A portable antenna?

TOPICS:

I was recently asked if any of our antennas could be made into a “portable” antenna. The answer is simple: YES! Any antenna can be made portable depending on how much time you want to spend putting it up.

What would make an antenna portable?

Obviously you would need a way to connect that antenna securely wherever you are. When your antenna is mounted on your home you would use a J-Mount or something similar. If you’re taking the antenna with you, you’ll need something like a mast and tripod.

Our universal tripod comes with a 5 foot pole so you can put up an antenna anywhere. It folds up so you can stow it easily. Installation is simple, just place it down and tighten all the bolts. I tend to recommend sandbags or cinder blocks if you’re going to put up an antenna since the whole thing will tend to be a little top heavy.

You’ll also need cable to get from the antenna to the TV. I recommend Solid Signal custom made cables because they’re going to be super durable and lose less signal over distance than the ones you buy in the home store.

Which antenna to choose?

Honestly you can choose any antenna you want but I will admit that some antennas aren’t really made to be assembled and disassembled. If you don’t disassemble them, they do take up an awful lot of room.

I tend to recommend small, plastic clad antennas like this Flatwave Air. Although it comes with its own mast, that mast can be zip-tied to any pole you want to use. I like antennas like this because they are easy to take with you. They aren’t going to be as powerful as some of the really big Yagi style antennas, though.

I would stay away from any antenna that had a lot of exposed metal rods that could be easily bent while traveling. Once an antenna starts to bend it’s not really ever going to be the same ever again.

Get the best antenna advice

If you’re not sure which antenna to pick, there’s a great resource available from Solid Signal and it’s absolutely free. Our antenna request form will let you fill in all the blanks, telling us everything about your situation. Unlike apps that just give you an answer based on a formula, every antenna request is reviewed by real humans, real technicians who really think about what you’re asking. The result takes a little longer but it’s worth it.

If you don’t like filling out forms, you can call us at 888-233-7563 and our techs will give you the best information they can over the phone. Everyone in our call center is located in the good old USA in Novi, Michigan and we take the time that we need in order to give you great customer service!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.