Handheld Antennas
All handheld radios come with an antenna. It's usually coil of wire inside a plastic covering with limited flexibility. For reasons lost in the mists of time, these antennas are often called a rubber duck. They work reasonably well, but trade performance for mobility.
There is no need to rush out and buy another antenna. Depending on how you use your radio, the included antenna may be just fine. If you mostly use nearby repeaters for chatting with others, just use your radio as it came out of the box.
Consider another antenna only if the stock one isn't meeting your needs. This might be the case if you rely heavily on simplex communications, or want to work satellites, or you use your radio while doing outdoor adventure activities where you need more range.
Rather than telling you which antenna to buy, this guide will help you understand the tradeoffs among different antenna types so you can choose ones that best fit your needs. It includes examples of solid options in each category. I don’t own every antenna listed, but I have and use many of them.
With the right feedline and adapters, a handheld can use any stationary antenna. These antennas come in many forms, are mounted on a mast or tower, and include both directional and omnidirectional designs. This guide is focused on portable antennas and doesn't cover stationary antennas.
About Antenna Performance
Lab grade measurement of antenna performance requires both expertise and specialized equipment. Ed Fong WB6IQN who teaches Antenna Design at the University of California at Santa Cruz has both. When he gives performance measurements for his DBJ-2 antenna, I feel like I can trust them.
Most ham Youtuber's and website builders (including me) can not do lab grade testing. Many do practical testing, like Josh Nass KI6NAZ does from the pinic table in the park near his home. Josh's data is useful and informative, but for most use cases, you won't notice the difference between -114.2 dBm on one antenna and the -107.3 dBm on another.
In this guide I'll describe antenna performance as High, Medium, or Low. For practical use in the field, many factors influence how well and how far you can communicate with others, including location, weather, transmit power, and receiver sensitivity. This simplified approach works well enough for this guide, and I'm sure you can find more detailed performance figures elsewhere if you need them.
Antenna Attributes
All antennas have tradeoffs. I've selected four antenna attributes to help you think about the key tradeoffs for each kind of antenna. If you use your radio in multiple scenarios, you may want to get more than one antenna to optimize how your radio works in each scenario.
- Performance - how well the antenna radiates the transmitted signal. While not the same as how far the antenna can transmit your signal, if everything else is the same, a high performing antenna will transmit farther than a low performing one.
- Mobility - how easy is it to use this antenna while you are moving around
- Durability - while being used, how resiliant is the antenna to being stepped on, getting whacked by a tree, getting wet, getting dropped, etc
- Packability - when not in use, how convenient is the antenna to pack up and haul around
Each type of antenna has a different set of tradeoffs between these attributes. This chart generalizes the attributes for each antenna type. For example, some whip antennas are more flexible than others. But as a group, whip antennas are generally pretty flexible.
Use this chart to better understand the differences between various types of antennas. Scroll down for more details about each antenna type and recommended manufacturers and models.
| Performance | Mobility | Durability | Packability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubber Duck | Low | High | High | Medium |
| Whip | Medium | High | High | High |
| Telescoping and Folding | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Rollup | High | Stationary | High | High |
| Mobile | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
| Directional | High | Low | Medium | Low |
Whip
Whip style antennas attach directly to your radio. They are pretty flexible, some can roll up into a loop less than 6" in diameter. They perform well, are very durable, and easy to use on the go. Whips are better than rubber ducks in every way, and are a great upgrade.
- SignalStuff Signal Stick - If you aren't sure, buy this antenna. Proceeds support [HamStudy](https://hamstudy.org), a free tool to help you study for amateur radio licensing exams. There are many variations of this flexible and durable antenna. They all have a lifetime warranty. You can coil this antenna up in to a 6" loop and stash it in your bag or pouch.
- Diamond SRH320A - a tri-band antenna from a reputable Japanese manufacturer. It's flexible, but not enough to roll up. Any Diamond antenna will be good.
- Comet SMA-503J - a short dual band antenna. Comet makes many whip antennas in different lenghts and with support for various bands.
- Nagoya NA771 - Another quality Japanese made whip antenna.
- ZBM2 Industries Foul Weather Whip - this sturdy whip antenna is also flexible enough to roll up.
