Alpha Antenna
| Alpha Antenna | |
|---|---|
| Type | Brand of Productive Industries, LLC (private) |
| Founded | December 2005 |
| Founder | Steven Deines |
| Headquarters | Pleasant Hill, Missouri |
| Amateur radio | |
| Known for | Magnetic loop antennas, portable HF verticals |
| Status | Active |
| Website | alphaantenna.com |
Alpha Antenna is an American maker of HF antennas based in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, known mainly for its magnetic loops and portable verticals. The brand belongs to Productive Industries, LLC, which was formed in December 2005 when the Alpha line began. It should not be confused with Alpha Delta Communications, a different American company known for wire antennas and coaxial switches.
History
An early user manual identifies Steven Deines as the founder of Alpha Antenna and says that its operating company, Productive Industries, LLC, was set up in December 2005 at the same time the Alpha brand was launched. The company's website carries the slogan "Trusted since 1979"; that date refers to when the founder began designing antennas, not to the founding of the business.
Its early products included the Alpha Loop, a portable magnetic loop. Over time the range grew to include portable and base verticals, long telescoping elements, mobile antennas, stealth antennas and a line of antennas for military users. As of 2026 the company is active, with its website listing products in stock.
Magnetic loops
A small transmitting loop is a loop of conductor much shorter than a wavelength, tuned to resonance by a variable capacitor. It has a very narrow bandwidth, so it must be retuned whenever the operator moves far in frequency, but it can be compact and does not need radials. The original Alpha Loop used a loop about 3 feet across made from LMR-400 coaxial cable, a smaller shielded inner loop that couples power from the radio, and a split-stator air-variable capacitor. It tuned continuously from 7 to 29.7 MHz.
The current Base 100W HF MagLoop is also about 3 feet in diameter and covers 40 through 10 meters. Its tuning capacitor is driven by a motor inside a weatherproof housing, so it can be tuned remotely from indoors as well as by hand. The company rates it at 100 watts PEP on SSB, 50 watts on CW and 25 watts on digital modes.
Other products
- Portable and base verticals, including the MilStick, a kit about 9.5 feet tall for HF.
- Telescoping elements about 17 feet 9 inches and 34 feet 6 inches long for portable verticals.
- Hextenna, a portable antenna.
- HOA Buster, a stealth antenna mounted along a rain gutter, aimed at homes under antenna restrictions.
- Mobile antennas and antennas for military users.
See also
- Magnetic loop antenna
- Vertical antenna
- Stealth antennas
- Portable operating
- Amateur radio manufacturers