed point impedance will be really high and you'd need to have a coil at the base to handle the impedance issues.
19" is resonate around the amateur 2 meter band. It'll work as a 3/4 wave on the 70cm band, and actually works really well, except the radiation pattern gets a bit funky and tends to launch the UHF signal a bit above the horizon.
mmckenna
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Are you transmitting or just receiving?
If you are transmitting, the antenna needs to be tuned correctly so the radio can transfer the maximum amount of RF energy to the antenna. If it's not tuned correctly, the reflected power will result in the transmitter cutting it's power output to protect the final stage.
If it's receive only, then get a higher gain antenna for the bands you want. If scanning is what you are into, get a 5/8th's wave UHF mobile antenna, or one of the colinear antennas. If your interest is multiband scanning, then get one of the multiband antennas.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
If you are transmitting, and its only a UHF radio, you do NOT want to use a VHF 1/4 wave. While a VHF 1/4 wave will work, its not a great antenna due to radiation pattern. A properly tuned UHF 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 or 1/2 over 1/2 wave colinear are much better choices, and will be better performing.
mmckenna
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OK, so using a 1/4 wave VHF antenna would act as a 3/4 wave on UHF, and it will have some gain, but the radiation pattern goes up above the horizon, so that gain may not do you any good.
If UHF radio and gain are your concern, go with a 5/8th's wave UHF antenna, which will give you 3dB of gain, or essentially give you an ERP around 2 times the transmitter output. Other option would be to use a 5dB gain co-linear antenna.
But keep in mind, these antenna achieve their gain by squishing down the radiation pattern and aiming it off at the horizon. That can work very well in wide open flat places, but in mountainous terrain, a lower gain antenna may outperform the higher gain antennas if the receiver/repeater on the far end is well above the horizon.
mmckenna
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Something to keep in mind here with this….
If this is a commercial or public safety license you are operating under, the FCC license (if you are in the USA) will have a maximum ERP listed for the mobile stations. You need to stay at or under what the FCC license says.
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