What is a good 2m antenna to start with?

Posted on April 26, 2013

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Question by Kyle: What is a good 2m antenna to start with?
I am planning on getting my first amateur radio [hopefully] sooner or later, and have no idea with what kind of antenna to start with. I live in a dorm room, and it can be partially mounted to the side of the building, but what would really shine is something that I can easily take outside and use. I don’t even know where to look for one, so links would be appreciated!

Best answer:

Answer by Randy
While I can not tell you where to look.Length of antenna is

Quarter-wave antenna : length in feet = 234 / frequency in Megahertz
Half-wave antenna : length in feet= 468/ frequency in Mega hertz

The old 11 meter band was CB Radio 3.2808333 ft. per meter

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

4 thoughts on “What is a good 2m antenna to start with?”

  1. CB antennas would require extensive modifications. Depending on your ability to mount, a 5/8ths antenna is one of the best. If that’s to big, a 1/4 wave antenna will do quite well. In a bind some way to mount a short Rubber Ducky with a cable to the radio has been known to work. Check out the AES or HRO sites on line. My preference would be a Larsen 5/8th. I use one on a mag mount on my truck but also have a way of mounting it on an old tripod for out door use, and even have a mount for one on a pack frame to use when hiking.

  2. Make a J-pole antenna out of rigid copper plumbong pipe. You can just lean that into a corner. It should work well.

  3. It all depends on what type of radio you plan on getting (handheld, base, mobile). If handheld, a good Diamond HT antenna would do a very good job http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/rh77ca.html

    If it is a mobile or base radio, an antenna such as this one http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/cp22e.html

    or any of the mobile antennas http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/Product_Catalog/mobile.html

    With the mobile antennas, you would have to supply a ground such as running copper wire from the antenna down to the earth or creating your own ground plane.

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