I picked up this antenna at the SEA-PAC hamfest last spring. It was only $6 at the show ($7.50) retail) so I thought it could be an interesting backup whip for HF use when combined with a loaded coil. That worked ok for the higher bands. As expected 6,10,15,20 meters worked reasonably well. I could get a tuner match a lower bands, but no signal reports to verify.
Link to whip:
http://www.buddipole.com/fetewh.htmlOne thing to know about this little whip, is the threading is NOT the normal 3/8" x24, but a much smaller.
I used this larger magnetic mount with a 3/8x24 female thread. So any CB style whip can thread in. I find this mount very handy to keep in the tool kit.
Link to base:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015SWYWM6Anyhow, what's pretty slick about the featherweight whip, is if you extend fully all section EXCEPT the bottom most, it's a convenient 1:1.5 SWR on 145mhz. From my driveway I tested out several Winlink packet stations (all simplex) and made 3 connections further than 12 miles.
I certainly wouldn't drive around with this configuration, but in a pinch when your primary mobile antenna isn't working (well enough) this is a handy item to keep in the trunk that can quickly be adjusted to a wide range of frequencies and bands.
