r/AntennaDesign

I currently have a DIY pota performer antenna, but I wanted to see if I could shorten the radials of it so that the entire antenna could fit in the my truck bed (sometimes I want to do some hunting during lunches at work, and I want to keep it confined). I currently have the whip on a standard photographer tripod, but was wondering if I could use/if anyone had experience with using loading coils to shorten the rather long radials. I would only be doing 20M with this antenna so it wouldn't have to be multiband.

just sitting here watching free local channels and laughing at how much money people drop on fancy setups. i threw together a slinky dog antenna last month for funsies and somehow it’s pulling in every channel in my area clearer than my old store-bought one.

like… a TOY… is outperforming real gear. what even is life anymore??

anyone else got ridiculous homemade antennas that somehow just WORK? drop the weirdest ones below

I need help, I got into an argument with a coworker over whether or not we needed to replace a TNC connector on our watt meter when testing p25 trunked radios. The cable jacket and ground shield completely separated from the collar of the TNC. My coworker keeps saying that it’s fine because he just used it to test a radio, and it came up with 28w forward power and 78mw reflected. My point of contention is that we can’t rely on the numbers given anymore because the ground is cut. What effects on testing would we see with reduced grounding? Am I crazy for wanted to make sure we have good test equipment before sending radios out into the field?