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Reviews For: Radio Shack whip antenna 102 inchs long

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack whip antenna 102 inchs long
Reviews: 25MSRP: 16
Description:
Antenna that is 102" long and is used mainly by CB Radio Operators. Also a good choice for 10 Meters. This antenna is available at some Radio Shack stores and at Radio shops.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00254.8
NA5XX Rating: 2015-05-23
Good multiband mobile antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just set up my mobile station in my F-150 Truck. Icom 706 (original) radio with LDG Z-11pro tuner. The RS 102 whip will tune easily on 6-20. I have also tuned on 40 but it took the tuner a while to find the match. First contact with the setup was Northern ID to Lithuania on 20 meters. Can you ask for better in a cheap antenna. With the recent demise of Radio Shack, hope you can find one.
KK6NLZ Rating: 2015-04-30
The BEST Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Easily contact all across the US WHILE DRIVING!!!
Every day... talk to Georgia from CA to friends.

Cheap, Indestructible, Sexy..

Cut my first one and it was so so..
Bought a new one and didn't cut it. Works great!

DONT CUT IT!
K1WJ Rating: 2014-10-06
Good Portable 10m vertical Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Use the Radio Shack 102 in. whip with K40 mount on 6ft tripod with one 1/4 wave radial used on side of AZ HOA house. SWR is great, many contacts. Base of antenna & radial about 4ft+ off the ground. Very Happy. Full 1/4 wave antenna on 10 meters.....73 K1WJ in Phoenix AZ.
KG4NEL Rating: 2014-03-21
A true survivor... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
An excellent option for HF mobile, if you're realistic about your expectations. I've used one since 2005 with an Icom AH-4 tuner for 20-6 meters; it'll load on 40 with a decent SWR, but I'd shudder to know what the actual efficiency is down there. As a very casual mobile HF op, however, it's fine.

It's survived countless tree strikes, bridges that weren't quite as tall as advertised, and other abuse. Put one on your favorite heavy-duty shock spring and roll!
KC9VYX Rating: 2012-10-24
20m and 40m with coil ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
with a wolf river coil sliver bullit tunes great and with a shorter whip will work for other bands have worked holland and australia and 25 states in the last week! i am a new ham have a report of 5 and 9 lots and have broken pileups with this steup and 100 watts with a yaesu 897d have this set up 12 feet from my house on a 6 ft tri-pod with 8 25ft 20ga radials this is my bace antenna more later 73s KC9VYX
KA1ZFY Rating: 2012-08-24
102" whip beats all Time Owned: more than 12 months.
A resonant, full-sized quarter-wave vertical beats any shortened, loaded compromise quarter-wave antenna any day. I had trouble reaching a friend of mine from my mobile at 80 miles. We both use 100w. I switched from my Wilson 1000 to a 102" whip and an antenna tuner, and was able to copy him on 10m SSB with no problem. He was on his base using a shortened A99. The best part about the whip is that it is the cheapest choice and the best. How often does that happen?
W9GIL Rating: 2012-01-23
It is OK for 10 meters Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got the whip for some experimenting. I read a lot of good and bad things about it and also how easy you can convert it to some other bands. I gave it a try on 10 meters where it should tune with no problems. I ran SWR at 28400 and it was dead flat! WOW. I should mention that I was using magnet mount. So I decided to try it with a friend of mine who lives 15 miles away. Two whips, two cars, two Kenwood radios with 100 Watts. We got each other with 1S and really hard to copy. We decided to compare it to Wilson 1000 antenna whicj we both owned. This time it was S3 and clear copy.

My conclusion. If you need an antenna for 10 meter band only...think twice :-)
W5LZ Rating: 2010-12-04
Good for what it is. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've used a 102" whip antenna as part of another antenna for a lot of years. They work just fine as a component part, or a stand-alone antenna if it's as long as you need for some particular frequency. I've bent a few, but can't remember ever seeing one broken completely.
How does it work with a tuner on bands where it's too 'short'? If it isn't 'too short', it'll probably work okay. Until you get to somewhere near 20 meters or so, and then it's more a liability than an asset. A tuner will do nice things for impedance matching, but nothing for resonance (the 'other half' of tuning any antenna). No matter what tuner you use, 40 and 80 meters will be terrible unless you've got a loading coil in there somewhere. It still won't be an ~efficient~ antenna on 40 or 80 meters, but it'll 'work'.
Something to remember is that the 'antenna' starts where the feed line ends. Count the height of the mount in the length of the radiating part of that antenna. That 102 inches isn't -all- of the actual length of the 'antenna'.
:)
Paul
W9VER Rating: 2010-12-04
Just some information Time Owned: N.A.
I would like to throw out some thoughts.

I have several of these and it is indeed a great antenna, but it is the "lightweight" version of the 102 incher. DX Engineering offers a 102" that is more rigid and uses a larger diameter taper.

Having said that, you can't beat the R.S. 102, I mean how can you mess up a 102" whip design?
AD7JR Rating: 2010-02-15
solid antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This indestructable piece of stainless is good for 10 meters, 11 meters and 12 meters just as it is sold. You can add a spring if you want for little better swr on 11-12 meters, take spring off for 10 meters. If you've got the room, it's the only antenna to have for 10 meters. The only reason I'd think of any other antenna for 10 would be lack of space.