Jhernan488
Member
Is it worth getting a directional antenna? Maybe to have for emergencies to get further range? Do you own one? What do you use it for?
Okay, thanks for your reply.Depends on what you are trying to do.
A VHF Yagi is going to be a bit big and will take up some room. A 3dB gain antenna won't amount to much on the far end, maybe give you a bit of an advantage. To get a lot more performance, you really need something with several more dB of gain, but then it gets to be an awfully big antenna.
But, it's really easy to build your own. There's a number of websites that will have designs and calculators that will show you how to build them. There are some that use sections of old tape measurers that can collapse pretty small.
As a hobby, it's fun to play with antennas.
If it's for a true emergency, a PLB is a much better choice than amateur radio. Relying on a hobbyist to be there and be listening when you need help is asking a lot.
Those things are a pain to deploy.I have a couple of fold up hand held log periodics made by Hy-Gain/Telex that cover about 2m through 240MHz that were originally sold for some frequency hopping hand held radios. They fold up to about 3ft long and a few inches around, are all flat black and have a belt holster of all things that sticks down to about my ankles when wearing it. The advertisement for the antenna showed a guy dressed in a safari type outfit on top of a hill surrounded by jungle and I suspect the main customer for these was the CIA for use in Central America during some conflicts in the 80s and 90s.
With all that said it makes a huge improvement in a handheld over a rubber duck or even a full size 1/4 wave whip on the radio on 2m and 220MHz. I can get into repeaters that I can't without it, but its not something I would ever use beyond some testing due to its size.
That Elk bean is awesome! It even works well inside hotel rooms when I travel!! www.ElkAntennas.com
They are great for outdoor work! (they even work indoors!) Check out the ELK 2m/440 portable beam... www.ElkAntennas.com