Spooltenna - Wire Spool Antennas

06/01/2026

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous part of building SPOOLTENNA: cutting barrels. 😅

A little noisy. A lot messy.

05/31/2026

A few weeks ago we mentioned retiring our old painters-pole field testing mast. 😢

After a lot of research and input from all of you, we've chosen its replacement: the MK-8-UHD from Max-Gain Systems, Inc.!!!

We were excited to put it to work in the field today, and so far it's checking all the boxes—strong and sturdy, yet light enough to move around with ease.

Stay tuned for more posts this week on our modifications and field testing set-up.

Link in the comments for details on the MK-8-UHD.

05/30/2026

Testing something new from our partners at ABR Industries... 👀📡

Stay tuned.

05/30/2026

We gave Paul (KJ5GKK) an 80m prototype at Dayton and asked him to put it through its paces. He managed to dodge the rain this week and give it a try!

In spite of the rain and terrible band conditions, I went out to US...

05/29/2026

Our "social media manager" had a whole content plan for today…but she's tired...and the coffee wore off. ☕😴

So anyway:

📡 Please just buy a SPOOLTENNA.

That’s the post.

05/28/2026

Free Shipping - Spooltenna ULTRA-4010 End Fed Half Wave Portable Wire Antennas with qualifying orders of $99. Shop HF Portable Stealth Antennas at DX Engineering.

05/28/2026

🌳Sometimes nature wins. 🌳

We've all been there.

Pre-assembled replacement antenna wires are now available for both the PARKS and ULTRA models!

Built to the same specifications as the original, pre-assembly includes:

* 65ft antenna wire (poly-stealth 26 AWG for ULTRA/silicone insulated 20 AWG tinned copper wire for PARKS)

* Banana plug

* Strain relief on both ends of the radiating element

05/28/2026

Thanks to Karl (K4RLX) for sharing his cautionary tale! (Spoiler alert: It has a happy ending!☺️)

Be kind to your connectors!
✅Use a lightweight coax like RG-316 or RG-174
✅Always use strain relief on both ends

Check the link in the comments for strain relief guidance in the SPOOLTENNA PARKS Owner’s Manual.

Visit my Website @ www.Star2531.comYes my SpoolTenna Broke and wa...

05/27/2026

Every small iteration of SPOOLTENNA has been shaped by real-world field use, operator feedback, and a constant drive to improve. 📡

Coming soon: a new PCB-based strain relief that’s even smaller, lighter, and lower profile, while maintaining full strength.

Unlike the adhesive-lined shrink tubing used in our current design, this new option allows easy field adjustment of wire length without cutting anything apart. Simply loosen the hitch, adjust the length, and re-hitch.

We are excited about this latest improvement, and true to our values, this design will remain open source.

What do you think of the new design? 👀

05/26/2026

We’ve definitely considered it. But at the ULTRA size (3"), the storage capacity is pretty limited, and the tighter turn radius isn’t ideal for winding coax (think kinks!).

We encourage operators looking for a streamlined storage solution to use the PARKS-sized SpareSpool for your coax and throwline.

That said… we want to hear from you. 👀

If you’ve been wanting an ULTRA-sized SpareSpool, let us know why and how you plan to use it.

Drop your ideas below. ⬇️