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Which antennas are used at VHF and UHF?

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VHF (30–300 MHz) and UHF (300–3,000 MHz) are the ITU bands with wavelengths from 10 m down to 10 cm.[1] Propagation is mostly line-of-sight plus diffraction and reflection, so antenna height and vertical polarization dominate mobile service. Typical antennas are λ/4 whips and ground planes, collinears at base sites, Yagis for directional links, discones for monitoring and normal-mode helices on handhelds.[2][3]

How does antenna height affect range?

The radio horizon over smooth Earth with standard refraction (k = 4/3) is d ≈ 4.12(√h1 + √h2) km with heights in meters. A base antenna at 30 m and a mobile at 1.5 m have a radio horizon of about 27.6 km. Beyond the two-ray breakpoint, received power falls about 40 dB per decade of distance.[2]

Which polarization is used?

Vertical polarization is standard for land-mobile, marine, aviation (AM, 118–137 MHz) and amateur FM; horizontal for many TV broadcasts and weak-signal amateur work. Cross-polarized links lose 10–20 dB or more in line of sight.[2][3]

What about handheld antennas?

Normal-mode helical (“rubber duck”) antennas are compact but give up efficiency compared with a full λ/4 or λ/2 whip; users’ hands and bodies further reduce performance. The radio chassis forms the counterpoise.[4]

Frequently asked questions

How long is a quarter-wave whip at 146 MHz?

About 51 cm in free space, trimmed slightly shorter.

What is the 2 m amateur band?

144–148 MHz in ITU Region 2 (the Americas).

Is UHF better than VHF indoors?

UHF penetrates building openings better per unit size but suffers more wall loss; results depend on construction.

References

Online sources accessed October 21, 2026; printed works cited by edition. See all sources.

  1. “Recommendation ITU-R V.431: Nomenclature of the frequency and wavelength bands used in telecommunications”. ITU-R. current edition.
  2. “Antennas and Propagation for Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd ed.”. S. R. Saunders and A. Aragón-Zavala, Wiley. 2007.
  3. “The ARRL Antenna Book for Radio Communications”. ARRL. multiple editions.
  4. “Modern Small Antennas”. K. Fujimoto and H. Morishita, Cambridge University Press. 2013.
Categories: Applications by band