What is the performance difference between helical and quarter-wave handset antennas?
There is hardly any difference if hand held, but there could be up to 2dB if the equipment is fixed. Typically, for a given frequency and power input, 1/4 wave antennas perform with 1.5 to 2.0 dB gain over helical antennas when used on a large groundplane. When the equipment is held in the hand, any performance difference between 1/4 waves and helicals is less noticeable.
