Why do you use a whip antenna?
 

I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)

In article ,
"Dale" wrote:

I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but
didn't want to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you
would ever use a factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire
or other external antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real
antenna but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an
antenna on the radio so it will work and they can call it a portable.
Did I just answer my own question? I really get a kick out of someone
saying some radios don't perform well off of the whip. Who cares?
Someone please enlighten me. When would you ever use a supplied whip
over an external wire or other antenna? Even in a hotel room or on a
camping trip you could use an external wire antenna. Light guage wire
of any reasonable length takes up very little room and most decent
radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also look at
the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks
in advance.... :)

Well, whenever the signal is strong enough for good reception on the
whip I would not bother to put the wire up. The whip works good enough
for strong signals.

I have a roll up wire from radio shack that I made a plug for the
antenna jack. I roll that out for weak signals.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

"Dale" wrote in message
...
I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but
didn't want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever
use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other
external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real
antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on
the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just
answer my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios
don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten
me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other
antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external
wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very
little room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You
can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and
none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under
what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded).
I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks
in
advance.... :)


I don't think you're missing anything but I think you may not be
allowing enough for different people's assessment of convenience v.
need for sensitivity, particularly when you factor in listening
preferences and whether or not the person is into DXing. When we do
"outdoorsy" stuff like camping, the Radio Shack DX-399 (a
great -sounding- radio for its size) makes the trip. Personally, I
don't do a lot of DXing, and tend to do less when away from home
unless I'm in a really interesting spot. I realize that a wire
antenna wouldn't take up much room, but it's still -one- more thing,
and one more thing to avoid having to get in the way, no matter how
slight the relative inconvenience. Add to that the fact that I can
get that which I intend to listen to off the whip, and I tend to stick
with just the whip.

Dale:

Only reason I can think of to use " just the whip"
is if your listening to a strong nearby signal
and an external antenna would cause unwanted overload.

I have ~10 feet of 22 gague insulated stranded hookup wire with Dual alligator
clips which I use as a portable random wire;
- Useful on bike trips, outdoor cafe's & in the house when moving around,
listening to a weak signal.

Dan / NYC


In article , "Dale"
writes:

Subject: Why do you use a whip antenna?
From: "Dale"
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 17:24:21 -0500

I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)

"Dale" wrote in message
...
I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't
want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

[snip]

Why waste time and effort with wires in order to listen to the likes of
Brother Stair and Alex Jones?

Frank Dresser

Someone wrote:
"but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer my
own question? "

Yep good answer -- portability
On my R/S DX 398 -- works quite well every thing considered

--
One Watt

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism;
to steal from many is research.
-- Comedian Steven Wright


"Dale" wrote in message
...
I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't
want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real
antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer
my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little
room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)

Dale wrote:

I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)


I'm sure convenience is a large part of it.

I use an active 3 meter whip for my camping and vacation setup. It goes on a photographic tripod, and simplifies things - I don't need to find a support to tie it onto.

Performance is quite good.

It's main drawback is it's too tall for use in most indoor locations.

The whip antenna comes in pretty handy when your back is itching.

Steve

"Dale" wrote in message ...
I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)

There's the answer I was looking for!
;)


"Steve" wrote in message
om...
The whip antenna comes in pretty handy when your back is itching.

Steve

"Dale" wrote in message
...
I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't
want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use
a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real
antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer
my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios
don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me.
When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other
antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little
room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can
also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none
of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)

In article ,
says...
I was going to say this as a response to someone else's post but didn't want
to hijack their thread. So... Can anyone tell me why you would ever use a
factory supplied whip antenna over an external wire or other external
antenna?

The factory supplied whip antennas are to me a sad excuse for a real antenna
but I guess the manufacturers have to put some sort of an antenna on the
radio so it will work and they can call it a portable. Did I just answer my
own question? I really get a kick out of someone saying some radios don't
perform well off of the whip. Who cares? Someone please enlighten me. When
would you ever use a supplied whip over an external wire or other antenna?
Even in a hotel room or on a camping trip you could use an external wire
antenna. Light guage wire of any reasonable length takes up very little room
and most decent radios usually have an external antenna jack. You can also
look at the higher end radios as well as ultra high end radios and none of
them come with a whip antenna.

I don't want this to become heated but I really am curious under what
circumstances some of you would use a whip antenna (FM excluded). I'm
certain that I must be missing something really obvious here. Thanks in
advance.... :)

In my particular case, my portable (Radio Shack DX-375) does extra duty
beyond a shortwave receiver. I also use it to pick up local AM and FM
broadcast stations, where a wire would be unnecessary but a whip is very
practical.

--

-- //Steve//

Steve Silverwood, KB6OJS
Fountain Valley, CA
Email: