Antennas for portable VHF-FM receivers

A number of compact antennas are described which have been considered as replacements for the standard whip antenna which is normally fitted to VHF portable receivers. A comparison made of their characteristics shows that, of the antennas considered in the survey, the quarter-wave whip still provides the best sensitivity. However the normal-mode helix is a more convenient and compact antenna and is shown to perform better than a short whip of the same axial length. This antenna can be easily engineered to operate over the VHF band and has sufficient sensitivity for normal use.