Does The Stubby Antenna Still Deserve Bad Press?

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The name stubby antenna is a very descriptive name for the short, stunted looking antenna encased in a rubbery sheath that is the stubby antenna. But the stubby antenna has received a bad press over the years for delivering reduced range of the radio. Results with reception and stubby antennas will vary meant that FM reception was greatly affected by terrain. However, with technological advancements quarter wave stubby antennas offer high performance with the minimum of size.

Today the most common antenna on a typical portable phone is a 'stubby antenna' which can be seen as a shortened version of the t4-whip. For a long time stubby antennas were of the helical type made of a wire (approximately A/4 long) wound on an insulating core to get an exterior length of t16 to N8 (20-40 mm at 800- 1000 MHz).

The Stubby Antenna is the choice for many applications because stubby antennas are available in a variety of designs and lengths which offer off-the-shelf solution for handheld device. Stubby antennas can provide connectivity to Wi-Fi, GPS, GSM, GPRS and 3G networks.

Short, non-obtrusive stubby antennas are ideal for situations when radios are worn on user's belt because this flexible antenna won't stick in your back and through its high technology loading you will not see a reduction in range as with other shorter antennas.

The stubby antenna is also available as a retractable stubby antenna. A retractable stubby antenna is movable relative to the housing along a longitudinal axis. In a retracted position, at least a portion of the retractable stubby antenna is positioned within the housing. In an extended position at least a portion of the retractable stubby antenna is positioned outside of the housing such that a greater portion of the antenna is positioned outside the housing in the extended positioned than in the retracted position. A radiating helical element is connected to device circuitry through a connection interface including an antenna interface and a housing connection interface.

As with most antennas on the market today, stubby antennas come in the usual array of mounting possibilities including magnetic mounting, through hole and adhesive mounted stubby antennas. All of which offer advantages depending on the application the stubby antenna is intended for.
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