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Found this antenna while doing a ride. Anyone have any idea what I can use it for?
How to make an attachment to connect it to my sdr receiver?
Thank you!
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that honestly looks like a bar for hanging curtains
I’m thinking it’s from one of their trucks
Ah okay. I asked ChatGPT with your image and it seems to agree that it's a whip antenna. If you're interested:
This was found at an old military base, was told it was an antenna for a truck. Does that look correct?
ChatGPT
The item in your photo looks like a whip antenna, which is commonly used for military vehicles. These antennas are designed to be flexible and durable, suitable for the rough conditions often encountered by military equipment. The long, thin rod and the connector at the base indicate that it's indeed an antenna, and the base looks like it is meant to be mounted on a vehicle. It's very plausible that this could be an antenna from a military truck, especially given the context of finding it at an old military base.
User
what kind of connector could be use to connect it to an SDR with an SMA connector, and what kind of frequencies would it work best for?
ChatGPT
To connect an antenna with a non-SMA connector to a Software Defined Radio (SDR) with an SMA connector, you would need an adapter. The specific type of adapter would depend on the type of connector that is on the antenna. There are several common types of RF connectors that are used for military applications such as Type-N, BNC, TNC, or UHF (PL-259/SO-239). Once you identify the connector type on the antenna, you can purchase an adapter from that connector type to SMA.
As for the frequencies it would work best for, that largely depends on the design of the antenna. Whip antennas like the one in the image are often designed for VHF and UHF frequencies, which can range from about 30 MHz to 3 GHz. However, the specific design of the antenna, including its length and the presence of any loading coils or other elements, will determine its optimal frequency range. Without specific details or markings on the antenna that indicate its design parameters, it would be speculative to give a precise frequency range.
Typically, military communications make extensive use of the HF (3-30 MHz), VHF (30-300 MHz), and UHF (300 MHz-3 GHz) bands. If you want to determine the best performance frequency range for this antenna, you could use an antenna analyzer or a network analyzer with your SDR to sweep across a range of frequencies and observe the SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) or return loss, which will indicate how well the antenna is matched to those frequencies.