Are Your Whip Antennas JUNK? Try These Instead... SPARK-Con 2025

While I was at SPARK-Con 2025 — the ARRL Midwest Convention at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, MO, I stopped by the Alpha Antenna booth to talk with Steve, the man behind some of the most versatile portable antennas in ham radio. In this video, Steve breaks down why some vertical whip antennas might be “junk” — and what makes Alpha Antenna’s designs different. He also gives me a look at: 🔹 Alpha Antenna HexTenna Deluxe — a portable VHF/UHF/HF antenna that can be configured as a vertical or dipole setup 🔹 Alpha Antenna MIL EmComm Deluxe (6–80M) — an off-center-fed standing-L dipole built for serious portable HF and emergency comms. 👉Alpha Antenna HexTenna Deluxe (Affiliate): https://www.alphaantenna.com/product/best-portable-hf-dipole-vertical-yagi-antenna-vhf-uhf-hf-hextenna-alpha/?aff=22 👉Alpha Antenna MIL EmComm Deluxe (Affiliate): https://www.alphaantenna.com/product/6-80-meter-hd-fmj-portable-hf-vertical-dipole-antenna/?aff=22 👉Alpha Antenna Stainless Steel 17 Ft. Whip (Affiliate): https://www.alphaantenna.com/product/telescopic-stainless-steel-whip/?aff=22 👉Alpha Antenna Stainless Steel 34 Ft. Whip (Affiliate): https://www.alphaantenna.com/product/alpha-ss34-foot-stainless-steel-whip/?aff=22 As an Alpha Antenna affiliate, I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. If you’re into POTA, SOTA, or portable ham radio operations, these antennas are worth a look! 📡 Watch to see why Alpha Antennas might just change how you think about whip antennas. 00:00 – Intro 00:32 – Meeting Steve from Alpha Antennas 02:10 – Why most whip antennas fail 03:45 – The HexTenna Deluxe overview 06:25 – The MIL EmComm Deluxe demo 09:10 – Final thoughts ⬇️GEAR I USE⬇️ –––––––––––––––––––– ★★As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.★★ 🛒Many Things I Use Can Be Found In My Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/ki5irehamradio 🥾Check Out My My Ultra Portable POTA Kit: https://www.amazon.com/shop/ki5irehamradio/list/1S8JOQ9AJ4JQR –––––––––––––––––––– ⬇️LINKS TO OTHER STUFF⬇️ ★★All links are affiliate links where possible. As an affiliate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. These links help support the channel and make videos like this possible.★★ 📡ABR Industries (Affiliate): https://abrind.com/?sld=ki5irehamradio Use code "ki5irehamradio10" on qualifying purchases. 📡Alpha Antenna (Affiliate): https://www.alphaantenna.com/?aff=22 Using this link when ordering from Alpha Antenna helps support the channel. 📡Bridgecom Systems (Affiliate): https://www.bridgecomsystems.com/?ref=ki5irehamradio Using this link when ordering from Bridgecom helps support the channel. 📡Ham Radio Prep (Affiliate): hamradioprep.com Use code "KI5IRE" to save 10% on qualifying purchases. 📡Radioddity (Affiliate): https://www.radioddity.com/?ref=ki5irehamradio Save $15 on qualifying purchases by using coupon code "KI5IRE" at checkout. 🌐The Ham Radio Logging Software I Use in the Shack (Only available for MacOS and iOS): https://www.dl2rum.de/rumsoft/RUMLog.html 🌐The Ham Radio Logging Software I Use Portable/POTA/SOTA: https://ham2k.com/apps/polo/ 🎵The Music I Use In Most of My Videos (Non-Affiliate): https://artlist.io/ ⬇️FOLLOW ME ON OTHER PLATFORMS⬇️ 🌎My Blog: https://ki5ire.weebly.com 🎥Subscribe for More Content: youtube.com/@HamRadioHQ2 🌎KI5IRE Ham Radio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamRadioHQ 📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HamRadioHQ/ 📡X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/KI5IRE 📡Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ki5ire-ham-radio 📡Join the KI5IRE Ham Radio Discord: https://discord.gg/mpqnu58eJz