In article ,
"Tom" wrote:

Any reason why I shouldn't shorten this ringo I have to 6ft 4in (full
wavelength for 2m) ? Any reasons why I shouldn't use the gnd planes? How
long should they be for that length omni?

Tom-

The reason you do not want a full wave antenna like this, is that it
sends much of its energy up towards the sky instead of towards the
horizon. The 5/8 wave antenna sends the maximum amount towards the
horizon.

You could stack a half wave antenna on top of a 5/8 wave antenna with a
proper phasing network. That might improve your signal towards the
horizon.

Using radials for a ground plane is a good idea. I would make them each
a quarter wave long.

Fred
K4DII