Telescoping and Folding
These antennas are more rigid than whips, and either telescope or fold to a smaller size. They don't work when collapsed. They tend to be less packable and less durable than whips, but they also perform better. Because they are longer and heavier than whips, you need to be careful that they don't put too much strain on the antenna connector on your radio. Hit the corner of a building or a tree with one of these antennas while it's all the way open and connected to your radio, and you can easily damage the antenna connector.
- Smiley TriBand 270A- this tri-band, rigid, telescoping antenna trades flexibility for performance. By extending the antenna to different lengths, you optimize the performance for the various bands. Smiley has several other models of telescoping antennas, and they are all good.
- TWAYRADIO RH-660S - a high-gain, rigid, telescoping antenna
- ABBREE makes several models of military style folding antennas in different lengths. The longer lengths perform better, but become unwieldy to use while on the move.
Roll-up
These antennas are usually electrically longer than other portable antennas, which means they generally have better performance. As suggested by the name, they also roll up into a very compact package when not in use. These antennas are designed to be hoisted into the air and attached to your radio via a feedline. Getting the antenna higher up in the air and away from your body also improves performance.
- Ed Fong DBJ-2 - Ed Fong and his students build flexible J-Pole antennas. I wrote a detailed review of this this excellent antenna
- Fara J - made from cloth tape, there are several variations available and they all roll up into a tiny package. The downside, none of them are dual-band, you need one for each band you want to operate on. If you are ok with lower 70cm performance, you can use the 2m version and pretend it's dual band.
When using roll up antennas you need to way to get the antenna hoisted up into a tree. You'll also need a feedline so you can connect the antenna to your radio. I use a length of paracord with a zip tie and a weight. Connect the feedline to the antenna, and the other end of the antenna to your paracord with the zip tie. Throw the paracord and weight over a tree branch and hoist up the antenna.
Mobile
You can use a handheld radio in your car, but if the antenna is inside the car, it doesn't work very well. With a short feed line out the window to a magneticly mounted antenna on the roof, your handheld becomes a low power mobile radio. One inexpensive way to make this work is to buy a mag mount from SignalStuff which let's you use the same antenna on the roof of your vehicle that you connect directly to your handheld.
There are dozens of options for mobile antennas, with a wide range of performance characterists, and several ways to mount them to your vehicle. Make sure you buy an antenna and a mount that are compatible with each other. A NMO antenna won't physically attach to a BNC mag mount.
Directional
All the antennas we've discussed thus far a unidirectional. For increased range you can get a directional antenna. If you are interested in transmissions to satellites, you'll almost certainly need a directional antenna. Most directional antennas are designed to be mounted to a stationary mast. There are a few handheld directional antennas, and they all perform really well, better than any other kind of portable antenna. The tradeoff is that they are large and unwieldy and you won't want to walk very far while carrying it. If you use one for more than a few minutes, you'll probably want some sort of mount for it. Many hams rig up a camera tripod to hold their portable directional antennas.
- Elk Antennas makes a great portable log periodic antenna that works on both 2m and 70 cm.
- Arrow Antenna has more than a dozen different handheld yagi antennas supporting different bands and with different performance characteristics
Recommendations
If your stock antenna isn't working well enough, and you just want me to tell you what to buy, get a dual-band SignalStuff Signal Stick. It's inexpensive and better than a rubber duck in every way.
If you want better performance than you can get from a whip, and can give up mobility, buy Ed Fong's DBJ-2.
Radios and antennas come with different connectors, which can quickly become inconvenient when you have multiple radios or antennas. You may end up with radios that each require a different adapter, or antennas that can't be interchanged because their connectors don't match the radio. This mix-and-match problem is especially noticeable when you frequently switch antennas or use several handheld radios that have different connectors.
A simple and reliable solution is to standardize everything possible to BNC. Put a BNC adapter on each radio to protect the original SMA connector and ensure compatibility. Whenever possible, choose antennas that have BNC connectors. Use BNC connectors on your feedlines. This approach makes more or your gear interchangeable and easier to manage.
Antenna choice ultimately comes down to understanding your operating requirements and balancing the inherent tradeoffs of each design. Whether you prioritize portability, durability, or maximum performance, there are excellent options available. Use the guidance and examples in this document to match an antenna to your typical scenarios, and consider expanding your toolkit over time as your operating needs evolve or expand. With the right antennas on hand, your handheld radio can become a far more capable and versatile tool in the field.