Super-Elastic Signal Stalk

(17 customer reviews)

$35.00

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…)

In stock

SKU: NMO-STALK Category:

Description

Signal Stuff finally has vehicle mount antennas! These are a pretty standard gain antenna, but far more durable than your typical NMO antenna; perfect for off-roading and for anyone who just wants a simple, durable antenna. The antenna will ship with a vinyl end cap on the wire.

  • Connector: NMO
  • Length: ~20 inches
  • Max power: 200 watts
  • Gain: 144-148Mhz 2.5dBi, 430-450Mhz 4.5dBi
    • 1/4 wave on 2m, 3/4 wave on 70cm
  • SWR graphs coming soon =]

These are super-elastic and should withstand punishment that would destroy any other antenna =] That said, they are not actually indestructible — just very tough. We can’t do the full lifetime warranty we do with the sticks but if you have one break send us a photo and we’ll see if we can give you a discount and replace just the parts you need.

In order to fit in our envelopes this antenna has to be shipped disassembled — assembly tools (2.5mm hex key) will be included.

Additional information

Weight 2.2 oz
Dimensions 20 × 1.5 × 1.5 in

17 reviews for Super-Elastic Signal Stalk

  1. Gene Schexnayder

    The Signal Stalk is Great, reception using it another ham said the signal and transmissions he thought I was using my base antenna. One issue I have is there should be a ball or something on the tip, as I use it on a mag mount where the tip could cause eye are other injuries when installing or removing from top of vehicle.

    • kd7bbc

      I appreciate the feedback! Unfortunately I do not currently have a reasonable way to put a ball on the top unless I make it out of plastic — I could do that, of course, but it would likely only last maybe a year before breaking. Typical steal antennas are threaded at the end and have a ball that screws on, but nitinol is too hard to add threads to with any tool I have available. We might come up with something in the future.

  2. Rylan Downs (verified owner)

    Wow! The Signal Stalk NMO mobile antenna is amazing! I compared this antenna to the Comet SSB5 NMO antenna I had on my Toyota before and to my surprise the Signal Stalk outperformed the Comet. The most noticeable difference was that when TX my radio did not get near as warm as it did with the Comet which leads me to believe the SWR numbers are really good! I have not had a chance to hook up an SWR and check yet otherwise I would give you specifics. Thanks Signal Stuff for the NMO antenna and the white Super-elastic on my HT. One question. Is there a coating on the NMO antenna to prevent rusting?

    • kd7bbc

      There isn’t — there is a coating to make it look nicer, but as Nitinol doesn’t rust (it’s nickel / titanium) there is no need for a coating to prevent it =]

  3. Andrew Farris KN6LZV (verified owner)

    Thanks for venturing into this arena. I do not have the antenna mounted on vehicle yet, but the build for it is excellent and I have no doubt it will serve well. As other reviewer mentioned, the lack of ball on top is a negative, but would easily be dealt with by including several backup / replacement plastic balls to be glued on when needed. The initial ball sent with it could be plasti-dipped after install which will significantly help the sun damage on the 3D print plastic ball to preserve it somewhat. I know its not a perfect solution but it is one! Thanks all!

  4. Ben

    Purchased to compare to Larson 2/70B. SWR is lower on 70cm vs 2m, but it will transmit.

  5. Steve (verified owner)

    I love this antenna. Works great and isn’t too tall, so it looks good on the car. It’s made of the same stuff as the classic HT signal sticks, but it’s much thicker so it doesn’t wave around in the wind or get floppy in cold weather. Highly recommended!

  6. KJ7PVH (verified owner)

    Outstanding build quality! Love that it’s funding such a great cause.

