[SMCARA] Improved Rubber Duck Antenna Performance...

[Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS]

That idea has been around for a long time!  I remember someone demonstrating this idea at a NOFARS (North Florida ARS) meeting in Jax FL, back in the mid-seventies when HTs were referred to as "bricks" for obvious reasons! We built a whole bunch of them at a club meeting one time.  We sported them for a long time until the little "Hershey Kiss" mag mount antennas hit the market and made the use of an HT in the car less painful.

The use of a lug around the connector is a clean way to do it.  I still have one made from a piece of 16 gauge solid wire and an alligator/crocodile clip.  The clip was connected to the outside of the BNC. A great signal improver, but a bit messy to use in the car!

The article indicated that the hardest problem was to keep the tail hanging straight.  I found that the signal improvement way overcame any problem with the geometry of the tail.  Stranded wire does have a tendency to return to its original shape, i.e., reverts to a coil.  16 or 18 gauge solid will work fine and still be flexible.

73 de Tom/W4OKW

-----Original Message-----
From: SMCARA [mailto:smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dave Q
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2015 7:50 AM
To: Tom Shelton
Cc: smcara at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [SMCARA] Improved Rubber Duck Antenna Performance...

I've only know Wes (N3WZU) for a year and he has been telling everyone about his "tiger tail" for at least that long.  He could have written that article.

73... Dave - W3DLQ

On Mon, Jun 8, 2015 at 6:46 AM, Tom Shelton <gl1800winger at verizon.net>
wrote:

> I wonder why no-one thought of this before.
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> http://www.hamuniverse.com/htantennamod.html
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> Tom Shelton, ND3N
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> Ham Radio, Motorcycling, and a Loving Wife who lets me play with both
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> What more could a man need
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