Over the years, radio manufacturers have sometimes included antennas with radios, including ones ones like the following comprised of a longwire, a connector and a reel.
The photo below shows the basic structure. There is some kind of a clip to attach the reel on one end to some fixed object, for me often a tree branch. Then there is a 3.5mm plug connected to one end of a coil of wire inside the reel. One pulls the plug out and the wire extends. This model, as do most, adds an adapter to allow a clip-on to the antenna for radios that lack a suitable antenna jack.
Some antennas, like the Sangean and Grundig wind from the front in a clockwise direction; the others wind from the back in a counterclockwise direction. The front winders in my small sample are the easiest to wind.
What Could Go Wrong?
Two things go wrong. One is that the reel sticks and the wire is difficult to pull out, but the big problem is reeling the antenna back in. Typically one holds the reel in one hand and then uses a finger in a provided depression (right side in the photo) to rotate the spindle. It can be sticky and very hard to rotate. The Sangean AN-60 is an example of a very good reel antenna and reeling the wire back end is easy. A little silicone spray lubricant can help.
Some reel antennas have flimsy outside shells and when they are held they put pressure on the spindle, making it hard to turn. The sticky ones can be extremely frustrating. A little silicone spray lubricant can help. Note the Sangean photo above — there is a thick left side that strengthens the shell so that it can be gripped without deforming.
Cost
For a simple product that doesn’t vary much across brands, one might expect similar pricing. That’s not the case. Amazon prices:
| Model | Price | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fezeqin AN03 | $8.98 | 23′ | Includes antenna clip |
| Grundig Compact Antenna | 21′ | ||
| Kaito T-1 | $12.98 | 23′ | Includes antenna clip |
| Raddy SW002 | $14.99 | 23.6′ | Includes antenna clip |
| Sangean ANT-60 | $25.71 | 23′ | Includes antenna clip |
| Tecsun AN-03L | $8.991 | 23′ | |
| TINNIK ANT-003 | $9.00 | 16′ | Headphone adapter |
| XHDATA AN-80 | $11.90 | 23′ | Includes antenna clip |
Individual notes
Grundig Compact Antenna
This hales back to the time when radios were packaged with accessory antennas. It’s very easy to reel in.
Sangean ANT-60
This is clearly the best one for reeling in. The sturdy shell doesn’t flex easily. This one is my daily driver.
Tecsun AN-03L
Amazon US does not appear to sell this, although anon-co.com does and ships from the US. I found this one moderately difficult to reel in. The ones from Anon-co have Chinese lettering. Mine came bundled with a Tecsun radio.
TINNIK ANT-003
The TINNIK model solves a specific problem for a few radios that have neither a telescopic antenna nor an antenna jack. They reply on the earphones to be the antenna. This one plugs into the radio’s earphone jack and then provides a headphone jack of its own for the earphones. There are tiny FM radios sold with no antenna or speaker. This is a solution for them.
I found this one difficult to reel in.
XHDATA AN-80
This one is shaped similar to the Tecsun AN-03L and similarly moderately-difficult to reel in.
I agree the Sangean ANT-60 is a top notch reel antenna. Mine came packaged along with the ATS-909x purchase that I received sometime back. Unfortunately the added antenna clip wire (3.5 mm female) that came with it has broken. I prefer clipping directly to the radio’s telescopic. I wish these short clip wires were available for purchase individually.
Another fine reel antenna that I use is the CCrane Shortwave reel. It came with the original CC Skywave SSB which has no antenna jack port. Very solid like the Sangean. It’s probably my favorite reel.