  7. Michael Pohl K6MRP (verified owner)

    I really love this antenna and it has replaced the Tram 1181 as my daily Antenna on top of my 4 door sedan. The SWR on 2m is between 1.00 and 1.01 (yes, it is THAT good). Sadly, the SWR on 70cm is constantly 2.50-2.75. Therefor, I use it as just a monoband 2m antenna. That’s fine with me, as that’s what I talk on 99% of the time. If I need to talk on 70cm, I pull over and switch to the Tram 1181 or the Diamond 770NMO.

    All of that being said, this is still a BUY BUY BUY.

    • kd7bbc

      Hi Michael,

      Glad it’s working well for you =] One thing we have been learning but haven’t had time to document sufficiently is that for this style antenna you may need to trim it a little bit to get the SWR you want on 70cm — it will depend on your coax and ground plane. For some it’ll be enough as-is, some will need to trim down. Unfortunately trimming will require probably a grinding wheel or some very heavy duty cutters (think bolt cutters) as normal wire cutters would be damaged.

      Most reports indicate that about 1/2″ does it for them, but that will of course raise the 2m SWR so you’ll have to decide your priority =]

  8. Nathan N9ZB

    Bought this to install on a 4th gen comet lip mount on the front hood of my car.

    The NMO mount was too tight screwing onto the mount initially. After 3 or 4 careful rethreadings, it loosened up enough to be removed by hand, so I installed it with a tiny amount of anti seize to the NMO mount. I intend to swap it out for a hamstick at times, so it was important for me to be able to easily remove it. Signal stuff was great in responding to my inquiries!

    The comet mount came with 16 ft of RG8 coax. I put coax seal around the connector under the hood and ran it through a slit in an existing rubber grommet through the firewall under the steering column.

    On tramsmit the Signal Stalk does fantastic. On receive I get a bit more static than I’m used to. I tried it with an Anytone 878 and Kenwood TMV71A. Both had a bit of static.

    SWR at 144.1 MHz is 1.49.
    SWR at 441.0 MHz is 1.79.

    Looking at the dips, the bottom of the V is to the left of the above frequencies. I suspect if I trim off 3 or 4 ft on final install of the coax it will improve. If that doesnt optimize SWR at my desired frequencies, I will shorten the signal stalk in increments of 1/8 inch until I am optimal at about 146.5 or 444. It looks like it would be easy to unscrew the two retention screws and trim the antenna from the bottom up with a pair of small bolt cutters, then flatten and polish the end with a grinder. Or just grind it!

    Lastly, I threw a 31 mix ferrite on the antenna cable and remeasured SWR. No difference, but receive seemed slightly better on receive.

    Overall, good antenna, great transmit, decent SWR out of the box. Good construction albeit a bit tight for my mount.

    The signal stalk does not droop in 17 degree Indiana weather. Nice and bendy for when I drive through the long wooded drive to the cabin with all those bramches brushing the car. I bet overlanders would love it!

    Great value for a good cause! I look forward to dialing mine in!

    It will be permanantly used with a TYT 9800.

  9. Thomas Sanford

    Wish they made a signal stick this stiff!

    Just arrived in the mail and this antenna works great. I’ve been running APRS on my 3DR during my commute and its been working well sofar. The new plastic wrap tip is an great implementation to the previous reviewers suggestions. I wonder if Richard might consider using this gauge wire on the signal sticks – It would flop around quite a bit less, great for walking and talking.

    • kd7bbc

      Heh; that gauge wire is way too thick to use for a HT antenna. I might someday try a 2mm diameter one, but I’d have to raise the price as the wire is quite a bit more expensive at that weight.

  10. Taylor (verified owner)

    This is exactly what I needed! I was struggling to find a NMO antenna that had an acceptable SWR on my vehicle set up on 2m. Running a lip mount on the hood of my Jeep Wrangler, the Comet and Diamond antennas I tried would produce an SWR on 70cm in the low 1’s but nothing below 2 on 2m.
    Swapping a Comet SS460SB out for the Super-Elastic Signal Stick brought my highest SWR on the 2m band to 1.32 to 1 and I am thrilled. My SWR across the 70cm band stayed under 1.5 to 1 except for around 444.000 where it crested to just under 2. Most of the repeaters I use are 2m so this spike doesn’t bother me and if I need to use one around that point in the band I’m comfortable with that SWR for short term use.

