Making a better 2 meter mobile antenna

[nfsus]

2 cars, both 25w fm radios. One has a cheap tram 1/4 wave quirll antenna the other a cheap tram nmo 1/4 wave. Both mag mount. Both tuned pretty close to each other according to the nanovna

The do not preform the same. The quirl 1/4 does better than the straight stick. There shouldn’t be much difference. All things being similar.

Also have considered trying a 1/4 wave with a skirt instead of using the vehicle as the ground plane.

 

[nfsus]

hot an bored. so i decided to temp mount an old radio shack sputnik antenna (1/4 wave with radials) on the car as close to the same height of the mag mount thats on there already and try a test hitting some outlying repeaters. the mag mount is centered in the roof. sputnik was on the side. mag mount did better. so i raised the sputnik 4ft higher than the mag mount. at Of course the sputnik did better at the higher mount. On that repeater i showed 2 s-units more. so on to the next idea i suppose.

 

[brandon7861]

Is your town in a valley with repeaters on higher hills?

Electrically shortening the antenna with a coil mid way up will raise the elevation pattern over a straight 1/4w antenna on the same ground plane.

 

[nfsus]

Is your town in a valley with repeaters on higher hills?

Electrically shortening the antenna with a coil mid way up will raise the elevation pattern over a straight 1/4w antenna on the same ground plane.

We’re pretty flat. Elevated repeaters. The antenna has no coil it’s just the curly q open air. Like the old cell phone antennas