The Famous Ruggedized Nano Dipole Monoband Antenna shows how small, light, stealthy and durable Portable Ham Radio Antennas can be.
Choose your band and make the most of your low power signal up to 50 Watts.
The exceptional performance of a resonant dipole fits literally in the palm of your hand. Experienced operators know that if you can put up a dipole, you should, and our ruggedized antennas are designed to take a beating. See our antennas in action on You Tube by searching N9SAB Antenna for some excellent Ham Radio Content by such providers as Ham Radio Concepts and Outdoors on the Air.
We now offer a QRP Choke/Balun making the Nano Dipole even more effective. See it in the store here: https://www.ebay.com/str/n9sab
Unlike other antennas with fragile center connections or other parts, the connections here have been double soldered and encased in hard resin/plastic mixture. Short of physically breaking the elements (possible, but not easy) or incinerating the entire antenna, there isn't much damage that can be done. You could even run it over with your Jeep, as I did (see photos) but don't try that with an End-Fed. Under normal or rough conditions this unit will last for years. It can be run over, hit with a bat (but keep the thread protector on), dragged behind a vehicle, or immersed for long periods.
For as low as $39.95 (Varies by Frequency) you will receive:
- An Original Nano Monoband Dipole as depicted in the photos, tested and described below. Made in America by hams for hams from materials sourced from U.S. sellers
- A BNC thread protector cap
- A dual string carry pouch as pictured
- A lifetime guarantee
- Free Shipping within the United States
- Your order will be shipped within 3 business days of payment being received
- 60 Day Free Returns
The Nano is a resonant monoband dipole in a ruggedized, ultra-compact, ultra-light form designed for demanding QRP and QRP portable radio operations. The most common question we receive is related to watt rating of this antenna. This antenna works very well up to 50 Watts in all modes. There is no matching unit to heat up, plastic enclosure to crack, or fiddley bits or hardware to lose. The power output is limited only by the gauge of the wire.
If you simply must have a 100 Watt antenna, please see our other listings
The antenna requires no assembly, no tuner, and accepts a BNC Male connector. A resonant dipole can help you make the most of low power transmitting without additional weight and space. Deploys effectively in just minutes. Perfect for POTA, SOTA, or any portable activation. Imagine hiking to the top of the peak or journeying to some remote location and finding out you have forgotten some innocuous piece of equipment that renders that expensive, fancy antenna dead weight. Or worse, some form of damage has occurred in transit that prevents your primary antenna from functioning. Having one of these will prevent your efforts from being an exercise in frustration and will not add weight or take up precious space. Some configurations do not even require a center support if the ends are secure (see photo). The center conductor element is identified with a red band for sloper, etc. configurations.
Many experienced hams would agree that it is very easy to erect an antenna system inferior to the classic half-wave dipole, but very difficult to out-perform one. There are no short-cuts or electronic tricks involved here. The Nano dipole is a classic half-wave dipole antenna optimized for QRP / QRP Portable and Stealth operation. It takes almost no space and weighs almost nothing. It consists of an BNC connector 22 AWG stranded, UL1007 copper antenna wire and two (2) ring connector eyelets at each end. All electrical connections are soldered using silver bearing rosin-core solder. Parts and connections have been weather proofed using marine-grade, adhesive-lined polyolefin tubing.
Weighing less than 6 oz. (170 grams) depending on which frequency you select, this antenna is a half-wave dipole. When compressed, it fits into a space 4.5" x 2.5" x 1" (115 x 63 x 25mm). Extended, the dipole is cut for the middle of its particular band. If you are exclusively a CW/Digi or Phone operator, let us know and we will make the appropriate length adjustments and cut the antenna based on your favorite frequency. The Nano can be used in any of the standard dipole configurations, flat-top, inverted V, sloper, vertical dipole, wire vertical w/counterpoise, etc.
Having used many antennas over the years I have not found any antenna configuration to greatly outperform the classic half-wave dipole as demonstrated by the Nano. Many hours of operating and hundreds of dollars later, I have come full-circle and returned to what I believe is the best, simplest antenna solution. All things considered (conditions, power, terrain, height etc.), with this antenna raised close to a 1/4-wave above the ground, I have been just as successful, or more, making contacts with a classic half-wave dipole than with anything else. The exceptionally rugged, compact and light Nano allows this portable performance anywhere.