    While I know those readings are specific to my set up, the quality of this antenna is impressive. The build quality seems heads and tails above the Comet antenna it replaced and the reception is noticeably better.

    The fact that this antenna cost roughly half of the alternatives and is better in all aspects is enough for me to recommended it, but then add the fact that HamStudy prepared me for my exams and this is a no brainer. Buy this antenna and enjoy.

  11. Chris Preovolos (verified owner)

    Aside from everything else mentioned above, which I do not need to repeat, I barely even notice it on top of my car, visually.

    This is not my biggest concern but it’s a solid bonus.

  12. Mike (verified owner)

    I have been using Signal Sticks on my HTs for several years now with excellent results and no bent or broken antennas. Now I’ve installed the Signal Stalk on my Jeep specifically for GMRS, separate from my amateur radio. Initially 2:1, and then cutting it to 18¼” to get closer to the “right size”, it’s at 1.2:1. Additionally, mounting it with a hood lip NMO combined with the super-elastic whip allows for no issues with trees, etc. when off-road. Keep up the great work!

  13. Kevin M (verified owner)

    I replaced a team dual band with this. It works great. Very durable, makes it through the automatic car wash with no worries at all. Hit all the local repeaters and even one about 60 miles away on a good day with ease. Highly recommended.

  14. Andrew

    Just got mine in yesterday and am very impressed with the antenna. I bought it primarily because I wanted a minimal sized antenna to run for my dedicated APRS radio. However I wanted to check SWR and performance on my “talking” radio first to see just how well it does. SWR is definitely better on 70cm than 2m but I could possibly adjust it to correct that. On 144.390 SWR was 1.74 and on 146.520 it was 2.04. However I’m primarily interested in 70cm and GMRS. If you want to get this as a dual purpose antenna for ham and GMRS the SWR ranged from 1.04 to 1.46 through all of 70cm ham band as well as all of GMRS. I’m super happy with it and I will likely get another one to run on the wife’s car when I can get a radio in there.

  15. Ross Daniel (verified owner)

    A very well made 1/4λ whip antenna. The way I have it mounted on my CR-V is an NMO lip mount at the top of the rear hatch. Not an ideal ground plane, but the VSWR is good at 2m and OK at 70cm. My “mobile” rig is a 5W HT and it gets out plenty strong enough to hit local repeaters on both 2M and 70cm. I also love the fact that this antenna supports technical education (hamstudy.org). I feel like this antenna will be very durable and last for many years to come. 10/10 would recommend.

  16. Josh Warden KJ5AZL (verified owner)

    Great little antenna!!!

    I was using a signal stick on a BNC mag mount and decided to upgrade.

    SWR: 1.01

    Love the minimalist design. Works perfect with a small car. (I drive a Miata) able to get 50% more range in local repeaters. It is stiff enough to not lay down in the wind at highway speeds yet flexible enough that I am not worried about it. I only have a 5 watt HT in the car, every little watt in the air is important.

    I like the fact that I am supporting a great cause in the education of the new HAM community.

    I would love to see a Signal Stuff NMO mag mount.

  17. Nick (verified owner)

    Love this antenna, wish I could keep it on the truck year round. Much like the signal stick I’ve had wonderful luck and signal reports with this unit, it’s withstood some knocks and bumps in the woods I would be hesitant to send any other antenna through. That said the only (and I mean ONLY) negative for this antenna is the cold weather. As the temps drop so does the poor little antenna, going to have to switch it out for this winter as it’s getting droopy in 30F weather, I can’t imagine it would fare much better in the coming -20F weather. All in all I’d recommend it to anyone, just with the understanding that you’ll have to switch it out if you live in colder climates.

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