Antennas:
The VX-1210 has a ruggedized SO-239 jack on the front panel which can be used with Vertex sourced whips or traditional coax antennas. The SO-239 equivalent is machined and when used with the YA-61 whip provides strain relief other adapters do not. Because of this it is strongly recommended to only use whips via the YA-61 or similar!
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Vertex YA-61 whipThis whip is the best method of attaching manpack style short whips. It's purpose made for this radio, and protects the SO-239 from abuse. While the factory YA-61 whip is usable on higher bands, you will need a coil for lower bands to radiate well. There are at least two methods in use to adapt this base to 3/8-24 loaded whips. Bonnie KQ6XA documented how to machine the tip of the YA-61 base to accept 3/8-24 antennas. As many do not have access to machine shops, I developed the approach at the left using "Off the shelf" parts to achieve the same goal. With the mod at left, you can use hamsticks, MP-1, and other light whips with no problem. Though the 1/8" stainless whip looks small, the spring bends before the short whip segment does, especially if just a few inches long. |
Wire Field AntennasI use the normal suite of HFPack field antennas as discussed on my HF Portable page. When not using a whip, I leave a silver plated UG-2737/U BNC adapter on the SO-239 to save wear & tear. Most importantly, the center pin is loose and will not damage the SO-239 on the VX-1210. BNC's are lighter for portable antenna usage, and it saves the threads on the SO-239 with repeated attach/detach cycles. Watch cheap adapters to make sure the pin is not too long, and forces the center pin to rotate when you attach the adapter! |