May 21, 2014

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T9A04)

Q) What is a disadvantage of the "rubber duck" antenna supplied with most handheld radio transceivers?

A) It does not transmit or receive as effectively as a full-sized antenna

NJ2X Notes:
Many hams upgrade their HT's rubber duck with a higher performance antenna.  The trade off is typically size for performance.  However, there are times when a full size antenna is needed to make the contact.  For example, Arrow have handheld 2m/440 Mhz Yagi's that work great with an HT and can be used for satellite communication.

Directional arrow antenna for 2m/440 MHz