What is said is correct. Copper is a better conductor than aluminum, but either will work. The antenna used is considered a monopole antenna and can be “tuned” to the correct frequency by sizing it correctly at a quarter-wavelength (one-fourth the length of one cycle of the electromagnetic radio wave). Since our radios operate with a carrier frequency about 72-73MHz (depending on the channel) the characteristic length of the antenna will vary from 37 to 39 inches. Anything outside of this range will cause degradation in the received signal.

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