One of the more popular replacement antennas, for example, is the Nagoya NA-771, shown in Figure 1.

Most HT replacement antennas aren’t quite as long as a quarter-wave (19 inches), but some do come close. To improve the performance of your HT (aka Handheld Transceiver), you can replace the supplied rubber duck antenna with a more efficient antenna. Question T9A04 reads, “What is a disadvantage of the ‘rubber duck’ antenna supplied with most handheld radio transceivers when compared to a full-sized quarter-wave antenna?” The answer is, “It does not transmit or receive as effectively.” There’s even a question on the Technician Class license exam about rubber duck antennas. In general, these are not very good antennas. These antennas are jokingly referred to as “rubber ducks” because the antennas consist of a rubberized jacket over a helical radiating element. The first type of antenna that most radio users come into contact with are the small vertical antennas found on most handheld radios.

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