Nitinol Antennas - 1/4 wave 2m Flexible

[rover67]

Hi All,

I've been using a Sti-co Flexi Whip for a while now and love it for its durability/flexibility and once tuned it performs well in 2m and 70cm.

Anyhow, I'm working on a radio install for a neighbor firefigter and was looking for another Sti-co but they have gotten expensive now and seem to be priced at around $95 most places.

Flexi-Whip™ Roof Mount - Tunable

sti-co.com

I bumped into this $35 option and wanted to share:

Super-Elastic Signal Stalk — Signal Stuff

NOTE: To use this antenna you need an NMO mount. There are many different types and they are easy to find, so we don't carry them ourselves. (There isn't enough room in KD7BBC's garage to store them...)

signalstuff.com

If you have a good ground plane and are looking for an antenna that'll be durable you might want to check out these nitinol options. I'm going to try one of the signal stuff antennas for the firefighters setup and see how it works. Anybody here used one of them before? Seems like a nice family owned buisiness.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Nice find.

Notice that there's no ball at the end and a few comments are made about it. When you have one in your grubby hands if you can hit it with a mic and get a diameter it should be easy to solve that.

Most commercial antennas are 0.100" whips. Larsen, etc. make replacement tips.

Bag of 10 for $12. A dab of epoxy, stick 'er on and Bob's Your Uncle.

Larsen BALL3B Tear Drop Black Antenna Whip Tips for .100 Diameter Rods 10 Pack

Tear drop black rod tips for .100 diameter non-tapered rods. Package of 10

theantennafarm.com

That ball has a purpose other than cosmetic. It dissipates static, the technical name for it is "corona ball". Not to be confused, it's not some a fancy party celebrating the past few years of shit show or the Mexican beer. Although enough beer and it might just keep you from putting out an eye if you go crawling on your roof.

 

[DaveInDenver]

BTW, the key with Flexiwhips is to buy the replacement antenna if you already have a base.

For example looking at Tessco.

For $94 you get the antenna, but this comes with an NMO base mount, too.

STI-CO Industries, Inc. - 136-1000 MHz Roof Mount, 3/4" Hole - ROOF-FT-NITI - Tessco

STI-CO's ROOF-FT-NITI 136 – 1000 MHz unity gain 3/4 in hole roof mount antenna with 17 ft RG58/U cable. Includes NMO mount. Order connector separately.

www.tessco.com

If you get just the replacement whip it's $54.

STI-CO Industries, Inc. - Flexible Whip and Base for Roof Mount Antenna - ROOF-FT-NITI-M - Tessco

STI-CO's 136 – 1000 MHz flexible Nitinol whip and base for roof mount antenna.

www.tessco.com

When you think about it, too. that $94 isn't all that bad. A Larsen NMO-K mount is usually about $30. So doing individual parts you'd save $10. Although doing the Signal Stalk + Larsen NMO-K you'll be in for about $65 total and that difference isn't chump change.