Rat Tails and Counterpoise adapters for VHF Rubber Duck Antennas. Post #1283.

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Are you disappointed in the performance of the stock "rubber duck" antenna that came as standard equipment on your HT?  You're not alone.  The "rubber duck" antenna is sometimes no better than a "dummy load", especially if you're trying to hit a distant repeater.

In this video from "Mountain Parameters", we learn about a quick and easy antenna attachment that will help improve the efficiency and range of your "rubber duck" HT antenna.  A simple, effective, and inexpensive improvement that can be made for any HT antenna is the creation of a "counterpoise" made from cheap, locally available components. This homemade "counterpoise" creates a virtual ground plane, by adding the "missing half" to your HT's antenna. This simple device is often called a "Rat Tail."  This wire attachment to the base of your HT's antenna will improve the efficiency of the antenna and permit better connections to repeaters or simplex stations.  If you enjoy hiking or camping, be sure to pack one of these "counterpoise" wires in your "go kit."  This simple attachment may make the difference between having a contact or losing one.

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http://www.HawaiiARRL.info.
https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com.
https://bigislandarrlnews.com.
http://www.arrl.org.
http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a weekly podcast which is updated each Friday afternoon).
https://paper.li/kh6jrm/1430289353 (Amateur Radio News & Information).

Other sites of interest:

Hawaii Science Digest (https://paper.li/f-1476233615).
Hawaii Intelligence Digest (https://hawaiiintelligencedigest.com).
Hawaii Intelligence Daily (https://paper.li/f-1482109921).

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Opinions expressed in this blog are mine unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for joining us today.

Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).