Foldable Ground Plane “Jungle” Antenna

Description

Deploy or stow a ground plane antenna in seconds!  The ground plane antenna is a different configuration of the vertical dipole that has a more favorable geometry without sacrificing gain.  The radiation pattern of a ground plane antenna concentrates more radiated energy at the horizon, instead of sending half of it at the ground, like a vertical dipole does.  The antenna is pyramid shaped, with a vertical radiator and 3 radials angling down and away.  The antenna is fed from the center hub with a female BNC connector and the feed line can hang straight down.  There are 3 arms that fold down from the radials to hold the radials apart.  An isolation ring is located at the end of the vertical element, to make it easier to hang and secure the antenna.  The isolation ring is labeled with the frequencies for which the antenna is tuned, to make it easy to identify.  The vertical element also folds down to make storage and transport easier.  To deploy, simply unfold the vertical element, unfold each arm, attach the arm to its neighbor, attach the feedline to the hub, and hang the antenna!  The antenna comes pre-assembled and is one piece.

Features:

• Version 3 of the antenna
• High quality Amphenol RF brand BNC female connector provides a long life of hundreds of mating cycles
• Connector hangs underneath the hub and is shielded from rain when deployed
• The polyethylene jacketed, stranded 14 gauge antenna wire stands up to repeated flexing without kinking
• The UV and impact resistant, epoxy filled, waterproof, 3d printed hub protects the internal connections
• The 3d printed isolation ring maintains electrical isolation when hanging the antenna
• Each antenna labeled with tuned bands
• Weight, approximately 5.3 oz (150.25 g), depending on tuned band