"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message
...
The surface mount antenna is likely to be a patch, or microstrip,
antenna. When mounted on a horizontal surface, They radiate or receive
most strongly straight up, although they do reasonably well at lower
angles and have some response at the horizon. Among other applications,
they're commonly used as GPS antennas, for receiving signals from
satellites. But a vertical antenna would almost certainly do much better
in your application.

I don't know of a site or tutorial that gives the kind of basic
information you're looking for, but you might find what you need at
http://www.cebik.com. Be cautious at other sites, since there's a huge
amount of misunderstanding and misinformation about antennas out there,
and the ability to make a fancy and professional looking web site has
nothing to do with whether the author really understands the subject
matter. If you're interested in a little more depth from a reliable
source, the _ARRL Antenna Book_ is a good investment.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL


Hi Roy,

Thanks, I was reading my Radio Amateur Handbook to try and get some ideas
and from the graphic figures they have in there, it did look like a vertical
antenna would be better. I wanted to get another opinion though. Also,
thanks for the link, I have added it to my favorites. There's a lot of stuff
there to read so I can visit the site and learn more as I have time.

Regards,
Joe
KB1KVI